From survive to thrive: Team building for a small shop
April 29, 2002
For any development team, whether newly formed or well established, moving
from survive mode to thrive mode is crucial. In order to create an effective
team several components must be considered, including: who will be on the
team; the environment the team will work in - keeping in mind financial, political,
and core values; the impact of external factors; and how to handle change.
In his book, Fund Raising: The Guide to Raising Money from Private Sources,
author Thomas E. Broce defines the successful fund development officer as
someone who:
- is genuinely concerned for the well-being of the organization
- accepts responsibility, establishes standards, originates action, sustains
a mood, and keeps things going
- understands people and knows how to organize, direct, and motivate them
- is not afraid of hard work, long hours, or disappointments along the way
- has the capability to coordinate special events to take maximum advantage
of such occasions
- communicates honestly and effectively the goals of the institution and
ways in which they will be met
- is versatile, able to assist the CEO and volunteers in a variety of duties
- has the skills (or is acquiring them) to provide the mechanical and professional
support necessary in all phases of the development process
- continues to grow professionally
- is a person of integrity who respects the integrity and dignity of others
Of course, this ideal does not always reflect reality. An organization must be willing to invest in its employees and have leaders with both vision and skill. How can the right team players be found, particularly in a small shop (1 to 5 people) where budgets are often limited and each person is required to shoulder more than one area of responsibility?
Defining the team and its values
First, it is important to understand what is meant by the term 'team'. A team is a
group of people working together who share a common interest or purpose and
whose values match. The true measure of a team is how members react in difficult
times and when pushed beyond the status quo. A value, as defined by Simone P.
Joyaux in her book Strategic Fund Development: Building profitable relationships
that last, is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct is personally
or socially preferable to another.
A group's values reflect the group's purpose or mission and describe how group
members relate to each other and how the organization conducts business. You
need to know what values your organization holds as well as each team member's
individual values. They will determine whether each player is a good fit for
the organization. However, defining what you value is not always an easy task.
For the purpose of creating an effective team, look at the values that you bring
to work on a daily basis. Joyaux says that a true value subscribes to each of
these seven elements:
- Prized and cherished
- Publicly affirmed
- Available alternatives - a value is not mandated, one must be free to choose other alternatives
- Chosen intelligently
- Chosen freely
- Action - a true value means acting upon one's beliefs
- Repeated action
Know your organization
Do you know your organization well enough? Think about the personality of your organization, its corporate culture. Every organization has written and unwritten rules and values. You need to know how your organization responds to things so you can help prepare for change. There are times when you may get involved with an organization where there is friction. Is it an organizational problem? Different values? Great players ‚ wrong place? Understand how rules and values are created, who influences them, and how they are conveyed both internally and externally. You must also consider whether these rules and values fit with your own personal values.
Know your community
We often discount external components when we think about creating a successful team but they all have an effect and impact on how the organization operates. Consider the types of donors you are working with. Do their values influence the organization and the climate in which you work? You must also think about similar organizations and whether or not their existence affects your organization, as well as the political climate at the federal, provincial and municipal level - as funders, influencers of funders, and as catalysts for group action.
Know your skill sets
What skills do you need to round out your team? This requires both short and
long-term planning and you must take into account that what is expected of the
team may change significantly from year to year. Also consider the kind of supervision
that team members need. Some may need daily meetings while other need only minimal
supervision. Find a balance that works for everyone and realize that this may
require concessions from all the members of the team.
Finally, remember that creative recruiting on a limited budget means thinking
outside the box but also knowing when to ask for professional assistance. It
is easy to get caught up in the hiring process but an outsider can help identify
areas, skills and qualities of a candidate that you might not otherwise consider.
Based on a presentation by Dree Thomson-Diamond, CFRE at the 2002 Alberta
Fundraising Conference. For more information e-mail dree.Thomson@telusplanet.net.
