A recent ACLU campaign beefed up its major gifts and planned giving

"Smaller affiliates located mainly in the South and in the country's heartland were bolstered by increased resources from the campaign," she adds. "That enabled them to hire full-time attorneys, launch new advocacy programs, and expand communications and public-education initiatives."

With a very clear roster of goals that was created from the start in partnership with the ACLU's affiliate support department, thoughts turned to financing the initiatives. Romero and McKay saw this massive undertaking as an opportunity to turn the organization's development strategy on its head.