What is the real cost of an hour of Development Officer time?

In this post we introduced the idea of how expensive it is for the development shop when fundraiser time is diverted from front line activities. We’ll spend some time today breaking out the potential costs of development officer time spent both with prospects and in the office.

Understanding the real cost of fundraiser time is important for two primary reasons:

1.  To understand that, when fundraisers visit with a prospect 9, 10, or 20 times the cost of securing that gift goes up significantly with each visit.
2. To realize that, while it is easy to expect DOs to step up in short staffed offices, diverting a fundraiser’s attention from his portfolio can be enormously expensive in opportunity cost.

Next week I will post an infographic breaking out two scenarios further to show how dramatically the structure, goals, and support staff can effect the real cost of fundraiser time. Keep your eyes peeled.