So ... You're a Fundraiser!

1. Who was in the fundraising position before? How many people have been in the position in the last five years? If you didn’t already ask this in the interview, it’s good to find this out.
2. Look at the 990 forms and old budgets. How has the development department performed in the past? And how do your co-workers and boss feel it performed?
3. How did goals get set? Were these goals realistic? What were the benchmarks?
4. What happened when goals were not met?
5. Who has tried to change the organization? Were they successful?
6. What is the focus and vision of the organization?
7. Who is trustworthy in your organization?
8. Who can actually do their jobs? Who is burned out? Who is overwhelmed?
9. Who has influence with the executive director and board? What can you learn from them?
10. Where can you get some early wins? (Appeals? Events? Marketing?)
11. What needs to go into the development plan?
12. What are some ways to ensure communication keeps happening within your organization?

If you see something being done inefficiently, ask what may appear to be “dumb” questions. Why is this done this way? What’s another way to do this?