. . . give to the annual fund. . . . care about giving levels or giving societies. . . . attend events. . . . respond to phone calls. . . . agree to face-to-face visits. It may, indeed, be true that, “our donors don’t,” do this or that. The data may support our…
Category: Branding
On Being a Fanatic
The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team played yesterday in the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament – otherwise known as “March Madness.” This means that out of 351 Division 1 men’s basketball programs, there are only eight teams left playing basketball. And one will become the national champion. In the…
Mission, Vision, and Values
The words of our mission statement are less important than how consistently we use our mission to make budgetary decisions. The directions described in our vision statement are less important than how enthusiastically we use our vision to invite donors to give. The specific virtues expressed in our values statement are less important than how…
The Un-Asked Question About Campaign Readiness Studies
Our firm regularly helps institutions prepare for major, multi-year fundraising campaigns. One of the most requested services we provide is what we call our Campaign Readiness Study. These studies are comprehensive, thorough, and typically include anywhere from 50-75 confidential interviews with the client’s most capable and engaged donors. In addition, we review all kinds of…
“You Should Run Your Business More Like a Nonprofit!”
It is fairly common to have smart, engaged volunteer Board members complain that our institutions should be “run more like a business!” You may have even heard colleagues and administrative leaders at your institution sharing similar sentiments. Perhaps that sentiment has merit. But, the reverse is also worth exploring. What if a business was “run…
Becoming More Human
Like you, I sometimes wonder how A.I., and other technologies generally will impact our world, work, relationships, and lives in 25 or 50 years from now. What will the future be like? I don’t have a crystal ball. I’m no technology futurist like Ray Kurzweil. But I do wonder if a big, important part of…
Loving The Idea
Loving the idea we are implementing is important. Without our enthusiasm, the donor may not stretch his giving nearly as much. Without our energy, phonathon callers won’t be nearly as productive. Without our creative initiative, the special event won’t be nearly as captivating. But we should love our ideas only up to a point. And…
The Nineteen Hundreds
As teenager coming of age in the late 1980s, my music of choice was the burgeoning rap sound coming out of New York and later, California. The soundtrack to those formative years of my life were filled with Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim, MC Lyte, EPMD, L.L. Cool J, Run-DMC, Special Ed, 3rd…
What’s A Campaign For?
A major, multi-year fundraising campaign’s primary purpose is not to raise more money. It’s not even to build the building. Or grow the endowment. Or, add the new program or equipment. A campaign’s primary purpose is to strengthen the perception among all involved with our institution that charitable giving is a robust, healthy, and needed…
*Free* Subscription Drive
2024 marks the 15th year of Jason’s Blog. I’m beyond grateful for the thousands of readers and subscribers who have been on this journey with me and appreciate the kind words, additional good thoughts, (as well as spelling and grammatical catches!) so many have shared with me over the years. This blog is for each…