What Should an Interim Leader’s Role Be in Fundraising?
What interim leaders can (and can't) do to protect and strengthen your fundraising during an executive transition.
Executive leadership transitions create uncertainty across all facets of an organization, and uncertainty creates anxiety… especially in fundraising.
So it’s no surprise that interim leaders are often being asked to take on a substantial role in fundraising during their tenures.
But an Interim can’t be a short-term ‘rainmaker’ for the organization or act as a temporary advancement officer. That’s neither realistic nor aligned with the strengths of interim leadership.
Instead, an Interim should play a different strategic role: protecting organizational relationships, maintaining stakeholder confidence, and strengthening the foundation for the incoming leader.
Over the last few years, I have served in a transitionary leadership capacity in eight nonprofit organizations, and as president of four boards, each facing different financial challenges and fundraising demands. Through these experiences, I’ve come to learn what an organization and its interim leadership should and should not be doing during a time of transition..
My Three Rules for Fundraising as an Interim Leader
1. Provide Stability & Maintain Donor Confidence
As mentioned, executive transitions can unsettle even your most loyal funders… many of whom have made investments not just in your mission, but in the leadership that brought it to life. The first job an interim has in regards to fundraising is to reassure funders that the organization is stable and moving through the transition with purpose.
Interims can:
Ensure communications go out early, clearly, and consistently about the transition plan and timeline. This includes reviewing all donor-facing materials for clarity and tone. This includes things like press releases, FAQs, talking points. It also is critical to create and distribute a simple internal script so the board and staff are aligned on how to discuss the transition and common questions.
Meet with the Development Committee to align on transition strategy and ensure the board is visible in stewardship where it matters most.
Prioritize outreach for sensitive or high-impact donor relationships. This could be as simple as sending personal notes, co-signed with a board chair or advancement leader, acknowledging the transition and inviting questions, or a meeting if called for.
Serve as an articulate resource when donors express concerns or ask questions about stability, governance, or future direction.
Most importantly, an interim leader should not become the new face of the organization. Their job is to reassure the community that the ship is in sound hands through the transition.
2. Support Board & Staff in Maintaining Donor Relationships
Fundraising needs to remain where it belongs: with the organization. An executive transition can actually be a valuable opportunity to expand a donor’s relationship with the organization and to elevate both board and staff leaders in those relationships.. Donors should experience continuity through the organization’s mission and long term people, not through the interim.
Instead of becoming the fundraising figurehead, so to speak, an interim should be a guiding hand and stabilizer.
Through a mix of coaching and education, build board capacity to support donor stewardship so more people feel confident engaging in donor conversations
Meet with key donors in partnership with board or staff …never solo. It is essential that permanent staff continue to lead solicitation and stewardship efforts.
Coach board and staff on messaging or strategy, especially around how to speak about the transition.
Ensure campaigns and commitments continue on track
Organizations that get the most out of a transition treat it as an opportunity to strengthen fundraising leadership at all levels… leading to stronger resilient foundation for the future.
3. Strengthen Systems, Reporting & Future Readiness
One of the greatest gifts an Interim can give an organization is readiness. Professional interims have the benefit of seeing the inside of far more organizations than a single permanent leader might encounter over the course of an entire career. They can bring an objective eye and a much bigger toolbox of strategies, systems, and practices that can significantly enhance an organization’s fundraising infrastructure and set the next Executive Director up for long-term success.
Some things an interim can tackle include:
Assessing and auditing the current fundraising strategies and tactics for additional opportunities or gaps.
Improving clarity around roles and responsibilities across staff and board to reduce confusion.
Strengthening reporting cadence and donor communication practices so funders receive consistent, confidence-building information.
Addressing deficiencies in systems, reporting, and data management
A professional interim can help ensure the permanent Executive arrives to an organized and functional fundraising operation that is ready to run.
What an Interim’s Fundraising Role is NOT
An interim executive can fill a leadership gap, not a relationship gap.
Donor trust should rest with the organization itself, not with any single executive. When a funder relationship feels at risk during a transition, the solution isn’t to position the interim as a substitute relationship-holder. Instead, it’s a signal that your stewardship structure needs strengthening.
This is an opportunity. Use the transition to widen donor touchpoints, deepen board engagement, and build a more team-based approach to relationships. Donors should be building durable connections with the mission, the organization, and its long-term staff…. Not just with whoever currently holds the top title.
Interims should not become the anchor for donor trust. That anchor must be the organization itself, its people, and the enduring work they do together
Interim leaders can not provide a Short-Term Fix for Long-Term Fundraising Problems
Expecting an interim to “find new money fast” is unrealistic. As a colleague of mine often teaches: sustainable fundraising requires stewardship. Stewardship means building trust and connection with donors over time. Big gifts come from relationships cultivated over months and years… not from cold outreach during a transition from a temp leader.
An interim can help you see your fundraising landscape clearly. They can assess your position, spot opportunities, and point you in the right direction. They can bring fresh eyes and stronger systems.
But no interim can shortcut stewardship. They can set you up for success… but the relationships must outlast any single leader.
Interim leaders do not bring a Rolodex of Funders
Ethically and practically, interims do not and should not bring a personal network of donors/funders to your organization. Nor should they make a guarantee of new revenue. The AFP code of ethical standards make this clear: donors aren’t portable assets. If an interim is making you this promise, you should reconsider their placement.
A final thought
Interim leadership during a transition is about maintaining confidence while building a stronger foundation. The organizations that make the most out of the moment use it as an opportunity to distribute and broaden fundraising leadership, deepen institutional relationships, and create stewardship systems that outlast any executive.
Your interim can leave your organization more prepared to raise money, not more dependent on any one person to do it.