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

Romero and McKay agree that part of the campaign's success can be attributed to the fact that it was born from very specific program needs — needs that were made clear in response to a challenge from a donor.

"I was asked by a donor to reflect on a challenge that if they were to give a significant sum of money, a one-time gift, what would be the legacy that would be left behind in terms of building a program — not in terms of an endowment, but in terms of a sustainable civil-liberties program," Romero says.