Kathy Corbitt
Director, Talent Management — Office of Development & Alumni Relations
Company:
University of Delaware — Office of Development & Alumni Relations (DAR)
Industry:
Education
Number of full-time employees:
147 in department
Number of locations:
4 separate offices at UD
Team strategy
University budget deficits have driven today’s demand for fundraising talent. Traditional sources of revenue such as tuition, state appropriations and federal research funding are leveling off or declining. As university leaders look to philanthropy as a viable source of funding, the major gift officer roles are mission-critical. Despite their importance, qualified candidates are scarce. This situation has led to intense competition between nonprofit institutions for quality fundraisers. Because of this trend, the University of Delaware’s Office of Development & Alumni Relations department recognized the need to create a position that would develop and implement initiatives around attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining top fundraising talent to meet the institution’s fundraising goals in support of the overall mission and priority areas.
Employee impact
Since adding the role of Talent Management to the DAR team, the team has created and implemented various initiatives around talent acquisition, onboarding, professional development, culture and engagement as well as overall HR excellence. Examples of programs that have recently launched include: Hiring and Onboarding Training for Managers, DAR Academy Professional Development Program, Q12 Engagement Survey, DAR Internship Program, Good Egg Recognition Program, Strong Start (New Employee)
On-Boarding Program, and Development Campus Tours.
