Ops Insights #028 Use CUE to Strengthen the Partnership
November 4, 2023 | Read Time: 4 minutes | Written by Jenny Kleintop
We have tremendous opportunities in the fundraising sector to strengthen the partnership between data and frontline professionals. Gone are the days when the data team is the “back office.”
Today, data professionals should stand side-by-side with frontline professionals as true partners to drive fundraising efforts forward. One way we can strengthen this partnership is by using CUE - Communication, Understanding, and Empathy. Let’s talk through it.
My husband takes a call while we are on the road together. I hear the word data and my interest in listening rises. I hear scores and prospect management, so I tune in more. Then I hear, “They are giving us names that we cannot use,” and “They don’t understand what we do.” Now, I’m all in. He was talking to a colleague about prospects that were being surfaced from the data side that did not make any sense from the frontline’s perspective.
Whenever I hear him talk about the data side, for some reason I want to defend the whole profession. However, having been in the same industry for 15 years, we have learned to navigate these situations in a much more productive way. Rather than jump into defensive mode, we’ve learned to have conversations to learn more about the other’s perspective. We go back and forth through the messy middle to get to the other side of empathy and collaboration.
I will never fully understand his world, and he will never fully understand mine, but we’ve learned the more we have these conversations, the more balanced we are in our own roles. We are not meant to fully understand, as having different skills and perspectives makes the fundraising office complete. We just need to learn to work in unison to succeed.
Use CUE
We have found most of the challenges (or opportunities) that lead to conflict are in three buckets. I like to call them opportunities as, to me, it’s an opportunity to work together through these challenges to strengthen the partnership. We just have to be willing to come to the table and be open to communication and collaboration.
#1 Communication: A lot of the difficult situations between data and frontline professionals can often be prevented through proactive communication. Too often, there is an invisible barrier, which leads to a lack of communication. We may be frustrated by something a colleague has done because, in our mind, we were clear about what we needed, but we may discover we actually were not clear at all. We tend to talk about each other, but we don't talk with each other enough.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” - George Bernard Shaw
#2 Understanding: Often, when we talk about the work of data and frontline professionals, there is a real lack of understanding of what each other does. For some reason, we’ve built up this separation between the two areas, and we tend to make lots of assumptions based on what we think is happening or the stories we tell ourselves. There is a real need to find opportunities to understand each other and our work better.
#3 Empathy: Putting yourself in their shoes to learn and have respect for their perspective. Learning how they think and why they think that way can help. How often do we do that? Likely not enough. Before we jump to a conclusion, we want to ask ourselves, "What is another way a person could view this situation?" Seeing situations through their eyes and learning what they might be experiencing can help us understand what they truly need. Often, starting with “What is the purpose?” is a good start.
Take Action
Here’s how you can get started:
Communication: Break down that barrier. Take small steps by inviting your counterpart into your world. Or go meet them in their world. You can start small with a cup of coffee/tea or lunch or work together on a project. Something, anything, just start breaking down that barrier.
Understanding: A quick way to create understanding among colleagues who do very different things is to shadow each other for a few hours. The outcome of that will not only be a greater understanding but also a greater appreciation. When I hear about all the hoops my husband has to go through to close a gift I gain more appreciation every single time.
Empathy: There are plenty of articles, podcasts, and digital learnings on this topic. You can use Google or talk to peers to see what they have taken before. Then, take some of those lessons you learn and put them into practice. It takes repetition and doing for empathy to become second nature.
Now it’s your turn. Take CUE - Communication, Understanding, and Empathy, and go strengthen that partnership.
You’ve got this!
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