Quantum physics has taught us that we never really touch anything. What we think and feel related to touch is an illusion created in our minds to help us navigate the physical world. The seat you’re sitting on? Your rear is not really touching it. The keyboard in front of you? Your fingertips are not…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
“Not What I Expected”
I listened as a relatively new gift officer relayed her experiences of visiting with donors during the first few months of her work. “It’s not what I expected,” she started. “People, even my corporate donors, are motivated to give because of our mission. They truly want to help. I honestly thought it would be more…
Caring More, Today and Tomorrow
Getting someone to show they care is a much different piece of work than getting someone who already cares to show they care more. If our goal is to get more folks to show they care, we should use donor acquisition metrics to gauge our success. How many donors did we add? We should recognize…
An Advancement Brand
Beyond your advancement mission statement (which should concisely describe what it is that you do as an advancement team), what is your advancement brand? As expressed as a tag line for your advancement team and program, you might come up with something like the following: “Generosity that inspires,” or, “Generosity that matters,” or, “Giving that…
Push vs. Pull
The concept of momentum in fundraising is real. In advancement, we talk about “campaign momentum,” or “engagement momentum,” or even “brand momentum.” While specific definitions are not easy to nail down, momentum is felt more than it is defined. As the old saying goes, “we know it when we feel it.” Nonetheless, momentum in its…
Mission Motivation
We know from a number of studies that a primary motivating factor for giving to a particular institution is a belief in the goodness of the mission. It’s not that there aren’t other motivating factors that encourage giving, but study after study shows that “belief in mission” is a top response when donors are asked…
Framing Volunteer Expectations
It is common for advancement leaders to share a list of “expectations” for Board members, Advisory Council members, and other volunteer leaders. Among a number of expectations, the list might include items like: We expect each member to be prepared for and to engage fully in meetings; and, We expect each member to make a…
Who Is The Decider?
A common advancement team complaint can sound like this: “It takes too long to get something approved.” Think campaign case statement and materials. Or, a magazine. Or, an e-newsletter. Or, a direct mail solicitation letter. Or, even an event invitation. When this type of concern is voiced, what normally comes next is a focus on…
Strengthening A Culture of Giving
When an institution’s leadership complains, “we have never had a strong culture of fundraising success,” there are three assessments worth making immediately. What is the balance between inviting gifts vs. stewarding gifts? Over time, donors who care will follow our lead. If an advancement team is not inviting gifts from donors with the same energy…
What Agentic AI Models Won’t Change About Work
Recent news on the Artificial Intelligence front has centered around agentic AI models. Essentially, agentic AI can better understand the context and operate multi-step processes in order to achieve more complex goals. Agentic AI can plan for the next iterative step to achieve a goal and can do more than simply translate data into knowledge. …