January may be the time for new year’s resolutions, but advancement professionals know July 1 is often when the fundraising clock starts over — and when we make our own resolutions about how we will approach the new fiscal year.
The need for one resolution became clear to me after several clients in recent coaching calls shared their challenges in working with internal partners.
From faculty to program leaders to hospital CEOs and more, we know these partners are essential to our work. We also know that, sometimes, our attempts to work with these partners fall flat: They may be “too busy,” not comfortable in this space, unconvinced of the value of philanthropy and the advancement team or have any other perception that undermines this effort.
But consider what a bought-in partner can bring to our work: They make prospects feel seen and valued. They set a vision and the path to get there. They have seats at important tables where philanthropy needs to be represented. Your internal partners can truly be the key to reaching philanthropic goals — and you can’t afford to let these relationships falter.
Over the course of my career, I’ve come to identify five non-negotiable elements of partnerships that work:
- Educate yourself. No one wants to have a partner who doesn’t take the time to learn the area they’re representing, the dynamics of the institution, etc. By attending classes or presentations, reading material related to the field (e.g., “Chronicle of Higher Education”), asking questions about their work and their passions and more, you don’t just learn. You build credibility and you demonstrate that you care — two absolute essentials to partnerships that work.
- Set clear expectations for both parties — and live up to yours. How will you and your partner work together? What will you provide and what will they be asked to do? Outline expectations clearly from the beginning and always meet your own, and you will remove any uncertainty or misunderstanding. And every bit as important, you will demonstrate that you are the leader in your area of expertise.
- Use time wisely. No one wants to be in a meeting that “could have been an email,” so make sure yours don’t fall into this category. Come prepared with a full agenda but use some time each meeting build rapport too. However, using time wisely isn’t limited to meetings. Staff your partner so that their efforts for advancement are as simple as possible: Draft the email you want them to send a donor; provide talking points about a fundraising initiative before they pitch it to the CEO; etc.
- Be authentic. Your colleagues become your partners once you build a relationship based on trust, and trust does not exist without authenticity. This is easy to know in principle, but harder to put into practice. For example, authenticity requires opening a conversation about challenges you and the partner may be having as you work together. It may be reflected when you provide feedback about a prospect visit you both completed. It also shows up when we are vulnerable, sharing our passions, opinions and concerns. This step may be the scariest, but it’s also the most rewarding.
- Celebrate! Find things to celebrate: a good meeting, an introduction to a key prospect, a smaller gift that starts a relationship, and so on. No one wants to be part of something joyless. So, bring the joy, and share it!
Together, these actions add up to so much more than the sum of their parts. They create trust. There is nothing more foundational, more game-changing, than a mutually-trusting relationship with your internal partners. Once there is trust, the true partnership begins.
