Deconstructing the Myths of
Outsourced Development

At OAI we are passionate about helping nonprofits achieve their goals. We provide the resources needed to improve an organization's development capacity and achieve its strategic goals. We consider our team to be each client's Director of Development - whatever a Director of Development is expected to do, we do.

Our role is to support our clients and, in effect, become an extension of an organization's staff. OAI achieves this by leveraging the combined experience and strengths of our staff and providing innovative ideas and strategies to pursue new or untapped fundraising resources. In return, a nonprofit receives the benefits of a fully-staffed development department at a lower cost, particularly when considering hidden costs such as staff benefits, management and overhead.

Turnover among nonprofit development staff is a common occurrence in today's workplace. The loss of key staff can damage important relationships and institutional knowledge, forcing an organization to build from the ground up again and again. On average, it can take six to nine months to hire a qualified development officer. A time-intensive task, the hiring process often forces priorities to shift, resulting in additional responsibilities for already overextended staff members or, worst case, forgoing portions of a nonprofit's development work entirely.

An advantage of outsourced development is that an organization can remain confident the work will continue regardless of turnover. The OAI team is dedicated to accomplishing each of our client's development goals and providing the structure and consistency that is often hard to find, let alone sustain independently.

Another factor related to turnover is location. Washington, DC is home to the highest number of nonprofit professionals in the country. With technology in the workplace today, distance and location are no longer critical components to hiring. This is an additional advantage of outsourced development at OAI. We have access to the best and brightest in the field and we hire them to serve our clients.

The bottom line for OAI is ensuring that donor relationships ultimately remain with an organization and its key staff and leadership. Critics often caution that outsourcing a development program runs the risk of alienating an organization's constituents especially when considering that giving is often strongly based on relationships between an organization and the donor. We recognize that it is the nonprofit's key staff and leadership that ultimately secure and manage the relationships. OAI serves as the "support team" for each of our client's donor prospect cultivation and management efforts.

Lastly, another advantage to outsourcing an organization's development functions is OAI's dedication to execution and follow-through. Our staff focuses specifically on each of our client's development goals. Our attention and commitment to achieving a client's strategic plan is what sets us apart. Outsourcing a component of development work, such as an annual appeal or database management, is the perfect way to experience first-hand the OAI development difference.

OAI's Development Clients

Friends of the National Library of Medicine
Founded in 1986, The Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM) are a coalition of individuals, medical associations and societies, hospitals, health science libraries, corporations and foundations dedicated to increasing public visibility for, appreciation of and engagement with the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the world's largest medical library and public gateway to the NIH. The Friends' goal is to provide support for the NLM's patient education and workforce development programs, including quarterly publication of MedLine Plus Magazine, traveling science exhibits, fellowship programs to train future leaders in biomedical research and public health, and other initiatives in research, education and public service.

FNLM came to OAI in 2006 for assistance as the organization was undergoing a period of reconstruction. Through the development of prospect databases and assistance building an expert Board of Directors and fundraising plan, OAI has helped FNLM regain its influence and reputation in the medical sector.

Additionally, in May 2007 OAI transformed FNLM's longstanding annual dinner into a significant fundraiser for the organization. OAI helped FNLM raise nearly $200,000 by building upon existing and new Board member corporate relationships. OAI is currently planning the FNLM's 2008 dinner which will focus on children's health issues.

The Writer's Center
For more than 30 years, The Writer's Center (TWC) in Bethesda, Maryland has been the premier local nonprofit organization helping writers of all ages strengthen their writing skills and fully explore the art of writing. The Writer's Center conducts hundreds of workshops in various genres of writing in addition to offering educational writing workshops for children from age eight through high school.

The Writer's Center also hosts a wide range of public literary events, readings and conferences; offers one of the region's most diverse collections of literary magazines and small press books; and offers specialized workshops aimed at the needs of the corporate community.

Through OAI's Development Management services, TWC has developed new marketing materials that can be used for future fundraising endeavors. OAI recently assisted TWC in securing a Maryland Humanities Council grant for $6,600 and is currently working on development efforts for over 10 grant opportunities.

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation
The Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about restless legs syndrome, improving treatments and through research, finding a cure. From the fall of 2006 through the spring of 2007, OAI conducted a development audit for the RLS Foundation and created a comprehensive development plan.

Following on that work, the RLS Foundation has partnered again with OAI for development management services. OAI is currently assisting the Foundation with a wide range of development activities, including growing its membership and individual donor program, increasing its number of major gifts donors, broadening its corporate support base, strengthening its donor communications and even creating a signature event, the Moonlight Walk for RLS. OAI recently presented a 2008 Development Plan to the RLS to guide the organization's development activities for the coming year.