Meeting and exceeding fundraising goals can be difficult for many not-for-profits.
Management and staff often dread performance evaluations.
How can these two seemingly disparate things lead to fundraising success?
Here’s how: Start using SMART goals – Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Why? Because what gets measured; gets done. With SMART performance objectives staff then have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
When setting targets for your staff be specific. Instead of “raise more money than last year”. Try something like: Raise $245,000 in corporate donations by renewing two donors, upgrading four corporate donors and two securing new donors and reactivating one lapsed donor by end of fiscal year.
Many hands make for light work
Each staff person needs to have goals like these; with revenue numbers that tie into the annual budget. This way someone is responsible for every dollar in the annual budget. Managers would have responsibility for their own portfolio and that of those who report to them.
Reviewing performance objectives half way through the fiscal year is a good idea to make sure everyone is still on track. That way there is still time to devise a plan to fill any gaps.
I like to use five performance objectives, each attached a percentage adding up to 100% – the first three tied to the their specific job description. The fourth objective is reserved for a one-team goal. (This allows individuals who do not meet their specific objectives to share in the overall success of the organization. Plus, it creates a sense of team and can break down silos between departments by focusing staff on the big picture.
Finally, the fifth objective is reserved for professional development. It is important to encourage and support constant learning among your team. If your budget is tight, there are many free webinars and blogs that your staff to access. In sitting down with staff to develop these objectives it is a chance to explore what their professional objectives are and to see how you can support them in achieving them. I have been pleasantly surprised to hear that an individual’s objectives exceeded what I had in mind.
Looking ahead
Be sure that the performance evaluation you use included objectives for the next fiscal year. When the performance evaluation consists of broad questions with broad comments from the employee and the manager it becomes subjective. Or worse, specific details about incidents from many months ago that the employee can’t even recall are not helpful.
The performance evaluation process should be a time to celebrate personal and organization successes. It is a chance to reflect on how staff would like to grow in their careers and what they like to improve upon. Making the process a priority shows employees that management cares about their professional development.
A thoughtful performance evaluation plan sets staff up for success: employs SMART goals, splits up the work, rallies the team around the fundraising goals, checks in over the course of the year to make sure everyone is on track, encourages professional development all designed to positively motivated staff and exceed fundraising goals.
Employing these strategies can also turn the feared Performance evaluations into a tool that sets your organization up for success.
Andrea Swinton is a highly accomplished senior executive, who has successfully worked in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. She has over 20 years of employment experience with leading Canadian and global organizations.
As a not-for-profit executive, Andrea has worked with CEOs and leadership teams to lead and manage not-for-profit organizations, drive donor engagement, improve leadership effectiveness, donor satisfaction, along with organizational and individual performance. She has a proven track record for building strong, diverse teams that deliver results. She currently is the Executive Director at The Hearing Foundation of Canada.
Andrea holds a B.A. in Sociology from Queen’s University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Women’s Executive Network and is studying to obtain her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation. She is a member of the Board of Directors at Hazel Burns Hospice.
