Many development professionals and most volunteers believe solicitation to be the most important stage of the giving cycle. Webcasts, conferences, and books on ‘making the ask’ sell because people are convinced of the preeminence of the solicitation. The conventional wisdom is that there must be a special technique, a preferred tactic, or a eloquent turn…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
On Being Delightful
Charm and nothing but charm at last grows a little tiresome. It’s a relief then to deal with a man who isn’t quite so delightful but a little more sincere. – W. Somerset Maugham, “The Painted Veil“ The Painted Veil is a sweeping, enjoyable early 20th Century novel which chronicles the spiritual development of Kitty,…
What Matters Most
Meaningfully engaging donors and raising significantly more money are not functions of. . . Your organization’s number of facebook likes; The average number of tweets your organization produces each week; Integrating cutting edge widgets onto your website; Supplying planned giving calculators on your website; The number of hits on your organization’s website; The number of…
Not The Pail, But The Fire
We often talk about “educating” our donors. And education is a good thing. But sometimes, the way we practice educating our donors is a bit misguided. It is easy to conceptualize the education process as the delivery of information or knowledge. In this model, we believe it is our job to teach, to convey, to…
I Only Hear From You. . .
. . . when you are asking for money. Everyone has heard this comment. Mostly from non-donors, but occasionally from donors as well. One read of the comment is that the speaker wants more information about the institution and fewer solicitations. In fact, that’s typically how a development professional frames this comment. And the response…
A Reason Why I’m Thankful. . . and Fearful
Making a difference in the lives of others, in our communities, and on our world is noble and fulfilling work. To wake up each morning with the recognition that our organizations educate, heal, transform, support, and uplift others is a blessing. Because I feel called to be a part of non-profit advancement work, I am…
1-800-THIS DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE
My credit card company doesn’t have a phone number. Neither does my preferred airline. And neither does the hotel chain I frequent when I’m on the road. Many businesses act as if they don’t have a phone number. Instead, what they offer on printed materials, even on their websites, is a mix of numbers and…
Avoiding Advancement Commodification
The primary goal of advancement programs should be to create conditions which encourage donor generosity. Generosity producing conditions – be they through direct mail letters, phonathon calls, special events, or face-to-face visits – lead to donor experiences. If these experiences are inspiring, energizing and/or encouraging for our donors, generosity is more likely to follow. So, how…
How the Other Half Gives
The 2010 Bank of America High Net Worth Philanthropy Study was released yesterday. This is the third biennial study which has been conducted since 2006. The headlines most reported about the study are similar to what the “Chronicle of Philanthropy” posited: “Donations By the Wealthy Dropped Sharply in the Recession, Study Finds“ And yes, the…
Getting the Gift vs. Giving the Gift
What if, instead of development professionals focusing on “getting the gift,” we focused on “giving the gift?” There is growing and substantial research evidence suggesting that giving to others reaps meaningful physical, spiritual, and emotional benefits for the donor. Two of the early researched-based books on the topic were Allan Luks’, The Healing Power of…