Recently, I gave a presentation to a diverse group of educational, healthcare, and non-profit executives on performance metrics for development officers. For years I have helped leaders and teams create and implement performance metrics so I know in each audience there are a small percentage who can be turned off by the topic. My sense…
Author: Jason McNeal
I provide leadership, advancement and fundraising consulting services to educational, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.
Why Some Don’t Give
What percentage of your database have never made a gift? Why haven’t they given to you? A few years ago, a report from the Economic and Social Research Council and the National Council for Voluntary Organizations, both of the United Kingdom, suggested the following reasons why people may not make a charitable gift: Denial of…
The 2 Things That Really Impact How Much Money You Can Raise
Institutions of all sizes spend lots of money to test the feasibility of conducting fundraising efforts. Reports, which are sometimes encyclopedic in size, are generated with all sorts of data attached (some helpful, some not-so-much) to help answer a simple question: How much money can we raise? But when you get right down to it,…
Donor Stewardship – The Integrative Way
Saying thank you to a leadership donor – and doing it well – is not always easy. First, you have to say it in a way that is meaningful for the donor. Second, you have to do it in a way that doesn’t break the bank! Recently, I was visiting with a donor stewardship director…
The Capacity to Convene
When working with educational and non-profit executives I encourage each to consider their capacity to convene. Specifically, how effectively can they convene individuals of influence and affluence from a variety of perspectives – business, political, religious, and/or other leaders – to advance the organization? Or to put it another way, how often will important people…
The Urban Legends of Fundraising – Part III of III
Urban legend – An urban legend, urban myth, or urban tale is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them. (Wikipedia) The final installment of the 3-part Urban Legends of Fundraising messages focuses on the faulty thinking that the broader economic environment will greatly impact your organization’s…
The Urban Legends of Fundraising – Part II of III
Urban legend – An urban legend, urban myth, or urban tale is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them. (Wikipedia) In part II of our three-part series, I am focusing on the “It’s All About The Ask” Urban Legend. Specifically, this Urban Legend purports that fundraisers…
The Urban Legends of Fundraising – Part I of III
Urban legend – An urban legend, urban myth, or urban tale is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them. (Wikipedia) This week, my aim is to debunk a few urban legends regarding fundraising. These are examples of “conventional wisdom” that, over the years, I’ve heard repeated often by otherwise…
And we wonder why college costs continue to soar
According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (and many others) the higher education system in the United States is already out of financial reach for many in our society. Taking on debilitating debt is the primary way (if not the only way) to fund college for most families. But not so…
Which leadership style will you choose?
In my work with university leaders I’ve come across 3 basic categories of leaders: The Teller – this is the leader who thinks of the plans herself and then tells those in her charge the end goal as well as the path to get there. From my experience, I would say this is about 60%…