I’ve never met Ruby, but I am sure I would love her if I had. Ruby is the profile of an above-average ideal customer service person of a company in Portland, Oregon. Owner Jill Nelson founded the company in 2003 when she realized, as she puts it, that “business owners and callers alike were longing for a personal connection in a desert of impersonal customer service and robotic answering machines.”
You might be wondering what this has to do with major gifts. Well, take a look at this and you will see that Ruby is everything a successful MGO should be. I suggest you print this out as a reminder of how to relate to the donors on your caseload. It’s good stuff!
Look at the promises Ruby makes:

1. Make meaningful connections.
2. Give them what they don’t even know they want.
3. Create experiences
4. Foster happiness
5. Do what you say you will do.

This sounds like an outstanding MGO to me! This is everything you want to be – and need to be – with every donor on your caseload.
As you read down the list of what not to do, and the suggestions on what to do instead, you start to realize that even the words you use will have a big impact on your donor. Are you helping your caseload donors fulfill their passions and interests? Are you doing it with a can-do attitude? Take a look at these suggestions and apply it to the way you treat your donors.
Lastly, take a look at their list of 10 ways to connect with customers. This is a simple and helpful list of relationship moves you can make with donors. Not all of them may be appropriate for your situation, but I am sure you will find them helpful.
Here’s the thing. This business owner realized that meaning, valuing and respect in relationships was missing. So she decided to do something about it. And she decided to have list of corporate values that every employee should follow. Here is her list from the corporate website:

1. Foster happiness – we like to make others happy.
2. Practice WOWism – finding that special something that will knock your socks off.
3. Create community – we’re part of your team – we are all connected.
4. Innovate – find a better way to do something.
5. Grow – not afraid to make mistakes and always growing.

This list is great – and every item is something you can do as you make meaningful connections with your donor. Ruby Receptionists is one of the fastest growing companies in the Portland metro area, and I am sure it will be wildly successful when and if it rolls out regionally and nationally.
It’s successful because we all are tired of stuffy, stiff, impersonal treatment by vendors and customer service people, and we long for relationship; we long to be valued; we want to be treated respectfully; and we want a meaningful connection.
Take this information and adapt it to the way you relate to your donors today and in the future. Be “Ruby the MGO.”
Richard