Following Robert’s Rules of Order during a governing board or foundation board meeting might be helpful for imposing order on the discussion. But, it is almost wholly unhelpful in engaging and exciting the philanthropic imagination of your board members so that ambitious goals can be achieved. If you want to get important things accomplished and…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Practicing the Art of “Giftfinding”
For all of human history until just very recently, people have used systems-level thinking to navigate the natural world and the opportunities and dangers it presents. For instance, the ancient people of Polynesia practiced the art of “wayfinding,” which applied a sophisticated understanding of broad natural cues to safely pilot a canoe from one island…
The Illusion of Understanding
Recently, an annual fund officer was talking to me about making calls on past annual fund leadership donors who had not given in the last two years. This list of donors was not that long, but it was still troubling. All of these past donors had given at least $1,000+ annually until the 2012-2013 year….
The Most Important Question To Ask Yourself
Here is the most important question a development officer can ask himself: “Am I more focused on how I look or on what I see?” How I look vs. What I see. Where is your focus? On your own presentation or on the prospective donor? When you are more concerned with “how you look,” you’ll…
Why “Going Viral” Shouldn’t Be Your Goal
The #ALSIceBucketChallenge has been a tremendous success no matter how one might define the term. The challenge began in July and, within the last month, the awareness of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease as it is still known, is sky high. In addition, ALS is now reporting that the challenge has raised almost $80 million dollars…
On Fundraising Attitudes and Aptitudes
Being an advancement leader brings with it the responsibility to “teach up.” Whether you work with a Dean, a Chancellor, a President, a CEO, or a Board member, getting the best possible results means working with and through others. In many instances, donors will respond more generously when an institutional leader plays a meaningful role…
The Value of Art and Donor Appreciation
Refrigerator artwork is deeply personal and meaningful to the owner but, to the outside world, may not hold much value. The value of the crayon-colored rainbow scribbled on a piece of paper flows from the little person who drew it and their relationship to you, the owner of the refrigerator. On the other hand, we…
Why Prospects Don’t Respond
Recently, I served as a faculty member during a Gonser Gerber Institute webinar entitled, “Five Effective Strategies to Secure Visits.” This was a webinar I had long wanted to present as the issue of securing visits can, in many instances, be the most challenging facet of prospect engagement. I know many advancement officers – beginning…
Constantly Distracted
Back in the mid 1990s the word “pizzled” was coined. It was a mix between “puzzled” and “pissed” and was used to describe the feeling you might have when someone you were with decided to start talking on their mobile phone. Today, such distractions in the social arena are common and accepted. Have you been…
What Is Valuable?
What We Are Told To Value What Actually Is Valuable Task Accomplishment Relationship Building Competition Cooperation Individualism Teamwork Knowledge Caring Problem Solving Question Posing Telling Listening Through culture and institutions, our western world encourages us to value the items in the left column of the table more than the items in the right column. But…