149. It Takes a Village: Internal Partners in Major Gifts
Who Should Be on Your Major Gifts Team Besides You?
Your major gifts team should include your program staff, finance, communications, your IT or data team, and executive leadership, each with a specific role in insight, storytelling, modeling, or stewardship. Build this coalition around your top 10 to 20 donors, meet with them on a short, regular rhythm, and you stop carrying transformational gifts alone. This piece is for major gift officers, development directors, and executive directors who want a practical way to bring the right internal partners into their biggest donor relationships.
After reading, you will know why this kind of collaboration matters more in 2026 than it used to, exactly who belongs at your table and why, and how to run a coalition meeting that produces real next steps instead of another calendar entry.
I once watched a gift take eleven months to close, not because the donor was hesitant, but because one fundraiser was trying to answer questions that belonged to five different departments, all by herself. She did not need a better pitch. She needed a better team.
Why Is Cross-Functional Collaboration Non-Negotiable in 2026?
Donors expect real impact data, financial clarity, equity in how their gift is discussed, and confidence that their information is handled with care. That is a lot to carry alone. In my experience, the fundraisers thriving right now are not the ones who know the most. They are the ones who have built the best internal relationships and made it normal for colleagues outside development to be part of major gift work.
Who Should Be in Your Major Gifts Coalition?
Program staff carry the stories and outcomes that make a donor's gift feel real. Bring them in for insight and storytelling.
Finance brings budget context and gift modeling, especially for multi-year commitments. Bring them in for financial clarity.
Communications keeps your message consistent across every channel a donor might see.
IT or your data team knows what your donor database can really tell you, and protects privacy and compliance.
Executive leadership does not need every meeting, but should know your top donors and their potential role in stewardship.
How Do You Run an Effective Cross-Functional Meeting?
Keep it to 30 minutes with three to five people, focused on your top 10 to 20 donors, not your whole portfolio. I've found that a simple, repeatable agenda beats a long, comprehensive one every time.
A simple coalition agenda:
Review 3 to 5 priority donors (10 minutes)
Program update on anything new these donors would want to know (5 minutes)
Finance update on relevant budget or impact numbers (5 minutes)
Next steps and clear ownership (10 minutes)
Make sure everyone walks in looking at the same donor picture. A shared one-page list does more for alignment than another email chain, and it means your meeting time goes toward decisions instead of catching people up.
What's the First Step to Getting Started?
Pick your top 10 to 20 donors and invite one person from programs and one from finance to a single 30-minute meeting this week. Use the agenda above and keep the first session focused on just three donors so it stays manageable. One approach I've seen work well is treating this as a recurring commitment from the start, even if it's brief, rather than a one-time experiment.
I'd love to hear from you
Connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me who outside of development is quietly essential to your biggest gifts right now. I read every message.
You do not have to be the only expert in the room. You just have to be the person who brings the experts together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Who is this approach best suited for?
This approach is designed for major gift officers and development directors who want to grow transformational gifts without carrying every relationship alone. It works especially well if you already have a short list of top donors identified.
Q2. How much time should I expect this to take each week?
Most fundraisers can get started with about one hour a week focused on cross-functional coordination. Consistency matters more than the exact amount of time, so protect it on your calendar.
Q3. What if my organization is small and I wear multiple hats?
The principles still apply, but scale the tactics. Start with a light version, like a 15-minute check-in with one colleague about your top 5 donors, and expand from there.
Q4. How do I know if it's working?
Watch for faster answers to donor questions and clearer notes in your CRM about program and financial context. Over time, this should show up in larger average gifts and stronger multi-year commitments.
Q5. Where does AI fit into this, if at all?
AI is there to reduce friction, not replace your relationships. Use it to turn meeting notes into follow-up emails or summarize program updates into donor-ready language, while keeping the listening and relationship-building work firmly in your hands.
“The fundraisers thriving right now are not the ones who know the most. They are the ones who have built the best internal relationships and made it normal for colleagues outside development to be part of major gift work.”
Tammy Zonker, Major Gift Expert, Keynote Speaker, Author
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