From the Nominator

It’s often said that people leave managers, not jobs—and this couldn’t be truer in the world of advancement. The pandemic highlighted just how much managers needed support, especially with challenges like hybrid work and a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. To address this, the Strategic Talent Management team at Development and Alumni Relations created a unique, nine-month in-house curriculum-based manager training program called “DART”—DAR Training for Managers—based on three foundational concepts: Managing Your Environment, Managing Yourself, and Managing Your Team. Based on our success with a similar module for new fundraisers, we built our 13-session curriculum using CASE Competencies to help new and current managers retain staff and foster a sense of community. We kept costs low by handling most of it in-house. While we offer other training, DART stands out as a comprehensive nine-month series, and we even added a module for staff seeking management roles. After fine-tuning, we’ve seen significant results! To track progress, we surveyed participants after each session using the Gallup Q12 Survey to measure staff engagement. The results have been amazing: our Q12 scores improved year-over-year, and our retention rate jumped to just 7% turnover last year across 275 full-time equivalents, compared to 15% in 2022 and 11% in 2023. Plus, staff now have opportunities to step into leadership roles as presenters, enriching their experience. The program integrates DEIB principles, creating a safe, open space for sharing and growth. By offering low-cost, high-impact training, we’re not only hitting fundraising targets but also building a culture of learning, collaboration, and inclusion.

From the Judges

This was a well-designed comprehensive training program for managers that includes the use of industry-leading resources such as the CASE Competencies. Additionally, while on the surface it seems a bit on the costly side, fully external efforts over a period of time in this space would likely cost even more, especially to customize the program to the team's evolving needs.