It’s appraisal season. If you manage fundraisers, you’re probably knee-deep in review forms right now. Here’s what most managers miss: the appraisal isn’t just your chance to give feedback. It’s your best shot all year at getting it. Your gift officers know exactly what’s helping them and what’s slowing them down. Most of them will never volunteer it. You have to ask.
Give them a heads-up
A couple days before each 1:1, send your direct reports a short note: “When we meet, come prepared to answer these three questions.” Don’t spring these questions on them in the 1:1. You want them to actually think about it.
The three questions
1. What’s one thing you were proud of this year that never showed up in your numbers?
Every fundraiser has one. The relationship they rebuilt after a botched stewardship touch. The board member they talked off a ledge. None of it lands on the metrics dashboard. This question tells your fundraiser that you see the whole job – not just their numbers.
2. What’s one skill you want to be noticeably better at by this time next year?
When they name it, write it down. Now you have something concrete to coach toward all year and something to check on at next year’s appraisal.
3. What’s one thing I did this year that actually helped and one thing that got in your way?
This is the one that matters most. You’re asking them to critique their boss to their boss’s face, so make it safe. Just say thank you and write it down. If three of your fundraisers tell you the same thing got in their way, you just found your own development goal for next year.
Why this works
Appraisals tend to be one-directional: manager talks, fundraiser nods, everyone signs the form. These three questions turn it into an actual conversation. Your fundraisers leave feeling seen for work the metrics missed. You leave with a coaching roadmap and honest feedback about your own performance.
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