As a major gifts officer, you face a unique challenge: your boss likely doesn’t understand what you actually do all day. This disconnect creates frustration on both sides and can undermine your effectiveness. Let me break down why this happens and what you can do about it.
Nonprofit Leaders Don’t Learn Fundraising
Most nonprofit leaders don’t understand fundraising. Despite all the research and training about nonprofit fundraising, most nonprofit leaders tend to see fundraising as something “anybody” can do. And they think of it as transactional, like invoicing donors or billing them.
They completely miss that successful fundraising is a relationship-based process that involves:
- Researching potential donors
- Building meaningful relationships
- Finding value alignment
- And making clear asks that are never 100% guaranteed to be a “yes.”
What makes this situation worse is that we major gift fundraisers often just say “trust me, this is part of the process.” We know the process works. But to your boss, it sounds like you’re resisting being accountable.
You might not like it, but it’s your responsibility to educate your boss and board on what fundraising actually entails.
Telling Your Story Effectively
As a major gift officer, you need to demonstrate that there is a structured process behind your work. One effective approach is using a dashboard system like the Veritus Group’s dashboard, as described in the book It’s Not (Just) About the Money.
The basis? A spreadsheet. Each row is a qualified donor and includes:
- Target ask amounts for each prospect
- When you plan on making the ask
- And then a 12-month touchpoint strategy for each relationship
Yes, I know you have a donor database. But a simple spreadsheet makes it easy to show your bossWhatever system you choose, the key is making your work visible and understandable.
Now your one-on-one’s move from “What are you doing?” to your being able to share month by month what is happening with each of your assigned relationships.
Understanding Your Boss’ Perspective
Executive directors arguably have one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Every day, they are pulled in so many separate directions:
- Answering questions from multiple direct reports
- Managing relationships & expectations of board members
- Putting out operational fires
- Meeting community needs
They typically feel in the dark about how funding actually happens. Similarly, board members rarely understand nonprofit fundraising mechanics and assume fundraising is like an ATM – you just need to push a button and money appears.
It’s Worth The Work
As a major gift officer, you know fundraising ultimately comes down to human relationships – building them, nurturing them, and making clear asks. It also involves engaging volunteers strategically to strengthen the organization.
Without the context of how fundraising works, these activities might seem like you’re:
- Trying to get others to do your job
- Making excuses for lack of results
- Avoiding accountability
But sharing the story of fundraising, and learning to share it in a way your boss understands, will make your work much less stressful. And will give your boss the confidence of knowing you have a plan.
While I firmly believe all nonprofit leaders should be seeking fundraising training, the odds are your boss isn’t going to become a fundraising expert. By telling your story in a way your boss and your board understand, you’ll reduce some of the stress you and your boss feel around fundraising. And you’ll be making your nonprofit even stronger.
