Our work as CFR officers is often most visible at the level of the transaction, and perhaps too often how we are measured. There is some underlying truth in the notion that the more letters of inquiry, proposals, grant agreements, and master agreements we produce, the more money we will raise for our institutions. However, most CFR officers understand that our work is deeply relational—even if we also know that our work should probably not share the metrics associated with fundraising success for individual gift officers (e.g., number of visits). CFR work is a complicated dance of meeting the guidelines and transactional rules of various foundations and corporations while simultaneously assessing and appreciating the human element within those organizations to deepen and broaden those relationships. In our work, we build relationships not just with executives, program officers, and grant administrators but also with faculty and institutional leaders. This relationship building work is especially important during fundraising campaigns. This session will begin with a case study of how one institution built strong relationships with foundation and corporate partners, ultimately resulting in deep engagement during a campaign while not losing site of their identity and vision to “serve a philanthropic agenda”. We will also look at how to manage institutional leaders’ expectations around giving to campaigns from corporations and foundations, and we will talk about the importance of “educating up” and building relationships internally with leadership, deans, chairs, and faculty.