The Agony of Recording Your Moves

If there is one thing that major-gifts officers (MGO) and development professionals can almost all agree on, it's how they hate going into their databases to record the "moves" they have made with their donors.

Unfortunately, many deal with this aversion by not recording their moves. Instead, they keep a file of calls, visits, notes and information in their heads.

This is a problem.

I'm not writing about this subject to shame you. You know this is extremely important … right?

I know when I sit across the table with an MGO and I tell him, "Look, I know this is difficult, but it's absolutely key that you get this information in the database," he nods, head down, saying, "I know, I know … it's just that …"

Then come the excuses. Richard and I have heard them all. Perhaps you recognize them:

• "I have so many donor visits, I can't do all this paperwork."
• "I don't have time for this stuff; there is too much pressure on me to bring in the money."
• "I'm not good at details; can't someone else do it?"
• "This takes way too much of my time. How am I supposed to do my job if I have to always deal with entering things into the database?"

Yep, I'm sure you are familiar with these. But, here's the deal: It has to be done. However painful it is for you, it's essential and critical that all your moves get recorded in your donor database. Here's why:

1. It allows you to know what you've done with a donor and where you want to take her. You will not remember everything you've done with a donor. Recording your moves allows you to quickly figure out where you are in cultivating your relationship.
2. Your manager will be able to manage you by reviewing the work you have done each week. This is important. You need to be managed, and this is one way for your manager to check in on what you've been doing.
3. You have a trail of work that proves you are working your caseload. What if your revenue goals for a certain month are not met? One way to show leadership you are not going to the afternoon matinee is a trail of all the work you have done. Remember, revenue goals are set to help you set a strategic direction. Sometimes you don't meet goals. But, if you've done all the work, that's all you can do. This proves that.
4. It allows those who come after you to know how donors have been cultivated and who donors really are. This is probably the most important reason for recording your moves. It's sometimes easy to forget that the donors are not yours! They belong to the organization. Anytime you don't record a move, you are being selfish and self-centered. Imagine yourself in a new MGO job where you have to start working a caseload of donors, and you look in the database and there is hardly any information recorded. So, you start setting up meetings with donors, and it's clear to them you have no idea how important they are to the organization or what they are really interested in. How does that feel to the donor? And, how unfair is that to you as the new MGO?

Believe me, I know how hard it is to do this part of the work. I personally don't like details. Richard can tell you all kinds of stories about that. But, I've learned some tricks from him that I want to pass on to you that will help you.