4 Ways to "Plug In" Fractional Staff at Your Nonprofit
Fractional staffing is not a new concept, but it is not well known and more often is misunderstood. Most people who come across the term will put fractional staffers in the same box as temp workers, which is unfortunate because fractional staffing is far more strategic and focused on the long-term growth goals of the organization.
A virtual fractional approach can be a little hard to envision because it is designed to be so flexible. Every organization will design a fractional team differently, and the way an organization engages its team will evolve over time, as needs change. From my experience, it is hard to imagine a nonprofit that would not benefit from adding virtual fractional team members.
That’s why I thought it might be helpful to walk through a typical fractional staffing scenario with you. But don’t let me stop you from envisioning things a little differently. Rather, take this as a starting point to think (creatively!) about how your organization might benefit from the expertise and flexibility of experienced nonprofit professionals engaged in a virtual fractional manner.
The scenario: A growing nonprofit with a small staff.
This nonprofit has a staff of four full-time professionals – an executive director, a program director, chief financial officer, and chief development officer (CDO). They are assisted by five part-timers – three program assistants, a bookkeeper, and a volunteer manager. There are 10-12 active volunteers who help with programs and community awareness events. One volunteer contributes about five hours a week recording donor data into a very old system of spreadsheets. There are budget dollars available to purchase a platform but the CDO has not had time to take a deep dive into which one would be most appropriate. The volunteer is willing to learn a new way of managing the data, but does not have the knowledge, confidence or time to lead a change.
The CDO has been in place for 18 months, building out a direct mail / email campaign calendar and setting the stage for a social media presence, working with the executive director to strengthen the board, and securing corporate sponsorships. About four times a year, much of the CDO’s time is consumed by government and foundation grant applications and reports on the prior year’s funding. Currently, these grants comprise the bulk of the organization’s operating revenue, but they do not provide the resources to grow.
Strategically, the organization is eager to invest in diversifying its funding sources, ideally by building a major giving program and deepening relationships with area businesses, foundations and corporations. Doing so would require that the CDO and executive director spend more of their time in the field. Given the state of donor data collection, analysis of donor involvement is weak at best, slowing progress by making it time-consuming to identify and analyze top prospects and to outline effective individual stewardship and cultivation plans.
Budget dollars are available to hire a full-time, assistant-level employee for the development office. Unfortunately, the search is dragging because the CDO is having trouble finding applicants who have a broad enough range of knowledge and skills, as well as a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and fundraising.
How a virtual fractional approach can help
First, let’s think about allocating resources in terms of areas of expertise, rather than responsibilities. That will help us identify where a virtual fractional staffer can be “plugged in,” while also making the most of the strengths and preferences of your in-house team. For example, it does not make sense to charge a virtual fractional team member with managing a donor cultivation portfolio. This is a role that requires being present in the community and building long-term relationships. Other areas, however, can be handled beautifully by consistent, when-you-need-them, pairs of hands.
Here is one possible way to tackle this organization’s needs through a virtual fractional staffing approach:
Database overhaul. Engage expertise to review the organization’s data needs and fundraising goals, as well as the current state of data collection and management, and to recommend an appropriate platform. The database expert would oversee transfer of information to the new system, work with the CDO to develop data entry protocols, and train the CDO and volunteer assistant. In addition, the fractional staffer can stay on to oversee data entry, design and pull reports, and more. Virtual fractional staff time commitment: 10 hours per week for six months, with five hours a month thereafter to review progress and address developing data needs.
Grant writing and management. Engage expertise to assist with development of grant and report narratives and budgets. An experienced grant writer can provide templates to make it easier for the program director and chief financial officer to gather the necessary information and edit them to the funder’s specifications. While the CDO and other members of the executive team will ultimately need to review, edit and approve the materials, the grant specialist can relieve some of the burden. Virtual fractional staff time commitment: 20 hours per week for two weeks in January, April, June and September.
Annual appeals. The CDO has established a calendar of three annual appeals – spring, fall, and end-of-year. A fundraising expert can work with the organization to develop themes, set up production schedules, draft direct mail letters and emails, provide design assistance, and analyze results. Virtual fractional staff time commitment: 15 hours per week for four weeks in March/April, August/September, and November/December.
Administrative support. The executive director and CDO are eager to get out into the community, meeting with donors and prospective donors, engaging with business owners and corporate executives, and foundation program officers. An experienced virtual assistant can be invaluable in managing calendars, scheduling appointments, and assisting with travel and meal reservations. Virtual fractional staff time commitment: 10 hours per week on an ongoing basis.
By circumventing the usual strategy of hiring a separate employee for each of these areas, all of this is possible in a budget-friendly way.
That said, you may look at the same scenario and see a very different solution. Perhaps less assistance with grant writing and management in favor of communications support; maybe more fractional team time toward ongoing data management and less toward developing annual appeals. That’s the beauty of the fractional model: you can tailor your team to your organization’s needs and priorities.
Even better, you don’t have to feel “stuck” with your fractional team as originally designed. We get it – things change. Your fractional team will adapt.
Find out how The More Than Giving Company can “plug in” fractional support at your organization. Schedule a call today.