Dr. Duke Haddad, CFRE

To manage work properly and avoid burnout, understand you only have 100% of time. Review your cycle of time and percent of time doing what? Seek to balance your time in functions most productive to you and the organization. If possible, delegate management to others. This will give them new responsibility and challenge them. Reduce the number of office meetings as meeting preparation provides stress and limits time. Seek to simplify communications that reduces emails, texts and other forms of communication. Obtain a management consultant to help prioritize your To Do list. On a personal note, focus on improving your body, mind and spirit with physical exercise, mental relaxation and religious involvement. Behavioral change takes time.

Facing a funding crisis in your nonprofit, you need to create a communications strategy. You job is to be transparent with an array of stakeholders such as the administration, staff, board, key donors, key volunteers and key community stakeholders. You need to state why the problem occurred, determine potential solutions and ask for advice and counsel. You are expected to understand the total situation. You also need to seek consulting counsel that can provide prompt ideas for action, before you go public with any scenario. Understand the problem and determine directions for solutions. Privately, do best of class research to see how other related nonprofits dealt with similar issues. Stakeholders expect both short and long term answers.

You can inspire the person interviewing you by taking the time to fully research the organization's mission, vision, role, purpose and community impact. If you are fully knowledgeable about the position and organization, you can talk about the organization's history, purpose, focus and why you are the best fit for the position. If you are fully prepared, you can respond in unique ways, leaving the interviewer very impressed. I always ask candidates the first question of "what do you know about the organization?". I can quickly tell if that person wants the job and could be a possible cultural fit for the organization. In my experience, candidates do not engage in the preparation needed to set them apart from others.

As you age, you may be going at your usual 100 mph pace mentally, but your work speed is reduced physically. Your body will feel the need to refine your work parameters and work smarter, not harder. You have to preserve your body so your mind can function at a high level. Focus on improving your body, mind and spirit. As a senior professional, I work out when I can on a regular basis. I seek to relax for a time each day and think more about life, rather than work thoughts. I am active on my parish council at church, and attend regularly, to keep my spiritually high. It is not rocket science. If you practice self-care, you will be able to maintain a work and success pace to enhance your organizational value for an extended period of time.

I love to ask for gifts. It is a skill mastered over time. The key to the ask is research. Understand the prospects giving history and interests. Know their net worth and the best giving method they like to make when giving. Rehearse the ask with colleagues that will be participating in the ask. Make sure the ask is win-win for them. Seek to solicit them in their home or in a quiet place where there are no distractions. Ask permission with the prospects in advance for the solicitation call. Make sure the amount asked for makes sense to the prospects. Be ready for objections and do not take a negative result personally. You want to win the war, not necessarily one battle. Critique every ask, after the ask is made. Enjoy the asking process!

You need to build relationships with donors over time. Learn their personalities and how they like to communicate with you. Your goal is to personally visit them. For example, I attempt meet with a physician donor quarterly for lunch with organizational updates. I meet with a couple in their home, at least twice a year. I invite donors to organizational activities. I may send letters, emails and even text messages to them. You build relationships with donors, one at a time. Each person is unique. Build trust with them and remember, it is not about you, but it is about the organization you represent. Your goal is to establish a lifelong relationship with donors, that outlives your tenure with the organization.