Year 3: Stress, Strategy & Saying Yes

I made it! Year 3 of Krit Consulting is in the books.

It was incredible. Busy, stressful, rewarding, and definitely not what I expected.

I pivoted my business model. I said yes to an Interim Chief Development Officer role. I coached more organizations and people. I worked with some amazing volunteers. And I sprinted to finish a project that, in retrospect, didn't need a sprint.

Along the way, I got much clearer about what I want Krit Consulting to look like in Year 4.

I became a CDO.

For the past six months, I've served as an Interim Chief Development Officer.

I was nervous to say yes.

Most of my consulting projects involve working closely with two or three people. This was different. I was managing a team of seven, participating on the executive leadership team, attending board meetings, building strategy and, most importantly, helping an organization raise a lot of money.

The good news: People still like me. 😃Mostly.

Even better: We raised more than $3 million and exceeded our goal.

What the work looked like

Some of it was big-picture strategy. We shifted toward thinking about the donor journey: how someone gives a first gift, feels thanked, sees their impact and decides to give again. We talked about the board's role, how to reimagine events, leverage planned giving, and collaborate better to raise more money.

Heading into the final months of the fiscal year, we still had a real gap to close. So the team divided up hundreds of donor names and picked up the phone. Call first. Then email. We started every call with a thank you.

We also segmented the database by gift vehicle. Those in philanthropy won't be surprised: donor-advised fund donors were among the most likely to give again. We tested a targeted mailing to DAF donors, and it brought in another $20,000.

With a lot of hard work, and a little luck, we surpassed the goal!

As I get ready to cycle off the project, I’m creating simple guides like tips for board engagement, prospecting, and planned giving. I know they are moving in the right direction and I'm excited to see the organization continue to grow.

I forgot how much I like managing people.

I haven't directly managed a team in a few years. I forgot how much I enjoy one-on-ones, talking through challenges, brainstorming strategy, coaching people and further building a growth mindset.

I know a lot of people don't love managing. People and organizations are complicated. Not everything works. But I love helping someone figure out how to do a great job and watch them succeed.

It also helps when you’re handed talented people. I was very lucky in that regard. There was zero ego and a can-do attitude which makes a huge difference.

And nothing beats exceeding the GOAL!!!

I can't do everything myself.

While I was focused on the interim role, business development mostly stopped. I kept my retainer clients, wrapped up smaller projects and continued with a few coaching clients.

I also worked a lot of weekends.

I owe a huge thank you to my wife, who gave me the space to do that. And when I got stressed, she kept reminding me:

"You can ask for help. It's not just you."

She was 100% right.

I probably should have listened before spending one weekend working 20 hours preparing decks for a meeting, and then never using them.

Whoops.

Volunteers can be great fundraisers.

In the first part of the year, I worked with some incredibly passionate volunteers.

It reinforced something I've believed for years: It's amazing what a nonprofit can accomplish when volunteers are willing to ask.

I know it's uncomfortable. Most people don't join a board because they're excited to solicit their friends. But with the right attitude, a good story and some training (call me!), volunteers can be incredibly effective fundraisers.

Peer-to-peer works because it's personal. A board member saying, "This organization matters to me, and here's why," can open doors quicker than professional fundraisers.

Not everything needs to be a sprint.

I also had a project with a serious deadline. Or at least I treated it like one.

My client was about to have a baby, and I was determined to get everything into their hands before parental leave started.

I sprinted. I delivered a 70-plus-page deck that took them from strategy through implementation, with concrete steps to follow.

I'm proud of the work.

But in retrospect, I should have said, "Congratulations! Go have your baby. We'll pick this up when you're back."

I think it would’ve been more effective to pause, and then re-ignite the fundraising engine.

Lesson learned: Urgent and important aren't always the same thing.

AI became one of my favorite thought partners.

I used AI more this year than ever before.

It's incredible. The real magic isn't asking AI to do your work. It's the refinement.

I start with the strategy, the outline, and my own thinking. I do the work and ask for help along the way. Then I use AI to challenge my ideas, find gaps, and add expert editing.

Then I refine it over and over again. Some people don’t realize AI is not always right. You always have to review the work.

And having a thought partner available at 10:30 at night, on weekends, and early mornings is a huge win.

For years, my brainstorming partner was a college-ruled notebook. Now it's a college-ruled notebook and AI.

Progress.

What's next?

Year 3 showed me what I want more of in Year 4:

• More interim and fractional leadership. I enjoyed being part of a team again, setting strategy, managing people and being accountable for results.

  
  

• More speaking and training. This will surprise no one that knows me, I love being in front of a room, engaging people and giving them ideas they can use immediately.

  
  

• More coaching and strategy. Helping people and organizations figure out where they want to go, and how to get there.

  
  

Thank you.

If you worked with me, hired me, made an introduction, let me interview you, liked a post, shared an idea, challenged my thinking, or are simply reading this: THANK YOU!

Krit Consulting doesn't exist without people trusting me, recommending me and giving me opportunities to do work I genuinely love.

One of my goals for this blog in Year 4 is to highlight more community builders: people doing creative, meaningful things to make their organizations and communities stronger.

If that's you, or you know someone I should meet, send me a note.

Here's to Year 4!

I can't wait to see where it goes.