From Sunset Boulevard to Stewardship: Fundraising Lessons in Discipline

We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel, watching a crew change out a billboard high above Sunset Boulevard. A massive crane loomed over the street. A team of workers clipped themselves into harnesses and climbed two hundred feet into the air. The job looked smooth and controlled, but you could see the stakes in every move. If they didn’t follow the rules, the consequences would be catastrophic.

That billboard swap was a masterclass in teamwork, safety, and discipline. It also held a few lessons for fundraisers.

Lesson 1: Safety rules are culture, not red tape

On the billboard crew, safety isn’t negotiable. Harnesses, checklists, callouts, it’s just how things get done. In fundraising, our “safety rules” are gift acceptance policies, ethical guidelines, and stewardship promises. When they’re treated as box-checking exercises, corners get cut. When they’re embedded into culture, they protect both your team and your donors.

Lesson 2: Everyone knows their job

On that billboard, no one was improvising. One person managed the crane, another secured the rigging, another guided panels into place. Each role was small, clear, and critical. Fundraising campaigns deserve the same clarity. Who owns stewardship? Who signs off on messaging? Who closes the loop with donors?

Lesson 3: The right tools prevent corner cutting

That crew didn’t scale the billboard with duct tape and a ladder. They had a crane. They had equipment designed for the job. In fundraising, the crane is your CRM, your data hygiene, your testing framework. If your tools are weak, urgency tempts you to cut corners.

Lesson 4: Urgency doesn’t excuse shortcuts

We live in an urgency culture: one more appeal, one more deadline, one more “we need it yesterday.” But imagine telling that billboard crew to rush. They’d still clip in. They’d still check harnesses. Because their lives depend on it. In fundraising, the consequences are different but still serious: broken trust, donor churn, reputational damage. Urgency should sharpen focus, not erase rules.

Lesson 5: Big change comes from small, precise moves

That billboard didn’t flip in one giant motion. It shifted panel by panel, handhold by handhold. Fundraising momentum also builds through tiny, intentional steps—small tests, micro-experiments, quick pivots.

The Challenge

Watching that crew reminded me: rules and roles don’t kill creativity. They free it. They make big, visible change possible without risking collapse. Fundraising is no different. When we build discipline into culture, clarity into roles, and integrity into urgency, we create the conditions for both safety and boldness.

What's one small act you will take this week to secure your rigging? Just like that crew on Sunset, your team’s future depends on it.