If you’ve ever been on an inspiring and engaging guided tour of a museum, a zoo, a historical site, a botanical garden, or even a city, chances are you were led by an experienced and talented docent. The word, “docent,” is defined most simply as a college or university teacher or lecturer (not at the…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
My Mom’s Biscuits
Simply stated, they are fantastic. They always have been since I can remember. Made from scratch, warm, flaky, and perfect for topping with apple butter. The problem is that she can’t tell you how she makes them. She has no recipe. It’s not difficult – flour, baking soda, buttermilk, etc. But, there is no formula….
All We Know
First, the printing press made knowledge and information distributable to those who could read. Then, terrestrial radio and television broadcast knowledge and information to anyone with the hardware to receive the signals. Next came the searchable internet which connected hardware so that the whole planet (mostly) could share knowledge and information. Now, we are experiencing…
Beyond the Donor’s Legacy
We focus a good bit on inviting donors to “leave a legacy.” Or, talking with donors about their giving legacy. But what about your legacy in this work? Will you be known as a person who encouraged others on the team? Will you be viewed as the individual who put the mission or the cause…
“Your Gift Truly Matters!”
I recently made an online gift to an institution and here is the automated email receipt and thank you message I received: “Hello Jason: Thank you for your gift. We appreciate your generosity and support of <<Institution Name>>. Your gift truly matters!” Then there was the gift receipt information and a bit more about thanking…
How To Ask Better Questions
Advancement leaders should be expert question-askers. We should be asking strategic questions to better understand our donors. We should be asking encouraging questions to embolden those who report to us. We should be asking generative questions to inspire our boards and other volunteer leaders. We should ask questions to learn, to engage, and to raise…
Create or Magnify?
Whether we have 5,000 or 500,000+ constituent records in our database, the percentage of “engaged constituents,” is far less. For example, if we define “engaged” as giving recently, or showing up at an event, or interacting via social media, or opening an email, or receiving a direct mail piece, etc., it is not uncommon for…
Engaging Our Community
Advancement leaders talk a lot about “engaging our community.” It could be engaging our alumni community. Or, even more specifically, engaging our young alumni community. It could be engaging our town, city, or region. It could be engaging our campus community. Or, engaging our school community. But, we talk about “engaging our community” a lot….
A Race To Indistinguishable
“How do we compare to other institutions like us?” “How are other institutions responding to this situation?” “Have you tried ChatGPT to create the letter?” Regardless of the work or metrics, it seems we are being encouraged from all sides to become more identical, more indistinct, less original, and less inspired. And, in an increasingly…
What Are We Afraid Of?
If we are afraid of failing, we won’t try new things. If we are afraid of looking stupid in front of others, we won’t take the lead. If we are afraid the donor will say, “no,” we won’t invite the gift. If we are afraid of confrontation, we won’t speak plainly to each other. If…