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

Romero believes successful fundraising comes from the top and a nonprofit's CEO also needs to be its chief fundraiser. According to McKay, Romero was involved in securing all of the top gifts of the campaign, and his persistence was an inspiration to his team. For example, she tells how the staff created a T-shirt for him when he finally nailed a more than $10 million gift after courting a prospect for more than four years. The shirt was emblazoned with the words "Anthony's Tenacity Tour" and, in true rock concert fashion, listed all of the places Romero had met with the donor before closing the gift.