If you want to enjoy strong results through your annual giving program, you should focus on educating/reminding people why your institution/program/service matters. The well-crafted annual ask encourages people to look back on the value of your institution/program/service and reflect on its importance. Donors make annual gifts to your institution because they have come to believe…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Writing Contact Reports That Matter
One of the most important and yet most misunderstood responsibilities of a development officer is to write helpful prospect contact reports on a consistent basis. Most development folk understand that they should write contact reports, but only some recognize why they are so vital to effective fundraising, and even fewer grasp how to write them well….
Which Story Are You Seeking?
When I was a higher education vice president some years ago, our institution was asking important questions about student retention. We brought in experts from around the country to look at our retention efforts and implemented a number of first-year and curriculum-wide programs to help more students persist until graduation. While we made some progress,…
Solving The Wrong Problem
It is rare that the first problem presented in a team setting is the most crucial to solve. In most instances, the first problem presented – usually in the form of a complaint – may have an urgent quality to it, but, represents only a symptom of a deeper, more fundamental issue that needs solving….
Aspirations, Angels, and Agreement
If your goal is to engage others and do work of substance and consequence, utilize the “Essential A’s”: Aspirations – help others dream and establish the highest possible aspirations for your institution or program. It’s easy to get distracted and discouraged in the weeds of work (which is why some people choose to live there,…
“They Are Going To Do Something”
When working with natural partners (such as presidents, other administrators, or faculty) and volunteers in major gifts, one of the most troublesome statements I can hear during major gift donor strategy sessions is, “They are going to do something.” Almost always, what this seemingly positive statement actually means is something akin to the following: “I…
An Open Letter To A Gift Officer
Dear Gift Officer: Thank you for contacting me and asking for a first visit over coffee. I was honored to receive your call. And I especially was pleased that our schedules matched and we could meet on relatively short notice. When you arrived at the coffee shop, your warm smile and confident approach were appreciated….
Building A Culture of Philanthropy
When advancement leaders claim a desire for a stronger “culture of philanthropy,” what is typically meant is that they want a stronger “culture of giving.” They want more people to be more generous. From the Board, to advisory groups, to primary constituency groups, the idea is that more donors and more dollars are the best…
Ask Fever
In the U.S. space industry the term “go fever,” refers to project teams making rushed decisions while “overlooking potential problems or mistakes.” The reasons that “go fever” can grip a team can range from budget pressures to individuals not wanting to be viewed as the person who slowed progress or questioned authority. This concept has…
Centralized, Decentralized, and Compartmentalized
One way to describe the organization of advancement shops is the point at which they sit along the “centralized – decentralized” continuum. “Centralized” shops are ones that provide advancement services to the institution they serve through one or several offices that report to one positional leader. These shops are typically recognized as a “division of…