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…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
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…
Online Donor Reports
Institutions looking to cut costs associated with printed annual reports, president’s reports, or donor honor rolls regularly turn to their websites. “Let’s put it online!” is the knee-jerk response. And it’s not a bad idea to put such reports online. But once the decision is made to go electronic, few institutions implement with the same…
Are You “Touching” Your Donors?
“Touch” is a robust, flexible, and, in many instances, an emotionally-charged word. Consider the following phrases: “We were touched by their generosity.” “I really hope we can stay in touch.” “His presentation added the perfect touch to the evening.” Ever wonder why the word, “touch,” represents such emotionally-rich thoughts? Recently, National Public Radio shared a…
Unconventionally Wise
Conventional wisdom is an interesting concept – many times, we have convention, but we are far from wisdom. Here are some examples: Conventional wisdom says that smaller K-12 class sizes enhance student outcomes and test scores. Everyone knows this to be true, right? So, we have spent billions of dollars in an effort to keep…
Ideas and Execution
Ideas are fun to generate and easy to deliver. Everyone has ideas. And most are willing to share their ideas on how things “should be done.” Ideas are everywhere – not scarce at all. On the other hand, executing is boring and hard work. Execution is about getting results – meaningful results. Good execution takes…
The SuperStat
Donors invest because the work of our institutions makes both logical and emotional sense to them. Logically, donors have to recognize and agree that giving to our institution is a wise and productive investment. Their minds need to agree, “Yes, this makes sense!” Emotionally, donors need to feel that our institution’s work makes a qualitative…