Trusting the Process

Recently, I was sitting across the table from the CEO of a very large nonprofit we work with. He says, "Jeff, tell me how our MGOs are doing."

"Well," I say, "all of your MGOs have exceeded their revenue goals in FY2014, and overall your major-gifts program is up 70 percent in revenue over last year."

He looks at me and says, " No, no, I don't care about revenue."

I'm thinking to myself, "What the heck are you talking about? You'd better care about the revenue. This is phenomenal growth."

So, of course, I say, "What do you mean, you don't care about the revenue?"

He says, "Look, I want to know if they followed your process, or did this growth just happen by chance."

Now, I got it. He wanted to understand what his MGOs brought into the process. Did they actually add value, or did growth just happen because someone gave one seven-figure gift.

Then, he says this.

"Jeff, even if you had told me that we brought in less revenue than last year and that no one made their goals, yet they followed your process, I would've have been satisfied. Because, Jeff, I believe in your process. So, did they follow the process?"

Of course they all did. If they work with us, they have to follow the process. And, yes, this is why we saw such incredible growth this year.

That got the CEO pumped.

Major-gifts fundraising is not rocket science. It's not quantum physics or brain surgery. It's very hard work, but it doesn't require a masters degree or doctorate, or a CFRE for that matter. I'm not putting any of those down, but successful major-gifts officers don't need any of that.