Complex Projects: What are They and Why is Donor Relations Often Complex?

A project may be difficult but that doesn’t necessarily make it complex. Difficulty is encountered when expectations around one or more of the three traditional factors in project management – quality, schedule, and budget – are hard to meet. Complex projects are, on the other hand, inherently complicated. They have factors that don’t exist in the traditional project management model. Complexity occurs when a project has an ambiguous outcome, an open-ended timeline, or influences affecting the project’s priority or metrics for success. The International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM) lists three defining characteristics for complex projects. With just the slightest modification to the language, fundraising professionals will quickly recognize these circumstances.

Donor relations work is:

1. Characterized by ambiguity, dynamic interfaces, and significant political or external influences; and/or

2. Conducted over a period that exceeds the cycle of the technologies involved in delivery; and/or

3. Defined by the effect of the work, not the solution or product resulting from the work.

Let’s unpack these three. Donor relations activities are rarely straightforward or concise. We operate in the grey areas between “it could be this but it might be that.” Ambiguity, special circumstances, and admonitions of “because I know what’s best” add twists and turns to the most well-laid plans. There are often reasons – rarely deemed political but obviously so – for exceptions and changes. Frequently, the approved plan of action won’t suit the circumstances at hand.

Additionally, donor relations “projects” are usually better defined as programs. They are a set of activities to be carried out over time and repeated, sometimes with variation, indefinitely. Parity, sustainability, and the role of technology come into question for even the simplest of tasks. Even something as simple as an email becomes daunting when taken to the scale of the donor database.

And now consider how success is measured in terms of donor relations. The quality of the product – the letter, the plaque, the publication, or the party – must be impeccable but the product itself isn’t what actually matters. The ultimate goal is the positive impact the activity or product has on the donor. Did we motivate the donor to give again, give more, convince others to give?

Traditionally, project managers work with budget, schedule, and quality to deliver a successful outcome. Budget constraints are real, but in my experience, they are the most likely areas for compromise when it comes to donor relations. Organizations will spend more if there is a reason. Schedules are less flexible and they can be volatile, especially when outside forces like construction or a pandemic are in the mix. Quality is immutable when it comes to donor relations. It has to be top-notch always. Organizations are often willing to invest in specialists to bring creativity and know-how to guarantee the quality of the outcomes. But specialists still can’t solve the complexity: the uncertain vision of what should be done, the forecast into future challenges, and the expertise to see through the product deliverable to the actual goal of better engaging donors.

A program – a set of versatile, repeatable processes that can be applied to one or more relationships meeting similar criteria – is an appropriate framework for most donor relations work. Programs are sustained over time and require creative systems design skills. Programs offer the flexibility to respond to the needs of multiple relationships that are to be maintained over a long period of time. Programs are complex. Programs require complex project management.

“Donor relations and stewardship professionals, appreciate the importance of building a program— a sustainable, versatile set of activities or outcomes that can be repeated over time.”

–Nancy McKinney, UC Berkeley; “The Role of Shop Size and Configuration in Providing Donor Relations Services,” Journal of Donor Relations & Stewardship, Book 1: Definitions

Project management and client engagement expert, Tera Simon identified 5 qualities needed for complex project management. Let’s take a look at what each means in terms of donor relations program development.

1. Adaptability

A consultant will need to be able to quickly ascertain the project requirements and working styles of the many stakeholders and adjust accordingly. Project management is a service that brings value to existing goals, no matter how loosely defined they may be. Discovery, prioritization, and holding ideas for future applications are key responsibilities for a complex project manager.

2. Collaboration

Complex projects require bridges between silos and an inclusive approach to gathering information, brainstorming, documentation and delivery, feedback solicitation, and conflict resolution. An effective consultant is an educator and a coach who prepares others to take the spotlight. A manager of complex projects can bring clarity to the roles and responsibilities of the myriad stakeholders and helps bring clarity and consensus.

3. Communication

Building bridges between collaborators, sharing options and opinions, and resolving conflicts takes superlative communication skills. A complex project manager should be well-spoken; conscientious with emails, calls, and meetings; and accessible. The project manager should be functionally fluent in all the “languages” the project will require. In terms of donor relations, that may mean working seamlessly with facilities, event planners, printers, fundraisers, leadership, the media and donors. “Seeing both sides,” even when there are a dozen sides, is an important skill for donor relations.

4. Expertise

There was a time when donor relations was considered more art than science but organizations now see the critical role donor relations strategy plays in building a community of informed and engaged philanthropic supporters. There is method in the madness and having an expert on the team will bring creativity, foresight, and practical know-how.

5. Leadership

A consultant can provide leadership that is hard for any “insider” to achieve. A consultant frees other members of the team to do their mission-critical jobs, be it fundraising, teaching, or managing other donor relations programs. A consultant brings objectivity and an outsider’s perspective and shares experiences and insight gained through work with other clients. The consultant is chosen for their expertise, of course, but they also have the advantage of having one purpose: to bring about a successful outcome.

Heurista is hired for our expertise in the field of donor relations, often specifically for philanthropic placemaking or donor recognition product design. Our skill at complex project management often comes as a value add. The discovery phase, sometimes formalized in a written recommendations report, demonstrates our ability to see the complexity – to recognize the ambiguity, to appreciate the myriad stakeholders and the challenges inherent in the technology, and to commit to the ultimate goal of better engaging donors. We are used to projects that take a while to unfold and that surprise us in their twists and turns. After all, “discovery for complex projects” is what we do best!

To learn more about our client relationships, look to the Heurista client summaries. You’ll learn how these relationships were launched, what projects we’ve completed, and what work lies ahead. If you have a complex project on the horizon, or if you’re deep in the thick of one, we’d love to hear about it. I welcome any conversation and appreciate the opportunity to learn through dialog. Here’s to you and the complexity!

Written By Anne Manner-McLarty

Anne Manner-McLarty is the managing editor of the Journal of Donor Relations and Stewardship. She founded Heurista in 2011, a leading resource for consulting specific to donor relations and stewardship, with particular expertise in the donor recognition program design and implementation.