You’ve heard the saying, “Begin with the end in mind.” (Habit 2 of Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”). With all respect to Covey. . . I think this isn’t completely right. Here’s why: What is it that we plan that ever ends? I mean really ends? Stopped. Completed. No more. Finished. Finito. A successful…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Forward Giving
Although the phrase, “giving back,” is used everyday in development work I’ve never thought of it as being very helpful. First, it encourages the idea that something was received in the past and now, out of duty, out of indebtedness, the donor should pay for it. I’m not sure that this encourages uncommon generosity in…
The “One Shot” Ask
“The Ask.” Those two little words have more loaded meanings and feelings attached to them than perhaps any other phrase in development. Most volunteers don’t want to do it. And, sometimes, even seasoned development professionals will feel a bead of sweat trickle down the center of their backs when making “The Ask.” While I always…
Why You Need A Case Statement
You need a case statement. Most development folk know this. They know they need a case statement which has been “tested” and is characterized by what I term the 3 C’s: clarity, concision, and compulsion. They know they need a case statement because: Every organization has a glossy, oversized, impressive case statement, and; Donors will…
The Good Patterns
This weekend I received a great little book – The War of Art – given to me by friend, Dave Jobe, CEO of Karmadillo. Dave works with professional service businesses – law firms, architecture firms, consultants, etc. – to help them grow their business through permission-based marketing and thought leadership strategies. Good stuff. The War…
The Preacher and the Sinner
If you’ve been to Santa Monica, California you are familiar with the Santa Monica Pier and the 3rd Street Promenade. Both are fun, bustling, outdoor gathering places which mimic ongoing carnivals, complete with barkers, street performers, and vendors of all sorts. Yesterday, on the 3rd Street Promenade I ran into one such carnival barker who…
Social Media Engagement Changes Everything. . . Except Engagement
I regularly get asked about social media donor engagement strategies as if social media (facebook, twitter, Google Buzz, etc.) is somehow so different from other mediums of communication so as to change the fundamentals of human-to-human interaction. True, the social media technologies provide free, powerful tools to reach, inform, interest, and engage almost endless numbers…
Flattery Will Get You Further Than You Thought
We know that the sound of our own name falls easily on our ears. We also know that receiving a sincere compliment brings a quick smile to our face. Apparently, all of us are physiologically hard-wired to enjoy both of these occurrences. Of course, in our work with donors, we understand the power of being…
The Imagination Factor
I came across a list of Famously Wrong Predictions the other day. Read and smile: “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” –Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977 “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea…
The Luxurious and The Necessary
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities. – Frank Lloyd Wright This quote from the inspiring American architect has always intrigued. Interpretations vary but it raises the following question for me: Can the sexiness of the luxurious, the newest, or the latest encourage us to dismiss the fundamental,…