For decades, nonprofits have been told the same story: hire a Development Director and your fundraising problems will be solved. But the data tells a different story.
The average Development Director lasts less than 16 months, and each turnover costs organizations over $130,000 in salary, onboarding, and lost momentum. Add in the strain on staff and board relationships, and the result is burnout, donor churn, and organizational whiplash.
Why? Because we’re asking one person to carry the weight of an entire development department — major gifts, grants, CRM, events, communications, board engagement — jobs that actually require a full team.
The Broken Model
- Short tenure, high cost. Most Development Directors leave in under 1.5 years, creating expensive cycles of churn.
- No foundation. They often walk into disorganized databases, unclear messaging, and unrealistic fundraising goals.
- Pressure without prep. Boards expect immediate results with no stewardship systems or donor journeys in place.
This isn’t just unfair to staff — it’s unsustainable for nonprofits.
The Fractional Future
Instead of betting everything on a risky full-time hire, forward-thinking organizations are embracing a fractional model:
- Proven leadership, part-time cost. Senior-level strategists embedded 10–20 hours per week, without the overhead of full-time salaries and benefits.
- Infrastructure first. Clean CRM, donor pipelines, stewardship plans, and campaign messaging built before a significant hire.
- Immediate ROI. PNWF clients typically see a 3:1 ROI in the first year, and sometimes up to 15:1 when factoring in grants.
Capacity grants. When the timing is right, PNWF helps write the grant to fund a permanent Development Director, who walks into a high-functioning shop instead of chaos.
Why It Works
This isn’t about replacing staff. It’s about setting them up to succeed.
The future of fundraising isn’t full-time — it’s right-sizing leadership for your nonprofit’s current state and building the infrastructure so tomorrow’s hires can thrive.
Fractional development leadership means:
✅ Lower upfront cost.
✅ Stronger systems.
✅ Sustainable growth.
✅ A permanent hire who lasts.
At PNWF, we believe development is a team sport. By reshaping the model, we can reduce turnover, strengthen donor relationships, and let nonprofit leaders focus on what matters most: the mission.
Ready to explore a fractional path?
Email: [email protected]
Schedule a meeting: https://meetings.hubspot.com/eddie94