Working Better Together: A Practical Guide to Engaging Internal Partners
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
There is one thing I have learned over the years doing this work—that relationships with key internal partners are not only necessary, but truly mission-critical. Donor Relations work must be collaborative, not conducted in a vacuum, if we want to provide donors with the best possible experience.
Our team, while important, is only one piece of the broader development enterprise. Leadership, frontline fundraisers, prospect managers, gift processors, finance and accounting teams, and communications professionals all work in tandem to shape how donors experience our organization. Each individual team plays a vital role in reaching fundraising goals, and every donor-facing project should begin with that reality in mind.
When Donor Relations teams struggle, it is rarely because of a lack of good intentions or strong ideas. More often, challenges arise from misalignment, unclear expectations, or insufficient communication across teams. Considering this, the following is a practical roadmap for engaging internal partners in a way that builds trust, clarity, and shared ownership, ensuring projects move forward more smoothly, and donors benefit from a coordinated, thoughtful experience.
Make Friends
Before any project begins, I have found it essential in Donor Relations to focus on relationship-building. Show genuine interest in others and the work they do. Become familiar with the responsibilities and pressures of the various teams across your organization. Get to know the people on those teams, learn about their work, and understand what motivates them. Over time, you may even find it helpful to learn how they talk about their work, such as their terminology, metrics, and priorities.
This type of relationship-building doesn’t have to be complicated. Schedule time to grab coffee or lunch, or simply meet in the office to introduce yourself and learn more about someone’s role. The key is intentionality. Just like our donors, our colleagues want to feel seen, known, and valued.
When relationships are established before a project begins, collaboration feels far more natural. Requests are met with curiosity instead of resistance, and conversations are easier when challenges arise. Investing time upfront builds goodwill that pays dividends long after a single project is complete.
Start with a Clear Plan
Before engaging internal partners, it is essential to develop a project plan. This step should always begin with the “why.”
Why are you executing this project? Is the goal to thank donors, inform them of their impact, further engage them in the mission, or all of the above? How does this initiative align with current organizational priorities and fundraising goals? What data, donor feedback, or institutional needs support moving this project forward now?
Every Donor Relations project should begin with a clearly articulated plan that answers these questions. In my experience, internal partners engage more fully when they understand the project’s purpose and value. They want to see how the work benefits donors and the organization, but they also want to understand where they fit into the process.
This is also the stage where feedback should begin. Even before a plan is finalized, sharing the concept with potential partners and inviting early input signals respect and collaboration. It tells your partners that their expertise matters and that this is a shared effort, not a directive handed down once decisions are already made.
Identify the Right Partners Early
Once you have a clear project plan and basic framework, it is time to identify which partners are needed and to involve them early in the process. Not every project requires every team, but the right people must be at the table from the beginning.
Early inclusion helps prevent friction later on, especially when projects stall because a key partner was unaware of the timeline, scope, or expectations. Bringing partners in early also creates space for dialogue and shared problem-solving.
Use kickoff conversations to introduce the project, explain its purpose, and set the tone for collaboration. This is also an opportunity to tap into your partners’ expertise. Throughout my career, I have worked on countless projects where my data and finance partners suggested better ways to capture or report information—ideas that ultimately improved the donor experience in ways I would not have identified on my own.
These conversations are also invaluable for understanding workflows. What are your partners’ peak busy seasons? What are their standard turnaround times? What competing priorities might affect the project timeline? Understanding these dynamics early demonstrates respect and helps you build more realistic, achievable plans.
Refine, Finalize, and Centralize the Project Plan
With partner input in hand, it is time to refine and formalize your project plan. This is where clarity becomes essential.
Develop a plan that clearly outlines responsibilities, timelines, and dependencies. I have mentioned this in other posts, but this is the ideal moment to use a RACI model or similar framework to ensure everyone understands their role. Ambiguity at this stage often leads to confusion, missed deadlines, or frustration later on.
Once finalized, place the project plan in a shared, accessible location where all partners can view expectations and track progress. This could be your organization’s intranet, a shared spreadsheet, or a project management tool such as Basecamp or Monday.com.
Centralizing the plan reinforces shared ownership and accountability. It also allows you to remain in the project manager role rather than executing or following up on every task yourself. When plans are transparent and easy to access, partners are more likely to take ownership of their work and feel invested in the outcome.
Share the Final Plan and Communicate Clearly
After finalizing the plan, actively share it with your partners and review it together. Walk through roles, timelines, and deliverables, and provide space for final questions or adjustments.
Clearly communicate what success will look like for the project. Discuss expectations for communication, including how delays, issues, or changes should be handled. Being transparent about how and when you will communicate throughout the project helps set clear expectations and reduces anxiety.
Establishing these parameters before execution begins helps everyone feel like true collaborators. It reinforces that accountability is shared and that success depends on collective effort, not enforcement from one team.
Share Results and Continue to Demonstrate Value
Once the project is complete, it is important to close the loop with your partners. Relationship-building does not end when the last deliverable goes out the door.
Share the final work product and take time to celebrate what you accomplished together. This should extend beyond leadership updates; partners who contributed to the work deserve to see the results as well.
When possible, share outcomes such as donor feedback, response rates, or other indicators of success. Tie those outcomes back to the original goals of the project and, when appropriate, to broader fundraising or organizational priorities. Visibility into results helps partners understand the impact of their work, and reinforces the value of Donor Relations efforts.
Consistently sharing results builds credibility and trust. Over time, partners who clearly see the impact of collaboration are more likely to support future initiatives.
Collect Feedback and Plan for the Future
One of my strongest recommendations at the conclusion of a project is to hold a debrief meeting. This provides partners with an opportunity to share feedback while the experience is still fresh.
Ask what worked well, what didn’t, and what could be improved next time. These conversations often surface insights that would otherwise be lost and allow teams to make meaningful adjustments.
I also recommend taking time to update your project documentation while the details are still top of mind. Refine timelines, capture lessons learned, and incorporate improvements to ensure the next iteration is even smoother. This step allows you to “set it and forget it” until the project is ready to be executed again.
Thank Your Partners
Internal stewardship matters, too.
The contributions your internal partners make to your Donor Relations work deserve recognition. Stewardship should not apply only to donor gifts but also to the contributions of time, expertise, and collaboration your colleagues provide.
A handwritten note, a thoughtful email, or a small gesture of appreciation can go a long way. Look for ways to acknowledge partners not only at the end of a project but throughout the year. Sometimes it’s as simple as a sincere thank-you; other times it might be a surprise donut morning or a team shout-out.
The point is this: strong internal relationships do not happen by accident. They are built intentionally, through appreciation, respect, and a shared purpose.
Work That Matters
Engaging internal partners is not about perfection. It is about progress, clarity, and trust.
When Donor Relations teams invest in relationships, communicate thoughtfully, and demonstrate value, collaboration becomes easier and more effective. Alignment across teams leads to stronger donor experiences, better fundraising outcomes, and a healthier organizational culture.
Getting everyone on the same page takes time and effort, but it is work worth doing. When we are aligned internally, we are far better positioned to serve our donors effectively.
Ready to Put This Into Practice?
If you want a simple way to apply these principles to your next donor-facing project, we’ve created a free Internal Partnership Checklist to help.
This downloadable resource walks you step-by-step through:
Relationship-building before the project begins
Clarifying the “why” behind your initiative
Identifying the right partners early
Assigning roles and responsibilities
Centralizing your project plan
Closing the loop with results and feedback
Stewarding your internal partners
Whether you're launching a new stewardship report, recognition initiative, or acknowledgment refresh, this checklist will help you approach it with clarity and confidence.
Written by Stacey Halphen
