I find the first few months are so important at a new job. I recently read the book The First 90 Days. One of the key items that the book talks about is Building Allies. This is so important for us in fundraising as we often end up touching the entire organization. We call on people at every level in the organization for information, ideas, and assistance. Here are a few ideas I had, and I’d love to hear some additional ideas from you.

• When I first started I began to try to figure out where natural ally relationships would be. Orientation is a great place to start. Everyone in this group has being new in common. As a new employee you want to find your way in the organization= you don’t know the existing attitudes (positive or negative), and have little ingrained thinking about the organization.
• Your immediate work team is a great group in which to build relationships. They already know good people to connect with and build solid relationships.
• Natural internal partners. Who does your team work with regularly that you might want to take a special effort to get to know?
• The executive team. A good time to meet them is when you are new, as they want you to be excited about the organization and know you are not going to ask anything of them. (Some bosses feel pressure if their staff talk with/meet the executive team. A good practice is to ask your boss if he/she would be willing to introduce you.)

Where do you find allies? How did you build up your relationships internally and externally? Building Allies is happening all the time. What are you doing to continue to develop ally relationships in your organization?

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