S04E04 - Building a Loyal Team

If you were the CEO of a for profit company and 48% of your sales team had one foot out the door and were scanning the horizon for a better job would you make a correction?

Of course you would.

And yet, for decades the charitable sector has been tolerating a revolving door of staff with the average tenure for senior level fundraisers just 18 months. That is hardly enough time to figure out how the coffee maker works. Let alone build strong relationships with donors. And yet we seem content to hemorrhage human and financial resources.

What if it didn’t have to be that way? Today on our podcast we are spotlighting the British Columbia Society for Prevention Cruelty to Animals. Under the leadership of powerhouse fundraiser Shoni Field the BC SPCA is a great example of an organization that prioritizes building a loyal team.

Shoni is going to share more about the work of the BC SPCA so I tell you a little bit about her.

Shoni is the Chief Development Officer at the BC SPCA and is very proud of her skilled and passionate team of innovators who consistently exceed industry benchmarks. She has been fundraising for 25+ years for a range of causes including environmental, youth, health, and development organizations. Shoni is the founder of the For the Paws Summit for animal welfare fundraisers and when she’s not fundraising, she advocates for electoral reform and citizen engagement, plays strategy games and bakes fancy cakes. Shoni is a settler on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

In this episode Shoni and I cover a lot of territory. We talk about rethinking performance metrics, what makes a good boss, values-based decision making and creating psychological safety for your team.

Remember, if you have more examples of organizations that you think we should shine a spotlight on next season we are actively curating Season Five right now so get in touch

Thank you for making this conversation a priority in your day. We are so glad you are part of this community and we would be so grateful if you would rate, review and share this podcast so that we can keep widening the circle.

To make your recommendations for charities we should spotlight next season you can reach Kimberley by email at k@kimberleymackenzie.ca or join the community at The Intersection Hub and get on the list.

See you next time!