Stick the Landing
CURRENTS Article As it grows in stature and expectation, the vice president of development or advancement position entails more than fundraising. The vice president has to be an effective partner to the president, has to spend more time with trustees, and has to be skilled at governance issues and diplomacy. This story explores how the chief development officer position has evolved and what it takes to be a development vice president or assistant vice president these days.

Path to the Profession
CURRENTS Article Where does a development shop find good fundraisers? How do you hold on to them? Those questions and more are answered through an exploration of the latest talent management strategies.

Ins and Outs
CURRENTS Article When managed effectively, a change in leadership can enhance rather than hurt an institution's fundraising efforts. A successful leadership transition requires, among other things, constant, honest communication with key donors.

La palabra con B
CURRENTS Article Los bonos en la procuración de fondos son una táctica usada para atraer y retener a los que contribuyen de alguna manera a la institución, aunque de alguna forma son menos controversiales que antes, no todos creen en los bonos. ¿Cómo son los programas de bonos y cuáles son otras formas de motivar?

The B-Word
CURRENTS Article Fundraising bonuses are one tactic used to attract and retain those who contribute to the institution's bottom line, but while they are less controversial than they once were, not everyone is a believer. What do different bonus programs look like and what are other ways to motivate top talent?

Outlook: No More Revolving Door
CURRENTS Article Advancement programs struggling to retain staff might consider the "people first" approach suggested by the author of this column.

Taking Root
CURRENTS Article Finding the right development employees for your institution is only half the story: Keeping them can be just as difficult. Many believe that retention is directly related to pay and bonuses, but recent research points to the important role that managers play in keeping retention high.

Campaign Fatigue Syndrome
CURRENTS Article As more campuses conduct capital campaigns more often and for more money, campuses face challenges in keeping not just donors but staff members from getting burned out. This article examines how continuous campaigns contribute to staff fatigue and burnout and explores how staffers often, after a successful campaign, leave for another institution (to run another campaign); how staffers gain momentum when they are always in campaign mode; how can campuses keep staffers happy and motivated.

Manager's Portfolio: Become a Retention Expert
CURRENTS Article Higher compensation and better benefits are no longer the deciding factors in why people stay in their jobs. The retention firm TalentKeepers conducted thousands of employee exit surveys to find out what really makes people stick. It is their relationship with their manager. Ten retention leadership talents that managers can develop and apply in their day-to-day interactions with staff and other employees create a powerful retention culture to keep good people.

Manager's Portfolio: Please Don't Go
CURRENTS Article To reduce the loss of valuable workers, institutional managers should look to the corporate world for techniques to increase retention. This article presents nine steps to take when an important employee resigns, developed by T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp.: 1) React to a resignation immediately. 2) Keep the resignation secret. 3) Tell your supervisor and other involved senior managers right away. 4) Listen carefully to the employee's reasons for resigning. 5) Construct your arguments. 6) Present your alternative plan to the employee, and demonstrate your eagerness to work with him or her. 7) Solve the employee's root problems with the job, if possible. 8) If the employee decides to stay, have him or her tell the competitor immediately. 9) Prevent the next problem.