Do Organizational Leaders Really Understand Fundraising?

A good friend of mine informed me not long ago that she was going to tell her large organization that she was planning to retire. After a career filled with successes, this major gift officer has earned the right to retire and enjoy life with her family.

In informing her supervisor, she mentioned that she might be willing to work part-time for a while to make sure the relationships with donors that she developed over several decades, many of who are making five and six-figure gifts on a regular basis, would remain intact. To do so, she wanted a very reduced schedule and the flexibility to choose when it was best for her to come into an office. Also, no committee meetings or staff meetings. The supervisor took this to the organizational CEO and was told there are no options for part-time work and when she retires, she should just go.

When I heard this, my heart sank for multiple reasons. I felt bad for my friend because she genuinely likes working with these individuals and she’ll miss the relationships. I felt bad for the organization because they don’t understand the depth of the decision and what will most likely cause a loss of a great deal of revenue when it doesn’t come in on a regular basis. 

But I also feel bad for the leadership. I sometimes just shake my head when there’s such a lack of understanding by non-fundraising leaders about what we do and how we do it. It’s staggering. In this case, this recalcitrance may cost the organization multiple seven figures worth of dollars on an annual basis. And all my friend wanted was a little flexibility regarding time. I’m sure that the CEO believes these relationships can just be “replaced.” Those of us who have done this for a long time know the best fundraisers, and their success, are built upon relationships of trust built over time. And trust won’t be developed in the three-to-four weeks before she walks out the door forever.