It’s almost Valentine’s Day. I thought it would be appropriate to talk to you about love.
At Veritus Group, we’re very serious about data, structure, accountability, discipline and focus, but one thing is even more important than all of that: love. We’re passionate about love. Richard and I always ask, “Do you love it?”

Do you love what you do?
Do you love the mission of your organization?
Do you love your donors?

I hope you can answer yes to all three. As a major gift officer, you can have all that serious stuff: data, structure, discipline, etc., but if you don’t love what you do, and the mission, and the donor… you’re missing it.
We believe love is a choice. It’s not just a feeling. Yes, there are good feelings involved doing this work, but if we’re honest, they’re fleeting.
This work requires a lot from you. At the end of the day, you’re probably exhausted. Some days you may even feel defeated.
But each day, you get up in the morning to reach out to your program and finance colleagues because you know it will help your donor. You get up each day writing thank you notes and reports, doing early breakfasts, lunches, and late dinners. You keep calling and emailing and visiting. You attend meetings and more meetings… knowing you may feel more losses than wins sometimes.
But you do this because you love your donors. You love that you’re making a difference. This is not some romantic idea. You are actually making change happen. (Tweet it!)
Because you’re in love with making the world a better place.
The payoff of choosing to love is joy. The joy you feel when your organization can expand its program because they now have the funding. The joy you feel when someone’s life gets turned around because of a special gift one of your donors made. The joy you feel when your donor thanks you for inspiring them to give.
Thank you for choosing to love this work, as it will always love you.
Jeff