Michelle is a magnificent MGO. She works for a large relief and development non-profit in the U.S. and has earned the respect and admiration of her co-workers, superiors and, most importantly, her donors.
When I asked Michelle what she thought was the most important quality that made her successful in her work, she quickly answered, “planning.”
Richard and I couldn’t agree more.
There are many MGOs out there who are great at meeting folks, going out to dinner and generally schmoozing with donors. They love getting to know new people, and then quickly moving on to the next person. Many managers often hire these people because they are looking for “outgoing” types and it is easy to become enamored with their personalities.
The problem is that while this type of MGO can look good on the surface, they often disappoint leadership because they can’t seem to get traction. And when you dig into what is going on, inevitably it’s discovered that they don’t have a strategic plan from which to work.
Magnificent MGOs like Michelle are successful because they have taken the time and effort to create individual donor goals and strategic plans for every one of their donors. Then they continually work the plan, adjust it, and work it again.
Now, I won’t lie to you. Creating a strategic plan for every donor is a long and tedious process. It requires detailed work that many MGOs have a hard time staying with and completing. I get it. I share the challenges of this type of work myself. But if you are able to let others help you and keep you accountable and focused, you can do it.
Here are some things Michelle does with planning that makes her so successful:

1. Before she begins the strategic planning process for her donors, she completes a review of each of her donors. She tracks revenue, past cultivation efforts and touches and garners feedback from her donors on how they have been cultivated and stewarded in the last year. She’s always trying to figure out what is most effective and meaningful for the donor. This process starts a couple of weeks before she begins writing the strategic plan.
2. Michelle then starts the goal setting and strategic planning process a couple of months in advance of when it’s due. This allows her plenty of time to seek counsel from colleagues and other departments, giving her time to space out her meetings. Her priority is always getting in front of her donors.
3. In planning out her entire year, the key for Michelle is to figure out when she is going to solicit each of her donors. So, while she is cash-flowing her goals, she is also building a timeline of events that leads up to that solicitation. This gives her parameters to work around. She creates 4-5 steps to each solicitation and it drives most of her actions.
4. Once she has her goals and strategic plan in place, Michelle submits the plan to her boss and proactively asks for both a weekly check-in meeting and a monthly update on the status of her strategic plan. This is key. Magnificent MGOs seek accountability and focus. Why? Because they know it will make them successful. Why take all this time to create a strategic plan and not execute it? Unfortunately, Richard and I see this all too often. An MGO will write up a great plan and then stuff it in a drawer, never to be seen again.
5. Once Michelle begins working the plan, she is also updating, changing and modifying it. While she still has the same revenue goals, the way she gets there sometimes has to be modified. That is the thing about plans – they often change. The key is communicating that change and moving forward.
6. Finally, in major gifts, while you have an overall strategic plan that guides you, there are so many detailed moves that have their own daily plans to attend to. Michelle has been successful because even though she doesn’t have a moves management system with the donor database, she has figured out how to use tasks in her e-mail calendaring system. This helps her know exactly what she has to do each day. While it took time to do this, she finds it incredibly valuable in helping manage her time.

Planning. It’s key. It’s what has made Michelle a magnificent MGO, and it will for you as well. Great planning will help guide you to discover exactly what you should be doing every day and keep you focused on your goals and your donors.
Jeff
Series details:

Magnificent MGOs quality #1: Teamwork
Quality #2: A True Customer-service Mindset
Quality #3: Persistence and Patience
Quality #4: Planners!
Quality #5: Competitive and Restless
Quality #6: Brokers of Love and Joy