As promised in an earlier blog on Warren Buffett, this entry is the first in a series designed to question how development professionals (and others such as CEOs and Boards) should evaluate development effectiveness. Warren Buffett knows a thing or two about valuing (and investing in) successful enterprises. Given his incomparable ability to evaluate good…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
The Most Important Qualities Your Next Consultant Should Have
Development consultants can be helpful. Not all, certainly. But quality development consultants can add great value to your organization. There are times when organizations are more apt to think about engaging a consultant: to assess campaign readiness, to implement a campaign, or to conduct an audit are a few examples. And when an organization decides…
For What Do You Want To Be Known?
This is the question I see educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations struggle with the most. It is also one of the most important. Why is answering this question important? Three important reasons: First, answering this question focuses organizational energy, strategy, tactics, and activity. From planning to marketing to budgeting, all strategic and tactical decisions should…
Top 5 Fundraising Truisms
Recently, I was talking with a higher education president about fundraising truisms – those claims that are obvious but are regularly worth repeating as a reminder. Here are my Top 5 Fundraising Truisms (in no particular order): If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for money. People give to people….
The 3 R’s
Success emerges from habits. Doing the right things over and over leads to sustained success in any endeavor, but especially in fundraising and leadership. In order to form effective habits, you must have balance in your life. And I’ve come to believe that balance can be achieved by following the 3 R’s. If you do…
Leading Up
One of the more regular issues I encounter in working with CEOs and advancement leaders centers on the notion of “leading up.” Everyone understands their role in “leading down,” or leading those in their care on the organizational chart. But the real work – and your ability to be successful – rests in large measure…
Lessons from Buffett
There is always something to learn from those who are the best in their fields. I just finished reading Robert Hagstrom’s, “The Essential Buffett: Timeless Principles for the New Economy.” It didn’t disappoint. I walked away with a better understanding of the thinking process of one of the best investor’s of all time and found…
The Real Value of a Campaign Feasibility Study
For most organizations, there are two questions which encourage the use of a Campaign Feasibility Study – “how much can we raise?” and “in what period of time can we expect to raise it?” However, for most non-profit organizations there are far more important and compelling reasons to choose to conduct a Campaign Feasibility Study….
Don’t Forget To Ask
I speed. I shouldn’t but I do. My work has me driving a lot and I have had the highway patrol in my rear view mirror more than I should. Yesterday was one of those days. He pulled in behind me and hit his lights. I pulled over. The officer came to the window…
The Generous, The Wealthy, and The Happy
Thomas J. Stanley, author of The Millionaire Next Door just penned another thought-provoking work entitled, Stop Acting Rich . . . and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire. In “Stop Acting Rich,” Stanley observes that wealthy Americans ($1 million in assets excluding the home) who give away at least 10% of their incomes to charity…