You’ve just been offered a new fundraising job and it’s a maternity or parental leave contract.

It’s natural to feel a bit nervous as you wonder how you’re going to get to know the team and the culture, get up to speed on the work, do a great job (hopefully get asked to stay on!), and ensure you make the person on parental leave happy and that they’re pleased with everything when they get back.  

Prior to working with Balanced Good (where covering parental leaves is our raison d’être!), I covered a couple parental leaves and worked on a team where several managers were off on parental leave.

As a professional fundraiser (and long-time recovering people pleaser!) I always found it hard to leave positions. When I finally made the jump from a medium-sized social service nonprofit to a major gifts role at a healthcare organization, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Taking a parental leave contract was the perfect way to dip my toe into the world of major gifts and larger organizations.

I’m happy to share what I learned and my to to-do items for covering a parental leave:

1. Ask for overlap. Make sure you have time with the person going on parental leave before their leave starts. This can be tough because some parents go on leave early due to medical concerns but, if possible, ask for at least one month of overlap. And be sure to ask for one month of overlap when the parent returns – you can prepare all the reports you want but nothing replaces some one-on-one time with that parent to share where things are at, what has been accomplished, and what you see are urgent priorities for the next few months. Your supervisor will have a sense of this, but you can give that parent the nitty-gritty.

2. Be clear on the expectations for the role. I covered a major gifts position, which is tricky to do in 12-18 months since some major gifts can take years. This meant that I was sometimes cultivating new donors or closing gifts, but I was also doing a lot of stewardship and continuing to build on the relationships that the person on leave had developed.

3. It’s not about you. If you’re lucky, you will be working with donors who’ve been supporting your organization for a long time and with a team that’s been together for years. You’re there short-term. Like any donor relations role your job is to ensure that donors continue to build their relationship with the organization. Lean on the positive relationships created by your colleagues and the person on leave. Name drop them when you’re making calls and sending emails. If you have details on the baby (and permission to share) you can say “so and so is on parental leave and just welcomed a baby girl into the world, they’ll be back next summer”!

Donors don’t like constantly talking to new people so the more you can reinforce you’re there temporarily, and that you’re there for them, and their previous contact will be back soon, the better!

4. Don’t be afraid to ask the person on parental leave how they want to connect. This is a tricky one since many parents will say one thing before they go on leave and then feel differently once their child arrives.

I recommend checking in a few months after the baby arrives to see if the person wants the occasional update (this would be on a voluntary basis). Ultimately, you, your boss, and team want to give the person on leave choices and be responsive to their needs.

When I covered my first mat leave, my boss was clear I was not to “bother” the parent on leave. But I volunteered with the parent on an event committee, so we connected every month or so. They often asked how things were going with so-and-so donor, or project and I provided updates. I always felt a little wary sharing details – like I was ruining their family time by talking about work. But, in hindsight, I should have asked what they preferred. For many fundraisers, their career is their passion and was their baby before their actual baby arrived.

5. Office check. This is super important and something I wish I’d done. Have you ever started a new job and on your first day the team is scrambling to figure out where you’re going to sit, or your computer isn’t ready and no one knows what your role is or knew you were starting that day? I have and it sucks.

Unfortunately, this is too common in our sector. Executive Directors are typically overwhelmed, and onboarding and HR can get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. Imagine this first day scenario but pile on all the nerves and emotions with returning from a parental leave. It might be the first time the parent is away from their baby for 8+ hours. Or the first time they’re trusting someone else to care for them. You can’t control everything but do what you can to make things easier on the new parent.

Take the time to ensure that the person has a clean, designated workspace. Connect with your colleagues so they’re up to speed and maybe plan a lunch outing to welcome the person back. Take some time for an informal one-on-one with the parent to ask how they’re doing and what you can do to support them.

According to a 2021 survey of Canadian parents, 95% of women were not offered any formal support when returning to work after a parental leave. Read more Allison Vendetti and Moms at Work advocacy around this issue.

To support you in the planning process, you can also share Balanced Good’s checklist for employers with your supervisor, and read more about how the mental load of mothering is affecting our sector.

Alex Tindale is a Senior Consultant at Balanced Good and a graduate of Queen’s University as well as Humber College’s Fundraising Management graduate program. She is a mission-driven fundraiser with nearly 15 years of experience working with organizations in social services, healthcare, animal welfare, and arts and culture. Alex is the Past Chair of the Peterborough Area Fundraiser Network and lives in Peterborough with her husband, and their two dogs and two cats.