Development folk are not salespeople. But, there are elements of selling psychology that can be helpful for development officers to understand. Enter Wheeler’s Which. Elmer Wheeler was a sales trainer almost a century ago in Texas. He came up with the well known phrase, “Don’t sell the steak. Sell the sizzle.” He also came up…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
The Task and The Result
A lot of people are willing to do the task. Make the phone calls to major donor prospects. Finalize the run of show for the upcoming giving day. Create the leadership-giving direct mail solicitation letter. Choose the pictures for the magazine’s next cover story. Edit the videos for the campaign’s website. Far fewer are willing…
Intelligence and Practice
It’s fairly easy to find most any advancement-related strategy, program, approach, or tactic within minutes through an old-fashioned Google search. We can attend professional development conferences in person. We can engage in synchronous and asynchronous online education programs. We can listen to podcasts and read books, blogs, and articles. Today, we can even engage artificial…
The Most Compelling Donor Discovery Visit Question Rarely Asked
“I’m struggling to get my assigned donors to agree to visit with me.” Without question, this is one of the most uttered complaints of gift officers. When prompted to share their outreach message, it is common to hear the following: “I tell them I’d like to thank them personally for their support.” “I tell them…
Extending Ourselves
Be the first to: Offer a helpful hand. Provide a compliment. Find the good. Say, “I was wrong.” Walk away from gossip. Encourage someone. Deliver on time and better than expected. Provide a solution to a problem. Speak up. Change the subject away from complaints. Smile. These behaviors can often feel awkward, difficult, or vexing…
What To Ask In A Group
A president has invited a small group of major gift donors and prospects to serve on an advisory council for a new strategic initiative for the institution. These are current or previous donors who have given significantly in the past, have a sense of ownership about the institution’s future success, and are especially interested in…
Pitching, Asking, or Inviting
A quick riff based on yesterday’s Seth Godin’s pitching vs. asking blog. According to Godin: We are pitching when we have a goal in mind and we are working from a script of some sort. We are asking when we are willing to learn (and potentially change our perspective) from the interaction. Godin says this…
Positive Planning
With the fiscal year ending for many in the higher education advancement world, the “season of annual planning,” soon will be fully upon us. Creating agendas for sessions, retreats, and meetings to plan for the new fiscal year’s aspirations, goals, and objectives is critical to healthy and effective planning. In many instances, though, we program…
“Stretch” Goals and Moving the Goalposts
“Our goal for the annual fund this year is $1.1 million. And, we have a “stretch” goal of $1.3 million.” I hear this type of statement from development leaders far more than I wish. Usually, I respond with something like, “so, what is your goal for the annual fund this year?” I respond this way…
Why “Boy Toys” Are Good
We know that the acronym BOY (“Because of you”), is a compelling phrase in solicitations because it helps connect the prospective donor directly to the impact of the mission. “Because of you, we were able to graduate more students like Lauren. . .” “Because of you, we were able to help over 1,000 patients receive…