Hidden Gap #3: Your Organization Isn’t Fully Aligned Behind Major Gifts

You Have a Strong Team. So Why Does Major Gift Growth Feel Stuck?

You have talented people on your staff. A mission that genuinely moves people. Donors who care deeply about your work.

And yet something feels slower than it should.

If you have been searching for the answer in your strategy, your portfolio, or your ask amounts, it may be time to look somewhere else.

This week we are examining one of the most common and most overlooked gaps we see in major gift programs across the country. It is Gap #3 in our series on the 5 Hidden Gaps in Your Major Gifts Strategy.

And it has nothing to do with effort.

It is about alignment.

What Organizational Misalignment Actually Looks Like

Misalignment rarely announces itself.

It does not show up as a dramatic failure. It appears quietly in the spaces between departments.

Leadership supports fundraising. But if you asked your executive director to describe your major gift strategy clearly and confidently, could they?

Board members care deeply about the mission. But do they understand how their relationships fit into cultivation?

Program staff value donors. But are they consistently present in site visits, strategy conversations and key donor moments?

No one intends to create friction.

But without shared expectations and shared language, your major gift program becomes reactive instead of intentional.

Reactive fundraising drains energy across the organization.

Why Your Donors Notice Even When You Don’t

Major gift donors are not evaluating only your major gift officer.

They are evaluating your entire organization.

They notice whether your executive director speaks fluently about the strategy. They notice whether your messaging is consistent across every touchpoint. They notice whether everyone they encounter appears to be working from the same plan.

When we work with clients on strengthening donor portfolios, one of the first areas we examine is internal alignment. A skilled major gift officer can build strong donor relationships, but growth slows if the organization is not moving in the same direction.

That cost rarely appears on a spreadsheet.

The Real Price of Operating in Silos

When alignment is weak, patterns begin to form.

Major gift officers spend valuable time educating colleagues internally instead of cultivating donors externally.

Board meetings fill with updates rather than strategy discussions.

Leadership pushes for faster results without fully understanding the cultivation timeline.

Frustration builds quietly.

Not because people do not care.

But because the organization is not coordinated.

This is one of the most fixable gaps we encounter in our consulting work. And when it is addressed, the impact is measurable.

What Shifts When Your Organization Moves Together

When alignment strengthens, the difference is visible.

Leadership speaks about the strategy with confidence.

Board members understand why their relationships matter.

Program staff see donors as partners in the mission.

Major gift officers feel supported instead of isolated.

Clearer decisions are made at every level.

Donor messaging becomes consistent.

Cultivation conversations feel more confident.

Growth becomes steady instead of sporadic.

This kind of coordinated fundraising is achievable. And it changes what becomes possible.

A Question Worth Sitting With

If your executive director and board chair described your major gift strategy separately today, would their answers align?

If a program leader described the role donors play in advancing your mission, would that language reinforce what your fundraisers are saying in the field?

If you feel uncertain, that uncertainty is not a failure.

It is information.

And information allows you to act.

The Bottom Line: Major Gift Program Alignment Drives Growth

Major gift growth requires more than individual effort.

It requires major gift program alignment across leadership, board members and staff.

When everyone understands the strategy and their role within it, fundraising becomes cohesive. Messaging strengthens. Donor confidence grows. Results follow.

This Is the Work We Focus On Inside the Major Gifts Intensive

Registration for the 2026 Major Gifts Intensive closes March 5.

Inside the program, we work directly with leadership teams, board members and fundraisers to strengthen alignment across the organization. We clarify strategy. We define roles. We build shared language that donors can feel.

Participants leave with more than inspiration.

They leave with clarity their entire organization can support.

If this gap feels familiar, now is the time to address it.

Join the 2026 Major Gifts Intensive or schedule a complimentary conversation to explore whether this is the right next step for your team.

Alignment changes what is possible.