From the Desk of

Carl G. Hamm ¦ Partner

 A Better World, One Day At A Time

One of the benefits of working with organizations across the country is the opportunity to see and comment on common issues and trends we observe across the field, drawing from our diverse experiences over the years.

In this moment, optimism and ambition abound for many organizations, with strategic planning and major campaigns in the works or underway and donors making significant philanthropic investments in causes they support. Now that we’ve passed the fourth anniversary of COVID-19 entering our lives, most institutions have finally found a new operating norm. The professional landscape for employees, however, is still very much a work in progress.

The practice of development is increasingly challenging and complex, with staff balancing administrative and managerial responsibilities, face-to-face relationship building with donors, and the ongoing need for professional development to stay technically proficient. A full slate of tasks, pressures, and demands compete for priority on a day-to-day basis.

Employee turnover and the problem of finding quality candidates for development roles at all levels is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing nonprofits today. Practically every organization I’ve encountered has continually been in some stage of the hiring process for several years, a reaction in part to realigned priorities among development professionals and unrealistic expectations by leadership. This culture of instability, competing priorities, and increased workload has naturally led to frustration and burnout among many of those who have remained.

When each of us chose a life in nonprofit development, at least in the beginning, we accepted a higher calling to improve the quality of life for those who would benefit from our work. It’s baked into our DNA that we should be spending our days making the world a better place, but that idealism is too often overtaken by the realities of daily life.

Our organizations’ ambitions and ongoing efforts to strengthen society will only be possible through a healthy, sustainable work culture for employees. But likewise, all of us who work on the front lines of philanthropy should also strive to rise above the functional, often unglamorous, daily tasks of our jobs in the service of a collective outcome that transcends any of our individual roles.

Such a shared, renewed commitment to our higher calling will surely lead to a better world for all of us, working together one day at a time. It is a cause worthy of our life’s work, indeed.