Part 3: Leveraging New Technologies and Methodologies
This is part of a series, in three parts, regarding what others might better understand about gift officers. In particular, ways in which data/infrastructure/prospect management can better support the revenue goals of the organization through major gift officers.
For those who support gift officers, there are some important aspects of the job that can be incredibly helpful. In particular, those in data/infrastructure/prospect management can realize that the following are remarkably helpful in the process.
Helping the gift officer lay out a plan for the year that includes identification of key opportunities as well as having a better understanding of the leading indicators/metrics that will help drive success.
Realizing that gift officers need things like advice, help, support, guidance, tips, assistance, and sometimes a swift kick in the backside. All of those different levels of interaction, depending on the circumstance or in the individual, are important to get a gift officer out and doing the activities that drive success.
Those who teach/educate gift officers, they may have to play two roles. These roles are very similar to characters from the movie series Despicable Me. Sometimes prospect management/data/infrastructure is the Good Dru. Other times they’re the Bad Gru. Like the movie, the facial features are the same, but the disposition is completely different.
The Good Dru is constantly helping gift officers utilize the CRM, teaching them the appropriate steps to manage data/create accountable metrics, even if done countless times before. Good Drus do whatever it takes to provide support and structure to the gift officer…becoming their best friend. The Bad Gru is the role and responsibility of creating reports that show metrics/activity and remind gift officers of the need of capturing that data in the CRM. And sometimes a Bad Gru has to deliver some advice that if there isn’t an achievement, things might not end well.
In the end, those who support gift officers generally don’t have the accountability to oversee their activity. So, building a relationship based on trust, communication, and mutual direction for the betterment of the organization will foster the greatest opportunities for gift officers, the organization, and overall success.