How to Be a Better Development Colleague and Teammate

In development work, fundraising results depend on more than your individual skills. They depend on how well you collaborate as a development colleague. Over a long career in the nonprofit sector, I’ve seen that striving to be the best development teammate possible isn’t just good for morale — it’s essential for organizational success.

I have been told thousands of times how to do a job, but rarely how to collaborate most effectively with fellow employees. Without that guidance, most of us learn by trial and error — through the daily interactions and experiences we have with colleagues, with whom we often spend more time than our own families. 

Show Respect First

When I started my career at the University of Louisville nearly 50 years ago, I was a fresh face with little understanding of the development profession. I was respectful to colleagues, but most of my energy went into surviving in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. 

Looking back, I realize my first responsibility wasn’t proving myself. It was to listen, observe and become the best collaborator I could be. Every person on the team had a role that connected to the mission, and my job was at the bottom of the ladder. I had to figure out how I could support them. Respect, empathy and patience helped me build trust. The most valuable thing you can do at the start is to show genuine interest in your teammates’ work and support their efforts. 

Grow Beyond Your Desk

As my confidence grew, so did my responsibilities. Moving up the ladder meant I needed to build stronger relationships — not only with my immediate colleagues but also with those in other departments. To raise more money, collaboration across the organization was essential.

As a better development colleague, you build credibility by showing you care about both the work and the people. I looked for ways to communicate effectively and strengthen internal relationships, knowing they would show externally in donor engagement. After all, donor relationships are always stronger when staff collaborate across functions.

With time, you also learn how your position affects your interplay with staff from the bottom up, sideways and top down. And with constant turnover, you grow tired from constantly restarting engagements with new employees. Still, every new colleague is an opportunity to expand the culture of collaboration and strengthen the team as a whole.

Make the Informal Work for You

Every nonprofit has a formal structure that is straight-forward in the organizational chart. But just as influential are the informal networks — groups formed by tenure, age, shared experience or a combination of these classifications.

Long-time employees might hold the institutional memory, while newer staff bring fresh perspectives. Program staff and fundraisers may have different priorities, but both depend on each other. Smart development colleagues don’t ignore these dynamics — they learn to navigate them. When you respect and engage informal groups, you build trust, avoid silos, and strengthen collaboration across the organization.

Lead as a Teammate First

When you advance into leadership, being a good colleague becomes even more important. You need your team’s trust to succeed. That means understanding each staff member’s skills, motivations, and needs — and then adjusting your management style accordingly.

The Forbes Nonprofit Council points to skills that make professionals invaluable: empathy, critical thinking, patience in teaching, financial literacy, and the ability to anticipate stakeholder needs. For example, empathy builds loyalty in both staff and donors. Critical thinking helps solve fundraising challenges before they become crises. Financial skills ensure that development decisions align with the organization’s sustainability. Leaders who model these qualities set a tone for the entire team.

Create a Culture of Strengths

Orientation and training shouldn’t just cover job duties but introduce new staff to the mission, values and culture of the nonprofit. When colleagues feel part of something bigger than themselves, they’re more motivated to collaborate. Development professionals often stress external relationships, but creating an internally supportive environment is just as critical. 

And collaboration isn’t just about harmony — it’s about performance. Leaders can build engaged, resilient teams, according to the Forbes Coaches Council, by focusing on three strategies:

1. Identify each person’s strengths, not just their job description.
2. Celebrate progress with “hero moments” in meetings so staff feel valued.
3. Manage each person the way they prefer to be managed.

Gallup research reinforces this, showing employees who use their strengths daily are six times more likely to be engaged. For development staff, that can mean aligning responsibilities with natural talents — whether it’s donor cultivation, data analysis, or event strategy.

Even if you’re not in a leadership role, you can encourage colleagues by noticing their strengths and acknowledging their contributions. These small motivational actions create a supportive culture where everyone feels motivated to do their best work.

Development work is built on relationships — with donors, yes, but equally with colleagues. Respect, collaboration and appreciation of other’s strengths create the environment where fundraising thrives. Share your wisdom generously, mentor when you can and look for ways to support teammates every day. By striving to be a better development colleague, you’ll strengthen your nonprofit, improve results and create a win-win culture for everyone.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.