The Far Edge of Promise has as a core fundraising philosophy the concept of knowing donors as personally as possible. This concept is simple, tried-and-true, exceptionally powerful, and leads to meaningful gifts from gratified donors. It also is rarely implemented well. For instance, most institutions can answer the following question about each of their top…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Developing Evangelists
Recently, I wrote about the importance of having the right person ask the right prospect. Understanding and implementing this concept will greatly enhance your fundraising outcomes with individual prospects. However, to increase your overall fundraising success, there is a broader concept that must be mastered: Developing Evangelists. Evangelists are those key people who regularly encourage…
Do Dollars Matter?
Recently at a CASE conference, I heard a presentation in which the following statement about performance metrics for MGOs was made: If you create and track MGO metrics for visits, moves, and proposals (asks), you don’t need a metric for dollars raised. The gift income will be a natural consequence of the activity of the…
Who Invited You?
On Saturday night, my 6-year old daughter and I attended my first Daddy-Daughter Dance. It was a fantastic event and we both had a blast. Fun music, some finger foods, and about 125 dads who were giving their all on the dance floor for their little girls. And I mean, the dads were really dancing….
Fundamental Attribution Error and Donors
If a donor with high capacity doesn’t give to our level of expectation, it is not uncommon for some to suggest she is simply ungenerous. Conversely, when we fail to respond fully to a solicitation from another organization, we tend to believe that the organization didn’t do enough to garner our investment. The “Fundamental Attribution…
We Need To Twist His Arm. . .
Or, put the squeeze on her. These aren’t fundraising strategies. They’re assault.
Is There A Difference Between Advancement and Leadership?
I have written previously about the similarities between the practice of leadership and the practice of advancement. Recently, I stumbled upon this older but concise definition of leadership: “Leadership is about articulating visions, embodying values, and creating the environment within which things can be accomplished.” — Richards and Engle, Transforming Leadership, 1986 If you want to…
On Feeling Wanted
Wednesday was NSD. For those who don’t follow college football in the United States, NSD is “National Signing Day,” the day in which high school football players make official their college choice. For the year-round college football fan NSD is a big day. Better football players signed in February will hopefully mean more victories in…
My Staff
Weak leadership is betrayed by the use of possessive pronouns. When I hear a vice president or president talk about “my staff,” or “my cabinet,” experience suggests that I’m dealing with someone who cares more about position and less about performance. Of course, the person using the “my staff” language believes such language portrays a…
Stories Versus Menus
There are two approaches to developing funding opportunities: Develop a compelling vision for the institution’s future based on mission and values by engaging key leaders, donors, and constituents in a planning process. Specific funding priorities are identified that support this compelling vision. Develop a comprehensive list of institutional needs and encourage donors to support the…