As prospect researchers and portfolio managers, one of our biggest challenges isn’t finding prospects or analyzing data—it’s getting our gift officers to embrace the strategies we develop. After years of working in this field, I’ve learned that successful prospect strategy implementation is as much about change management and relationship building as it is about research and analytics.
The Foundation: Right-Sizing Portfolios
Before we can even think about prospect strategy, we need to ensure our portfolios are properly structured. This step means creating the right blend and balance of different types of prospects that align with your organization’s current goals.
If you’re in the middle of a major fundraising campaign, you don’t want portfolios loaded with qualification prospects. You need prospects who have already moved through qualification into cultivation and are ready to move toward making gifts. Conversely, if this is a building year—perhaps your top prospects have aged out or moved away—you might need more qualification prospects in the mix to rebuild your pipeline.
The key is ensuring portfolios are equitable across your team. A senior gift officer who’s been with your organization for five years will have different needs than someone who’s been there for a month. The seasoned gift officer has well established relationships, while the newer officer needs time to build trust and rapport before they can even think about making asks.
The Human Side: Understanding Change Management
Here’s where many of us stumble. We spend months perfecting portfolio assignments and developing brilliant strategies, only to present them to gift officers with a simple “here’s your new portfolio, go forth and conquer.” Then we wonder why they’re resistant.
People don’t like change—I don’t care how much someone claims they do. Even those of us who embrace change still feel that initial tension when something shifts. Gift officers will go through predictable stages: they’ll be cranky, they’ll try to bargain (“Can I just keep this one prospect?”), and they may even become resentful if we don’t handle the transition properly.
The solution is taking them on the journey with us. Sit down with each gift officer—in person or on Zoom—and explain why you’re making these changes, and how the changes will benefit the gift officer. More importantly, explain what’s happening to the prospects you’re removing from their portfolio. They want to know those people are being taken care of.
I once worked with a gift officer who loved visiting a particular prospect—a senior woman with no children, lots of cats, and amazing cookies. The visits were delightful, but nothing was going to come of it relationship-wise. No gift, no volunteer work, no board participation. I told the gift officer she could keep visiting the “cookie lady” if she wanted, but it wouldn’t count toward her metrics. She understood the compromise and maintained the relationship with the “cookie lady” while focusing on the rest of her portfolio as well.
Building Authentic Relationships
The key to getting gift officers on board isn’t being punitive—it’s being a partner. We need to explain the “why” behind every decision and clearly articulate what’s in it for them. Because, ultimately, we’re all mission-driven. It’s not about us; it’s about advancing our organization’s goals.
I tend to be very direct in my communication style, but I’ve learned that doesn’t work for everyone. Some gift officers need a gentler approach. The important thing is to mirror back what they seem to want conversationally, listen to their concerns, and be open to feedback about your approach.
Sometimes you need to compromise. If they’re saying a portfolio is too heavy in one area or lacks something in another, consider their input. There are times when, due to organizational constraints, you simply have to implement what you’ve been directed to do. However, when you have wiggle room, making accommodations shows gift officers that you’re willing to work with them as partners, not just impose decisions from above.
The Portfolio Size Debate
Let me address something that may be controversial: I believe major gift portfolios should be much smaller than what most organizations currently maintain. I’ve seen portfolios of 400+ prospects, which is simply unsustainable.
Robin Dunbar’s research suggests that humans can maintain about 150 meaningful relationships total—and that includes family, friends, colleagues, and everyone else in your life. For gift officers trying to build deep, strategic relationships with prospects while managing their personal lives, I advocate for portfolios of around 50 prospects.
Yes, major gift directors may push back on this number, arguing it’s too small. Yet, they simply cannot build quality relationships and develop meaningful strategies for 400 people. It’s impossible. If we want gift officers to create thoughtful approaches that include coordinated annual fund strategies, volunteer engagement, and long-term cultivation plans, they need manageable portfolio sizes.
Addressing the Annual Fund vs. Major Gifts Tension
One area where I see consistent challenges is the perceived competition between annual fund and major gifts programs. There’s often tension around prospects who give at the intersection of these two areas—those who are giving at high annual fund levels but aren’t quite at major gift thresholds yet.
This artificial divide hurts everyone. Annual fund and major gifts are more similar than different; they just operate on different timelines and relationship depths. Instead of viewing them as competing silos, these teams should collaborate, especially around shared prospects.
For prospects in major gift portfolios, there should be coordination between the annual fund team and the assigned major gift officer to ensure asks align with the overall strategy. We shouldn’t automatically exclude major gift prospects from annual fund appeals—we should make sure those appeals support, rather than undermine, the relationship-building work being done.
Practical Implementation Tips
Set Clear Guidelines: Establish clear criteria for portfolio management decisions. How long do you keep a non-responsive prospect before moving them? I recommend parameters like nine months with four attempts using at least two different methods.
Geography Considerations: Many organizations assign portfolios geographically, which can work but requires attention to equity. The gift officer covering New York City should, in fact, have a portfolio that looks very different from the gift officer covering rural areas.
Regular Review: Don’t set portfolios and forget them. Regular reviews allow you to adjust for changing circumstances, gift officer performance, and organizational priorities.
Documentation: When gift officers resist putting contact reports in your database system, I take a firm stance: I don’t move prospects forward without proper documentation of the steps they have taken to advance the relationship. If they want someone moved from cultivation to solicitation, they need to record their interactions first. It may seem punitive, but it’s necessary for continuity and strategy development.
The Long Game
Getting gift officers on board with your prospect strategy isn’t a one-time conversation—it’s an ongoing relationship-building process. Some will embrace your approach immediately, others will need time and proof of concept, and a few may never fully buy in.
Focus your energy on building partnerships with those who are open to collaboration. Be patient with the change process, clear about your rationale, and flexible when possible. Remember that your ultimate goal isn’t to be right or to have your way—it’s to create a system that helps your entire team be more effective at advancing your organization’s mission.
The gift officers who initially resist your portfolio changes or strategic recommendations can often become your strongest advocates once they see the results. That cranky gift officer who argued about losing certain prospects may eventually thank you for setting them up for success with a more strategic, manageable portfolio.
Change is hard, but when done thoughtfully and collaboratively, it leads to better outcomes for everyone—gift officers, prospects, and most importantly, the mission we’re all working to support.
For more about this topic, watch this Water Cooler Chat Replay
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