Giving is Good
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…
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…
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,…
“When I buy businesses, it’s the same as investing in philanthropy. I’m looking for somebody who will get the job done and is in synch with my goals. You can have the greatest goals in the world, but if you have the wrong people running it, it isn’t going to work. On the other hand,…
Google is taking over. With an incredibly array of products – from Gmail, Google Earth, and cloud-computing Google Docs to the Google phone, Nexus One, to the new social networking offering Google Buzz, the number of ways in which Google now intersects with and impacts our lives is staggering. And to think that just a…
Have you been following the Pepsi Refresh Project? It’s the latest in a line of cause marketing strategies in which Pepsi is planning to pay out $20 million in grants of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000, and $250,000. Submit your idea online and then watch the vote totals go up. If your idea is a popular choice…
Humans collect things. We collect things of value (gold coins, vintage automobiles, rare art and books, etc.), and things that have little value (remember “pet rocks” and beanie babies?). If you’ve ever had the solemn job of cleaning out a loved one’s home after a death, you are reminded, again, that we collect things. It’s…
Many of the subscribers to my blog have attended Academic Impressions conferences. I know this because I’ve met many of you through AI events! For those unfamiliar, Academic Impressions is a professional development content company focused on higher education professionals. But, even if you serve another type of non-profit, they offer outstanding conference and webcast content…
In the social sciences, a microexpression is defined as “a brief, involuntary facial expression” shown when one is trying to conceal or repress an emotion. Microexpressions occur within 1/25th of a second and most people report not being able to identify microexpressions in themselves or others. Simply put, microexpressions are those expressions that verify our true…
Below is a recreation of a honest-to-goodness telephone call I had with an alum donor – we’ll call him Mr. Smith – some years ago: Mr. Smith: Hi Jason, I’d like to establish a named endowment. Me: Great! Tell me a bit about what you’re thinking. Mr. Smith: I’d like it to go to scholarships…