PEOPLE POWER: HIRE THE BEST AND MAKE THEM WANT TO STAY
Bud Cooper, DMin, CFRE
BIO

AFP International Conference Workshop By Bud Cooper, CFRE,
Explores Six Strategies For Building, Maintaining Strong Team

Kansas City (March 5, 2004) – Hiring and keeping outstanding development professionals is a challenge of critical proportion. Time, money, effort, relationships and success are directly tied to the good people hired…and those same good people retained.

The challenges are many. The solutions can be as simple as listening, appreciating, motivating, rewarding, interdisciplinary care and planning smartly.

This is the message Bud Cooper, CFRE, Executive Vice President of Hartsook Companies, Inc., will deliver to the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on March 16 in Seattle.

The name of his presentation is “People Power: Recruit the Best and Make Them Want to Stay.” His presentation is listed in the conference program as Workshop LM6, Room 607 of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

Cooper will discuss three typical challenges facing nonprofit managers:

• The “Revolving Door” in a development office is costly, not only in terms of investment and lost momentum, but also because it hinders donor relationships.
  
• People tend to slip into negative staff dynamics and forget what has been good about their organization, their peers and those they serve.
  
• Though necessity and pressure can tempt a manager to fill a slot, hiring “anybody” does not necessarily mean the same as hiring the “right body.”

Cooper then will address six solutions to overcoming these important challenges and ensuring smart recruitment and smart retention:

1. Assess long-term staffing needs.
2. Hire the strongest people you can, building a strong staff through first building a strong case for your organization.
3. Communicate clearly and regularly.
4. Show interest in your staff: listen, value, recognize and appreciate.
5. Build a caring, interdisciplinary team.
6. Empower them and let them soar.

Cooper has received strong reviews for the insight he shares, as well as for the anecdotes and enthusiasm that spice “People Power.” Perhaps the most telling: “If all management could have this attitude,” a participant in Kansas City last fall wrote, “you can imagine the giant steps organizations could accomplish.”

Hartsook Companies, Inc., has served nonprofits nationwide with capital, endowment and annual campaigns; leadership support; board training; marketing and more since 1987. The firm has conducted more than 1,200 campaigns ranging from $500,000 to more than $1 billion. Last year, Hartsook Companies served nearly 200 nonprofits in 40 states. The web site: www.hartsookcompanies.com.

Note to editors: For more information about Hartsook Companies, Inc., please visit www.hartsookcompanies.com. For Bud Cooper's full biography follow this link: http://www.hartsookcompanies.com/bios.shtml. If you require a high-resolution photo, please e-mail Tammy Weinman, tammy@hartsookcompanies.com or reach her at 316.630.9992.