Tailored Onboarding Toolkit

Eight tools to help you design a tailored onboarding program to help new hires gain the skills necessary for success and increase long-term MGO retention rates.

An MGO's first 180 days on the job often determine whether they will succeed or fail. However, one-size-fits-all onboarding programs do not account for the differences in skill levels and strengths among new hires. A tailored onboarding program ensures that MGOs (and other advancement staff) build the individual skills they need for success, while gaining the competencies that are a high priority for all staff at your institution.

Tailored onboarding can:

Help new hires gain skills and competencies needed for success, regardless of their level of experience Enable MGOs to get on the road and make asks sooner Build stronger relationships with new MGOs, leading to higher retention rates  

This toolkit provides everything you need to implement tailored onboarding at your institution. While these resources focus on major gift officers, the toolkit can (and should) be used to strengthen onboarding procedures for all members of the advancement team. This toolkit is part of the Professional Development Playbook.

The resources in this toolkit will allow you to ensure that new hires learn the skills needed for long-term success during their first 180+ days on the job. Each tool falls into one of three distinct categories:

Planning tailored onboarding Creating individualized performance goals Implementing a 90-day onboarding checklist Planning tailored onboarding

To design a tailored onboarding program, determine high-priority skills for your advancement team, diagnose new hires’ skill gaps, and create a flexible onboarding plan for each new hire.

Tool 1: MGO Skills Pick List and Prioritization ToolTool 2: MGO Skill Gaps Self-AssessmentTool 3: Flexible Onboarding Plan Template and Sample Completed Onboarding Plan Creating individualized performance goals

For new major gift…