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When most nonprofit leaders think about growth, they think about fundraising. I get it — I did too. But after more than two decades in philanthropy, I made a counter-intuitive move that changed everything for our Foundation.
Instead of hiring another fundraiser, I hired a Vice President of Operations. Not only did it not slow down our revenue — it accelerated it.
Here's what happened...
The Hidden Growth Engine
At The Community Foundation, we were experiencing a common challenge: donor engagement was strong, but our internal systems couldn’t keep pace with our ambitions. Talent was stretched. Our team was hustling but often reacting rather than leading.
Culture was solid, but stress levels were high.
What we lacked wasn’t inspiration — it was integration.
That’s where our new VP of Operations came in. From day one, they became the architect of our scale. They implemented systems that streamlined donor management, automated reporting, and freed up our senior leaders — including me — to do what we do best: lead, build relationships, and cast vision.
And the result?
Results that Speak for Themselves
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Revenue Growth: With better back-end systems, our development team became more effective — raising more money with less friction.
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CEO Empowerment: I now spend less time firefighting, and more time focused on strategy, storytelling, and relationships with major partners and donors.
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Cultural Uplift: Staff morale soared. Clearer roles, cleaner workflows, and better communication brought new energy to the team.
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Board Confidence: Our board noticed the shift — they saw a more focused CEO, a stronger organization, and a clearer path to scale.
The Leadership Lesson
As a CEO, you are the face, the driver, and the visionary. But even the best driver can’t win the race with a flat tire or a clogged engine. That’s what operational leadership fixes. It’s the difference between good organization and a great one.
If you’re a charitable organizational leader faced with a hiring decision — fundraising vs. operations — ask yourself this: what’s slowing us down?
If your systems, communication, and execution are clogged, a rockstar operations leader doesn’t just support you — they multiply you.
And that’s why I’m smiling more every day.
As President and CEO of The Community Foundation, Michael Chatman provides visionary leadership to a trusted network of 5,719 charitable organizations, powering a workforce of 37,500 employees and impacting communities with a combined revenue of $4.1 Billion. To reach Michael, contact his AI Agent, Luna, at (239) 542-5594.
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