Rethinking Your Fundraising Org Chart

Quick question: Who owns the storytelling in your org?
Who builds the case statements?
Who writes the appeals and the $1M proposal deck?
Who makes sure a compelling donor story doesn’t sit in someone’s inbox for three weeks?

If your answer is🤔:
“Uhhhh… it depends…”
We’ve got a problem.

The problem isn’t just unclear ownership. It’s because we’ve inherited team structures that don’t function in the way work actually flows.

Most nonprofits organize by department:
⬆️Comms over here
↙️Fundraising over there
➡️Ops doing clean-up in the background

The result? Siloed teams. Fractured strategy. Inconsistent messaging.

Which means a major gift officer could be left re-writing copy from the year-end appeal because “it doesn’t land with my givers”. Or a comms person gets looped in at the eleventh hour with no context, no donor insight, and a two-day deadline. Or ops is building backend systems that have little to do with the actual relationship work up front.

And the givers? They get mixed signals. Different voices. A story that doesn’t hold together.  Confusion ensues at every level.

What if we reimagined team structure around giver segmentations rather than department designations?

Here’s a different model to consider.

Organize your fundraising efforts around the three core giving segments:

1. Core / Annual Fund Givers
2. Mid-Level Givers
3. Major Givers

Each segment has its own team…not just the frontline fundraisers.

Let’s go full Ocean’s 11 with our org chart. Think of each segment team like a heist crew. Every role matters. Everyone brings their expertise. And they’re only effective when they work together - one goal, one plan, and zero silos. Each team includes:

• Frontline Fundraiser(s)
• MarComm Specialist(s)
• Systems/Operations Lead(s)

These people report to their team lead for that donor segment. So the MarComm lead on the major gifts team is in strategy meetings regarding those specific relationships. Not just writing a generic appeal copy on the side. The Ops lead on the mid-level team isn’t just cleaning up database mishaps - they’re building systems based on what’s actually happening in real time.

These teams are cross-functional, however, they’re not cut off from their peers. Once a month, all the MarComm folks huddle. Same for Fundraisers. Same for Ops. This is where cross-pollination happens. And day-to-day accountability? That lives inside each giver segment team.

Sample Structure

Each team serves a specific giving segment, and shares common goals, language, and strategy.

Why It Works

✅ Consistent Messaging: Everyone is telling the same story - tailored to the giver’s journey.
✅ Shared Wins: Strategy isn’t on one person’s shoulders. It’s shared, refined, and owned together.
✅ Operational Lift: Ops isn’t just troubleshooting tech tools - they’re helping tailor them to be more efficient and effective.
✅ Smarter Stories: Comms doesn’t have to wonder what donors care about. They’re living in the story alongside them.

So… What organizations are doing this?

Truthfully? Not many - yet. I’m sure there are some but I couldn’t find any in a quick search. The concept aligns with thought leaders like Marcus Sheridan (They Ask, You Answer), who champions sales and marketing alignment through real-time questions and content loops.

But in the nonprofit space? This is still a sandbox for the early adopters.

I, for one, strongly believe we’re headed toward these kinds of models where the work is ongoing. Because the old model - isolated teams, unclear ownership, fractured messaging - doesn’t serve the mission or the giver.

What You Can Do Now (Even Without a Reorg)

You don’t have to redraw the entire org chart tomorrow. Instead, you can start moving in this direction:

• Pilot one “triad” team for a specific segment or campaign
• Start segment-based meetings instead of department-based ones
• Make a map: Who’s owning comms, fundraising, and ops for each segment right now? (It might surprise you.)
• Ask: Are we organizing around how we work - or around whom we serve?
• Invite your comms and ops colleagues to sit in on a few donor meetings. Let them hear the nuance firsthand.

Maybe There’s a Better Way

This model might not be perfect. But I believe it’s worth testing. Because the old model? Not only is it inefficient - it’s exhausting.

If you’ve ever:
😟Rewritten the same content three times
😖Missed a donor cue because the data wasn’t there
😭Wondered why your team is working so hard and still out of sync…

You’re not alone.

There is a better way. One that builds alignment, clarity, and joy in the work.

Early adopters, it’s your move. Let’s build the kind of structure that actually matches the work we’re called to do.

BTW, here are a couple of links which inspired me to tackle this subject:
* How one nonprofit configured its development department to grow revenue and trust.
* Why nonprofits should integrate marketing and fundraising.

* * * * * * * * * *

If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now!  Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached".  Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue.  No need for that...just make the call. 🕺

‍Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:

‍* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.

* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.

* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).

* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party.  And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.

‍Before getting to the PAID stuff: My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting.  Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that.  This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me.  That stops now.

‍Here's the PAID stuff:

‍* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly.  It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising.  It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections.  Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems.  I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.

* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental".  The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.

Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum.  She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.

I look forward to hearing about your good work!

Blessings,