Fundraising Is a Team Sport---The Gift That Sat for 90+ Days
Recently, I was working with a client who shared a situation that reinforced something I have believed for years. As philanthropy professionals, we spend enormous amounts of time developing relationships with donors, understanding their interests, and securing meaningful philanthropic commitments. Yet the ultimate success of our efforts often depends on individuals throughout the organization who have little direct involvement in fundraising.
In this particular situation, the organization had received a very large check from a donor. Some might call it a principal gift level. The check made its way to the finance department, where someone was uncertain about how to process it. Rather than asking for assistance or contacting the development office, the individual simply set the check aside. Nothing happened.
More than 90 days later, the donor contacted the organization to ask why the check had not cleared their bank account. Imagine the conversation that followed and the potential damage to a relationship that had taken considerable time and effort to develop. And to boot, the donor had to reissue the check because it had a “90 day valid” comment on the instrument. Oh boy.
While this situation may seem unusual, the underlying issue is remarkably common. We often approach fundraising as though the development office has primary control over the donor experience. We establish goals, create cultivation strategies, develop solicitation plans, and measure results. However, much of what determines our success takes place outside the development office. Finance processes contributions, legal counsel reviews agreements, program staff fulfill commitments, and leadership makes decisions that influence the organization's ability to deliver on its promises. Each of these functions has a direct or indirect influence on philanthropy.
The challenge is that we cannot reasonably expect everyone in the organization to understand these connections without some effort on our part. The finance employee who failed to deposit the check may not have understood the donor implications of that decision. The program director who delays providing impact information may not recognize how that affects stewardship. The executive who postpones a donor meeting may not appreciate the consequences for an evolving relationship. Their actions may be entirely understandable within the context of their own responsibilities, while simultaneously creating substantial challenges for fundraising.
This places an additional responsibility on philanthropy professionals. We must invest time in educating colleagues about the fundraising process and explaining how their responsibilities influence donor relationships. Sometimes that means developing better procedures or establishing expectations around communication and response times. Other times, it requires negotiating priorities with departments that have legitimate competing demands. These conversations require us to understand their challenges as well as communicate our own. We cannot assume that simply declaring something a fundraising priority will make it an organizational priority.
We will never eliminate every internal obstacle, nor should we expect complete control over activities outside our departments. However, we can develop stronger relationships with colleagues, create a shared understanding of donor expectations, and establish processes that prevent uncertainty from becoming inaction.
Ultimately, successful fundraising depends on considerably more than our ability to secure a gift. It depends on the organization's collective ability to receive, honor, and fulfill the commitment that gift represents. The relationships we develop inside our organizations deserve much more of our attention, because they have a direct bearing on the relationships we work so hard to develop with donors.
After all, getting the gift may be our job. Honoring the gift is everyone's responsibility.
