Challenge
When an entire development team turns over, the challenge extends beyond filling open roles. It raises fundamental questions about the structures, roles, and priorities that were in place before. The Salvation Army Intermountain Division faced exactly that moment when it experienced a full transition in both its Development Staff and organizational leadership.
Without institutional continuity or a clear picture of what had been working, leadership needed an outside perspective to evaluate the fundraising operation honestly and build a viable, evidence-based path forward.
Solution
Covenant Philanthropic Solutions conducted a comprehensive development staffing assessment, beginning with 10 in-depth staff interviews to understand the Division's fundraising culture, existing capabilities, and organizational gaps. The assessment covered every component of the development function: org charts, job descriptions, key performance indicators, dollars raised, supervision methods, and more.
The engagement culminated in a detailed written report outlining findings and a practical five-year staffing plan, designed to align the Division's organizational structure with its long-term fundraising ambitions and position leadership to make confident, informed decisions about the team it needed to build.
Impact
Acting on Covenant's recommendations, the Intermountain Division made targeted staffing changes: eliminating positions that were no longer serving the organization, consolidating others for greater efficiency, and adding new roles to address critical gaps in the development operation.
The result was a leaner, more purposefully structured team with a clear strategic direction. The Division is now on track to improve the effectiveness of major gifts and is planning for a large-scale capital campaign within the next five to ten years.
