Far too often I witness strategy discussions about major gift donors and prospects that leap too quickly to observations focused on what a particular donor “will do,” in terms of his or her gift amount. The conversation plays out something like this. The Associate Vice President (or whoever supervises the Major Gift Officer) asks in…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Using Your Database to Invite, Report, and Steward
The most fundamental and effective organizing strategies when using your database (certainly not the only organizing strategies!): Inviting Donors and Prospects to Give – you will be most effective in inviting donors and prospects to give when you organize your database by giving history. In other words, to be the most effective and efficient in…
“Whatever Makes You Feel Good”
In all the years I’ve flown through Denver airport, I can’t recall ever having my shoes shined there. Earlier this week, though, I had a long layover and realized that my scruffy dress shoes were in desperate need of help. As I waited my turn at one of the chairs, I looked around but…
Why You Are Here Matters Most
Over the past year, I’ve read two thought-provoking articles – “Donation Inflation,” by Toni Coleman in CASE Currents and “Unplanned Obsolescence,” by Paul Clolery in the NonProfit Times – which focus on different topics but speak to a similar root concern for the future of philanthropy in the U.S. In “Donation Inflation,” Coleman highlights the…
Happy Anniversary
You may complain regularly that your database is deficient, inaccurate, or misused (or all three!). And because of your database shortcomings, you may get frustrated that you cannot consistently use it to improve and enhance your donor identification, solicitation, and stewardship. Here, though, is a database stewardship and solicitation strategy that all institutions can use…
Grow Up
If you’ve ever been admonished to “grow up,” you know the sting of those words can linger. One of the reasons these words stick with us like they do is because they demand much more than a simple change in our behavior. Rather, they are meant to communicate a much deeper transformation – a maturation…
3 Steps To Increasing “Donor Durability”
Some number of your major gift donors are what I would term “durable.” They are the ones who continue to give (often generously) regardless of their own personal and financial circumstances; they are the ones who are deeply committed to your mission; they are the ones who show up when you need it most; and…
5 “Alternative Facts” for Advancement Professionals
Recently, a U.S. political figure who shall remain nameless (only because it would be too embarrassing for her to be named) used the phrase, “alternative facts,” during a heated exchange with a reporter. And since a fact is, by definition, well, “a fact,” I have no idea what the phrase “alternative facts,” is intended to…
What Is The Work?
What if the purpose of your campaign is not to raise extraordinary amounts of gift income, but instead is to educate potential givers on the need(s) being met by your institution? What if the purpose of your alumni relations event is not to ensure that people have an enjoyable experience, but instead is to remind them…
From “Why?” to “What?”
“Why?” isn’t the thing. It’s not the building project. Nor the endowment fund. It’s not the new program. Nor whatever the gifts might support. “Why?” is what will happen once you successfully build that building, or grow that endowed fund, or start that new program. “Why?” is how the money supports your mission and helps…