We spend much time with our staffs and our volunteer leaders working on the mechanics of asking. Finding the right language. Searching for the perfect words. Role playing different approaches. All in an attempt to get comfortable with what we believe is the best possible method of soliciting the gift. And these mechanics are not…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
The Problem with Perfection
Peter Bregman has a great quote: “The world doesn’t reward perfection. The world rewards productivity.” Your donor lists are going to have a misspelling. Your gift receipt letters are going to address someone incorrectly. Your major donor strategies are going to miss on occasion. The point should never be to wait for perfection. It doesn’t…
Developing Major Gift Habits
According to Wikipedia, habits are routines of behavior that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously. An interesting point about habits, though, is that even though they may “tend to occur subconsciously,” we can develop and shape them. For instance, after my second bout with kidney stones a few years ago, I made a…
Are You Working For Your Institution? Or Is Your Institution Working Through You?
When we work for our institutions, we become restrained and captive. We begin mentally punching a time clock (even if we don’t in reality). We easily can get weary and frustrated. We can feel powerless, unappreciated, and unimportant. We may even feel defeated. It is all about us and our predicament. But when we let…
Size Matters
The size of your advancement team matters. On the positive side, there typically is a relationship between the number of team members and the amount of money raised. The more folks, the more money is raised, on average. Makes sense. But there are other issues tied to size. For instance, there is a relationship between…
Recognizing and Thanking Social Media Engagers
Your institution has recognition societies, clubs, and circles based on giving levels. You may even have a recognition group based on consecutive year giving. You probably have an annual event or two that recognizes and thanks your donors based on these groups. You also have a strong sense that the “new world order” of communication…
The Volunteer “Voice” of Your Advancement Program
Have you seen the NBC television show, “The Voice“? It’s a singing talent show of sorts with the gimmick of the old “Dating Game” – the judges can’t see the contestants. They can only hear them. The human voice – tone, tenor, quality, pitch, etc. – provides us with numerous cues about the individual. When…
Building A Brand That Encourages Generosity
When people buy products or services, they, in part, are buying a brand. Buying a Mercedes auto? Sure, you are buying high quality engineering – maybe the best. But you also are buying the notion that the car makes you feel “unlike any other.” Buying a iPhone 4s? Sure, you are buying access to your…
3 Opportunities to Get Better At Our Work
Recognizing a need to do professional development better for advancement folk, my colleagues at Gonser Gerber recently launched a new division – the Gonser Gerber Institute. The mission of the Institute is “to make advancement professionals and teams more effective by delivering dynamic and innovative educational content.” The idea for the Institute came about because we were convinced that…
3 Keys To Receiving Ongoing Major Gifts
During campaign years institutions raise more money. The research is clear on this. A campaign focuses an institution and its donors on strategic priorities and gift income goals. During a successful campaign, the case for support is concisely articulated and the institution places an extraordinary level of energy on the discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship…