by Dan Schipp

“Measure twice, cut once.”  That phrase seemed to be Ted Grossnickle’s mantra during the years he served as counsel for a $40 million campaign at Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary when I was vice president for development there.  In fact, if I had collected a dollar from him every time I heard that admonition, I would have accumulated the lead gift for our campaign!

Ted was (and still is) a stickler for good, solid planning.  Under his and Angela White’s guidance, Saint Meinrad spent more than a year putting together a detailed plan for our campaign, including a case for support, five-year financial model, timetable, campaign structure, volunteer role descriptions, communications plan, budget, financing policy, gift table, gift acceptance  and recognition policies, and criteria for judging the success of the campaign.  We involved volunteers, Saint Meinrad leadership, and development staff in this extensive planning process.

At the end of our successful campaign, we conducted a formal evaluation of it.  We sought to learn what we did well and what we could have done better. 

Our volunteers told us that our in-depth planning was key to building their confidence in Saint Meinrad and in their ability to succeed in the campaign.  They said it was an aid to them when we encountered some rough spots in the campaign – 9/11 (just two months after launching the campaign), the drastic downturn in the economy, the sex scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, and the suicide of one of the Seminary’s top administrators.  The volunteers said our planning gave them something to fall back on during these tough times.  It steadied them.  It reassured them.

Although our pre-campaign planning involved a considerable investment of time and resources, it certainly paid dividends for us.  Planning well and executing the plan enabled us to achieve a level of philanthropic investment that more than a few people considered unlikely prior to the campaign.

As you go about preparations for your campaign, are you “measuring twice and cutting once”?

by Kris Kindelsperger

by Angela E. White

Let me know what you think by posting your responses in the JGA comments section below.

Check out JGA Senior Consultant and Chief Operating Officer, Angela White, on the most recent edition of Inside Indiana Business with Gerry Dick.  Angela discussed the results of the Millennial Donor Study conducted by JGA and Achieve.  The segment can be found on the Inside INdiana Business website.

For more information on the Millennial Donor Study, visit MillennialDonors.com.

by Kris Kindelsperger

Young Donors a “Lost Cause?”  Think Again.

Organizations that seek support from young donors have been tracking a disturbing trend for several years.  The participation rates of young donors are low and in many instances falling, in comparison to historical trends.  Unlike their predecessors, young donors are not following a pattern of gradual but steady growth in participation which traditionally came with maturity.

While the trends are clear, few organizations have been able to identify why this is happening. We’ve inferred that student indebtedness, generational attitudes towards “institutions,” technology, and other factors may play a role.  But might the real problem be the way in which organizations are engaging young donors?

Here at JGA we have partnered with Achieve in a three month long study to survey donors between the ages of 22 and 40 about their philanthropic giving.  The results will be published in April, but early results point to some fascinating responses.  Young donors don’t appear especially interested in making undesignated gifts to the annual fund, they want to know specifics about how their gifts will be used, and they want to see proof that their giving is having an impact.  They also have some surprising attitudes about how the ways in which they wish to be communicated with.

Could it be that the problem with young donor participation isn’t with the philanthropic inclination this age group, but with the failure of organizations to adapt their cultivation and solicitation methods?

Stay tuned for the full survey results which will be made available in April.  Please submit your contact information here to receive the results as soon as they are released.  Until then, feel free to share your thoughts on the findings so far, by posting in the JGA comments section below.

Be sure to check out Dan’s “My Big Break” article which appeared in the Indianapolis Star on Super Bowl Sunday.  In the article, Dan reflects on his journey through a career in philanthropy, and shares his inspiration for re-thinking “fundraising”.

Give Dan your thoughts on his article by posting in the JGA comments section below, or share your feedback on the Indianapolis Star website.

As non-profits anxiously look ahead to a new year, JGA’s Kris Kindelsperger and Angela White provide their thoughts on giving in 2009 and what they expect for 2010 in their article, “It’s Been a Tough Year for Fundraising.”

Angela has also been invited to speak on the topic at the January 13, 2010, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) luncheon in Lafayette, Ind. To learn more, or to register to attend, please see the Indiana Chapter of AFP’s website.

If you are unable to attend and would like more on the outlook for giving in 2010 as well as some steps non-profits can consider taking to ensure greater success in the new years, be sure to visit the recent Inside INdiana Business segment featuring JGA’s Ted Grossnickle. The segment can be found on the Inside INdiana Business website.

Let JGA know how your non-profit fared in 2009 or what your own predictions are for philanthropy in 2010 by submitting your thoughts in the comments section below.

by Ernie Vargo

It is getting to that time of the year when we are all a bit overwhelmed with the Holiday Season. The commercials have started. Have you done your shopping? What about the parties you need to attend? How about signing all of those cards? This is common in my house and I would guess most others.

During the Holiday Season, it is easy to forgot about why celebrate. We all have the best intentions, but it is all encompassing in our lives.

The best present I ever had was helping a less fortunate family for an evening. It wasn’t much and I was supposedly helping a mom and her children have a normal life for the evening at our church. However, it was me who received so much joy from this family. They taught me that not all homeless people are the folks we see on street corners. The mom was smart, articulate with great kids. She had a run of bad luck and all of a sudden she was homeless. This provided me and my family all whole new perspective.

This season take a breath. Consider doing something to help someone else. Who knows? This may be your best Holiday ever.

Happy Holidays!

by Angela White

On Thursday, August 13, JGA had a new computer server installed by Port-to-Port Consulting. As you can imagine, this meant that we would have a disruption in our email service (as well as all other network services) for an estimated 24 hour period.

Even though we had ample advanced notice, there were some frightening moments leading up to our forced email sabbatical. How would we communicate with clients? What if we couldn’t view our electronic calendars? You get the idea. Well, I assumed that I would be one of the most nervous about this situation (you’ll recall my prior blog about my email addiction). Just the opposite occurred – I was actually excited about a day free of the constant checking of email and glancing at my iPhone at stoplights!

I wasn’t excited because of lessened client contact (all I had to do was pick up the phone and call my clients), but rather I was excited to have permission not to be tied to my email. Much to my dismay, our email was back up on working by 1:30 p.m., thanks to the good work of our tech providers at Port-to-Port. However, this email-free day did cause one of my colleagues to wonder if we should have a self-imposed monthly email-free day. Not a bad idea – a day free of checking email and more attention to the face-to-face contact and telephone discussions.

Have any of you tried this? Do you think it’s worth trying? Send me an email and let me know!