Our peers answered in the affirmative, with yes 40 and no 16. A pounding fist on the conference table could almost be heard from the search firm audience. AND then we became more daring. They cited low salaries, incompetent board members, CEOs who don t understand development and don t want to learn, and high stress caused by the pressure to perform under a canopy of unrealistic expectations. Arnie Miller of Issacson and Miller in Boston, Massachusetts, wrote, Our clients are always afraid development people will leave early, but we have seen in some cases, an increase in support to some charities due to a new person s coming in.
Every time there is a change it is disruptive to an organization.
Also, donors bond to good development officers. It is human nature to dislike change. And from David Edell of The Development Resource Group in New York City, More giving at higher levels is based on relationships between donors and professionals. Those relationships take time to build and mature. It is hard for donors to stay connected to organizations when their connections change regularly.