#087 It’s Not Above Your Pay Grade
April 22, 2026 | Read Time: 2 minutes | Written by Jenny Kleintop
It’s my birthday today. I’m going to celebrate it by giving you some tough love to reach the next level that your leader relies on as a value-add to the team. You need an important skill.
Ownership.
You need to take ownership of the 8 buckets of philanthropy operations. Don’t remember the 8 buckets? Here’s the video reminder.
Part of taking ownership is to stop saying, “That’s above my pay grade.”
Here are 14 examples that I’ve mentored on recently:
Should we use gift date or post date in fundraising reports?
Should we have years on our campaigns in the database?
Should we put that in as a recurring gift or pledge?
How do we want to enter DAF gifts?
Do we need to tax-receipt that gift?
What solicitor types do we want to use?
How do we track fundraiser credit in the CRM?
How should we use purposes for opportunities?
How should we code gifts to exclude them from reports?
What name formats are best practice?
How should we use soft credits?
What opt-outs do we use for the mailing?
What projects should I do for data integrity?
Where should we start using AI in our processes?
Every time one of these questions has come up and I hear “that’s above my pay grade,” I take the opportunity to educate and coach.
None of these questions is above your pay grade. It’s part of taking ownership of philanthropy operations. Your CDO does not want to make that decision and certainly does not want to be in the weeds of setting any of this up. Sure, your leader may have thoughts and may share their perspective, but they hired you for a reason. They want to trust you to know your stuff. They need to rely on you to make the “in the weeds” decisions.
If you are ready to take ownership, the next logical question is where do I go for help?
Look back at my blogs, go to industry groups, join a community, or talk to peers. There are plenty of resources out there to help you. You just have to be willing to lean into them.
Take Action
To embrace your role, upskill, and get to the next level, follow these 3 steps:
1 ➡ Watch the 8-buckets of philanthropy operations video above.
2 ➡ Decide to take ownership, to keep learning and evolving in your role, and stop using the statement “That’s above my pay grade.”
3 ➡ Go back through past Insights and re-read, and find an industry, community, peer, or mentor to connect with.
You’ve got this!
👋 See you next time,
Jenny
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