The day your Major Gift Officer leaves is the day you find out what your organization actually owns.
Because if donor relationships only live in one person’s head… They leave with them.
You don’t lose a staff member. You lose:
- context
- trust
- momentum
- and in some cases, the relationship itself
Suddenly you’re asking:
- Who was supposed to follow up?
- Why did they give?
- What were we working toward?
And no one knows.
Not because your team isn’t capable. Because the system was never built to hold that knowledge.
So the next person starts from scratch.
And donors notice.
Not turnover. Dependency.
If relationships disappear when one person leaves… they were never organizational.
Sustainable fundraising depends on systems that protect relationships.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Happy to compare notes.