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.

Clustering Similar Employees Leads to Turnover
Article New research suggests that minorities, women and other employees with common demographic characteristics who are grouped in teams believe they don’t stand out and must leave their organization to achieve professional success.

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.

Retain Employees Who Helped During Recession
Article Leadership experts say managers should reward employees who took on extra work for their organizations during the recent recession.

Questions to Curb Employee Turnover
Article Reducing employee turnover is simple, according to one leadership expert. Just ask employees three questions and act on their answers.

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.

Signs Your Best Employee Is Looking Elsewhere
Article Now that organizations are being forced to cut back and demand more of their employees, keeping the top talent happy and productive has never been more important. If managers know their star employees are looking for a new job, then they still have a chance to make things better and keep them around.

New Research Uncovers Costs, Consequences of Fundraising Staff Turnover
Article Most managers know that high staff turnover can have a negative impact on their development team. However, few likely realize that the loss of one staff person can cost their institution fundraising dollars.

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.

The People First Approach
Product This book presents a step-by-step approach to building a comprehensive “people first” program for recruiting, developing and retaining advancement professionals that can help reduce staff turnover. Includes 24 ready-to-adapt questionnaires, outlines, surveys, letters, schedules and plans.

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.