Is there a cold war brewing between your marketing team and your development/fundraising team?

It's probably because they have completely different definitions of winning.

Marketing is measured on brand quality. Consistency. How things look and sound.

Development is measured on dollars raised. Speed. Results.

So marketing pushes back on timelines to protect the brand. Then development works around them to hit the goal. Both teams dig in and "protect" what they own. Walls go up. Trust erodes.

And your donors? They feel it.

They don't care about your org chart. But they see the little disconnects that quietly chip away at the trust you've built.

The fix isn't a new process or a better project management tool.

It starts with leaders on both teams deciding to share goals.

Maybe it's getting development into the design process early on. Or allowing your marketing team to actually have relationships with your donors — yes, even the major donors.

When both teams trust one another and are focused on the same goals, the work gets better fast.

Is your marketing team and your development team working from the same scorecard?