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

Adds McKay, "It wasn't that long ago when $5,000 was considered to be a major gift to the ACLU."

So what changed? Leadership. Romero took over in 2001 and hired McKay, who immediately saw the need to restructure the development department and fortify its major-gifts strategy.

As a shocking example of just how lacking the major-gift mind-set was at ACLU, Romero tells the story of hearing about philanthropist Leon Levy at a party soon after he started at the ACLU. Romero didn't know the Oppenheimer Funds founder but wrote down his name on a cocktail napkin, which he passed on to McKay.