Please describe an experience you have had leading a team to success.

Begin by choosing an example of a time when your leadership abilities have resulted in especially impressive fundraising success. Then, tell the interviewer about the structure of the team you managed and what strategies you used to lead them to success. Finally, provide details about the success; it could be a fundraising goal, a high-capacity new donor, a unique special event, etc.

"I have directed my organization's development team for the past seven years. A few years ago, when our country was hit by the economic recession, we were struggling to meet our quarterly fundraising goals. As such, we began looking for ways to expand outreach efforts in order to attract new donors; the team met and I facilitated brainstorming sessions until we realized we had a number of religious partners, but they were all involved separately. I assigned the strategic partnership specialist to reach out to our contacts at each religious group and see if they would be interested in developing a coalition of faith leaders who would participate in regular service events that would include a call to give. I delegated tasks based on each team member's individual strengths and met with each of them on a weekly basis for progress reports. I also coordinated team meetings every week to ensure we stayed on track with our goals. This was a huge success and resulted in recruiting over two dozen new donors who ultimately helped us meet our annual goal."

"As director of the advancement team, I was tasked by our board of directors to develop a special event that would become a cornerstone of our annual fundraising efforts. After brainstorming with the team members and conducting a cost-benefit analysis, I decided to propose an annual telethon intended to spotlight the organization's work and raise money through online and phone pledges. I met with the volunteer coordinator, who detailed the volunteer support she could provide. Next, I assisted the outreach coordinator with identifying local comedians to host the event, procuring musicians to perform, and partnering with popular chefs to do cooking demonstrations. Finally, I put the special events coordinator in touch with local media outlets who might be willing to donate cameras, equipment, and operators in kind to lend the event a more professional feel. I always made myself available to listen to team members' concerns and adjusted details based on their recommendations. As a leader, I think it is essential to be completely tuned in to each team member as well as the group as a whole in order to achieve success. And this event was a major success for the organization."