It’s, actually, not much of a contest. The depth of belief in the effectiveness of a strategy isn’t nearly as important as consistently implementing a strategy. We can spend a lot of time convincing ourselves and others that a particular strategy is the “right/best” strategy. Perhaps because it is a strategy we proposed. Or perhaps…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
A.I. and Mannequins
From a distance, you might be fooled into thinking a department store mannequin is a flesh-and-blood human. The size is about right, the figure proportionate, the silhouette convincing. But, only from a distance. Get within just a few feet of the mannequin and you can easily tell that it is a lifeless pattern meant to…
Responding Promptly
A donor emails you with a question regarding their gift and how it will be spent. Your response tomorrow is usually sufficient from a timing standpoint. Your boss asks you about the progress of the design of an invitation for the special event. Sharing the latest version with him tomorrow is usually considered timely. Your…
Talking Points For The Annual Fund
Private educational institutions (either preK-12 or higher ed.) typically have a need for annual budgetary-relieving gifts. These gifts can be either unrestricted and used however the institution wishes or can be restricted, but supportive of the institution’s operating budget. However defined, these annual, “repeatable and replaceable,” gifts are typically part of the institution’s Annual Fund….
“The World Is Coming To An End!”
It’s true. But it won’t happen (at least by natural means when the all-powerful and life-giving sun peters out) until about 5-7 billion years in the future. So, the statement is true. But, it wouldn’t make much sense to re-order our lives, relationships, work experiences and major decisions around that true statement. It’s true, but…
Why Donors Give
Over the last 20 years or so, a stream of research on giving motivations has regularly pointed to a simple yet powerful factor: Donors tend to give then they are asked. For example, the Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy has been biannually produced since 2006 by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Bank…
What Happens When The Response Is “No”?
Does the employee get blackballed, demoted, or, even, fired? Does the donor get ignored? Does the colleague get chastised? Or, is the response a simple, authentic, “why are you thinking that way?” Or, “Tell me more about your perspective?” Or, “Can you help me understand your response?” The best leaders, the best advancement officers, the…
What We Can Learn From the Carnival Barker
“Step right up, ladies, gentleman, and boys and girls of all ages!” This is the well-known patter of the old-fashioned carnival barker – or, as those who work in this field preferred to be called, “carnival talkers.” But underneath the slick, shouting, and staccato speech patterns recognized by most anyone who has attended a circus…
‘It Will Be Living Document”
Your organizational strategic plan shouldn’t be. Your annual giving solicitation plan shouldn’t be. Your major gifts officer metrics program shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t create plans with the intent that they will change. Instead, we should do the hard work up front to identify the most impactful priorities, discern the most appropriate and inspiring goals for…
Scaling Generosity
Everyone wants to “raise more money.” But few people (at least that I’m aware of), speak of wanting to “scale generosity.” There is a difference. We can raise more money through a gimmick or activity that goes viral. Recall the ALS Association’s Ice Water Bucket Challenge, which is celebrating a 10-year anniversary this summer. We…