I have learned, however, that there are many people in an organization or institution who play key roles in making philanthropy successful. Certainly, the chief fund raising officer carries a heavy responsibility, but a large piece of that responsibility rests with the CEO as well. In fact, the greater the involvement of the CEO, the greater the return of funds will be. I realize now that I expect certain things from my CEO as I work to raise money for my institution. As I think through each expected trait, I realize that some are more directly related to fund raising than others, but each of them does affect the fund raising potential.
Most employees expect vision and leadership from their CEO along with the ability to manage.
It is imperative that the CEO articulate the vision of the institution. People do not want to hear from the chief fund raising officer about the vision of the institution. A collegial style of leadership makes the full partnership much easier. To be treated as part of a team rather than a person working to reach goals on one's own makes fund raising much more significant. This is all part of the partners in leadership aspect.