Richard Perry: Building a Smarter Development Team

Aligning development teams with the donor pipeline is one of the most important—and often overlooked—keys to sustainable fundraising success. 

In this episode of Real Talk for Real Fundraisers, Jeff Schreifels sits down with Veritus co-founder Richard Perry to unpack why organizational structure matters so much for fundraising success. They dive into the philosophy behind Richard's new venture, Giving Pathways, and explore the hidden dysfunctions that can derail even the most passionate teams. 

Together, they discuss why too many development shops fail to align with the donor pipeline, the dangers of vertical staffing, and why mid, major, and planned giving must be treated as essential revenue streams. Richard also shares practical advice for executive directors—especially younger leaders—on how to implement change with empathy and build truly relationship-focused organizations. 

This episode is a must-listen for nonprofit executives, managers, and fundraisers who want to build stronger donor relationships, increase revenue, and create organizational structures that mirror the donor journey. 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• Why development teams often misalign with the donor pipeline 

• How vertical staffing approaches hurt donor engagement 

• The crucial role of mid, major, and planned giving in sustainable revenue 

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. 

Additional Resources: 
 

• [Blog] Is Your Organizational Structure Holding You Back?  

• [White Paper] Donor Pipeline Assessment  

• [Blog] Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Mid-Level Donors Any Longer