The word, ‘fundraising,’ conjures up so many different definitions and understandings that I have grown fond of asking people what they mean when they use it. For instance, ‘fundraising,’ can mean broadening the base of support, or inviting more people to give, or getting more people to participate on a giving day, or implementing a…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Giving As Loving
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 I memorized that verse as a child in Sunday School but never paid much attention to the lead-in phrase: “For God so loved the world that he…
The Real Reason
Recently during a nonprofit board meeting, a board member asked the following questions and received the following responses from the advancement team members: Q: Won’t asking for major gifts over the next 3 years hurt our annual giving results? A: There is no evidence that will occur. We will be asking everyone to make or…
Segmenting and Aggregating
Whether we have 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000+ donors, when we decide to invite each of them to make a gift we have choices to make. Typically, the first and most discussed choice is focused on segmenting our donors, or deciding which of these donors will receive which of our specific invitations. If we are doing…
“It’s All About The Fundraising Results”
Except when. . . it’s really about creating a culture where more people care enough to respond generously; it’s really about growing the board’s understanding of their philanthropic leadership; it’s really about helping the CEO experience the joy of inviting others to be supportive; it’s really about encouraging others to embrace the act of giving…
The Most Important Campaign Readiness Question
As you prepare for a campaign, you probably have a lot of important questions that need answering. The most important question, though, is not: How much money can we raise? or, Do we have enough front-line fundraisers to achieve the goal? or, Do our donors have enough financial capacity to give in excess of our…
Chores
When society was framed around agriculture, people experienced the value of chores. Gather the eggs. Feed the livestock. Plant the seed. Not just once in a while. Consistently. Every day there was some chore that needed completing. As we become more disconnected from engaging with the land, other animals, and our natural world, we also…
Taking “No” For An Answer
Our culture celebrates those with the grit, determination, force of will, and interpersonal skills to bend reality in their favor. It can be easy, for instance, to embrace the notion that the best development folk, “never take ‘no’ for an answer” from a donor. The effective fundraisers, this ubiquitous thinking goes, are the ones with…
Of, For, To, and With
Advancement professionals routinely talk about their desire to “create a culture of philanthropy.” Far better, I think, to “create a culture for philanthropy.” Our cultures shouldn’t be of philanthropy. Our cultures shouldn’t be idly possessed or inactively influenced by philanthropy. Instead, our institutional cultures should be for philanthropy. Our cultures should actively promote, enthusiastically inspire,…
Inviting Effectively
There are 2 primary components that lead to effectively inviting people to engage more deeply. First, we have to have clarity in what we want them to do. What, specifically, are we asking of them? Give for the first time? Attend an event? Be a member of the governing board? Increase their giving to a…