As we conclude 2011 and begin the New Year, we have much for which to be thankful.  

At JGA, we are thankful for the privilege to work with our clients to make the world a better place via philanthropy.

In 2011, we have celebrated the transformational gifts like the new Eskenazi Health made possible by the generosity of Lois and Sidney Eskenazi and  the grand opening of the new Indiana Landmarks Center, the former Central Avenue Methodist Church, led by the philanthropy of the Cook Family of Bloomington, Indiana.

We have celebrated assisting the retired Sisters of Providence via the renovation of Providence Hall and the Realtor Foundation Celebrating a Living Legacy campaign to assist the homeless. We have celebrated the creation of a new Hospice House at IU Health Bloomington (link to webpage and the opening gala at the new home for the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

We have celebrated campaign announcements at Lenoir-Rhyne University and the Indianapolis Zoological Society and look forward to the impact that these campaigns will have on our world through education and conservation.

All of this generosity makes us happy and proud of the work that we do and energizes us for another exciting year in philanthropy.

All of us at JGA wish you a 2012 to celebrate!

The recent announcement of a $23.7 million gift by Lilly Endowment to Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis for the purchase of a building which will be renovated into new facilities to house Workforce Development operations bucks the trend of what would seem to be a declining interest among funders in investing in facilities.

Recent experience with comprehensive capital campaigns with three of our clients revealed that funding for new programs and endowment proved far more attractive to donor prospects than did science buildings, student unions and performing arts buildings. 

It wasn’t that many years ago that many fundraising professionals touted the adage that building money was easy to raise, but endowment funding was much more difficult. 

The 2008 CASE Campaign Report provides statistical results that showed a 27  percent decline in donor interest to fund facilities and a 19 percent increase in their desire to fund programs and endowment from 2006 to 2008.

What’s behind these trends? 

Clearly sophisticated donors are gaining an appreciation for the importance and value of endowments.  And, funding to support the introduction of new programs that deal directly with emerging issues and challenges can certainly peak donor interest.

But, it’s less clear why donor interest appears to be leaning away from facilities.  The anecdotal evidence is there, the study evidence is there, but evidence of why this is happening is less clear.

What’s been your experience with funding major facilities?  What works?  What’s not working as well today and what trends do you see?

JGA is very happy to announce the addition of Andy Canada to our team. 

After thoughtfully considering for some time the need to enhance our team and increase our staff capacity – with someone who could live up to JGA’s highest standards of customer service and professionalism – we identified Andy as the newest member of our team. 

Andy has honed a strong reputation as a professional and talented development officer while working with two major Indiana universities and distinguished himself as a strategist with the ability to achieve results.

I look forward to having the opportunity to introduce Andy to you personally once he joins us officially on September 27^th.  In the meantime, please see the announcement below for more information on his background.

Higher Education Development Professional Joins JGA

INDIANAPOLIS (September 9, 2010) — Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates, Inc. (JGA) is pleased to announce that Andy Canada will join the firm as a consultant on September 27, 2010.

Canada brings to JGA significant development experience focused in large public higher education institutions. For the past four years, Canada has served as Development Director for the Indiana University Foundation where he was lead Development Director for the School of Health Physical Education and Recreation (HPER).

Prior to joining the Indiana University Foundation, Canada distinguished himself within the development team at Purdue University, serving as Director of Development for the Krannert School of Management. Canada also worked in Purdue’s Planned Giving area, leading key initiatives to increase donor gifts through estate planning vehicles. By educating donors on planned giving opportunities, Canada helped to raise $26.5 million in new documented gifts for the university.

Canada will provide JGA clients with a new perspective and a solid background in annual fund, planned giving and major gift work.

“Several months ago, JGA began a quiet and thoughtful process to expand our team by identifying a fellow professional who could embody JGA’s commitment to delivering excellent client service with a focus on providing authentic and strategic counsel to our clients,” said Ted Grossnickle, Chairman and CEO of JGA.  “Andy fills the bill in every way. He is a bright young talent who has already distinguished himself in the development field and we are very excited to welcome him to our team.”

 Canada is a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. 

Founded in 1994, Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates provides authentic and strategic philanthropic consulting services to private colleges, seminaries, independents schools and large cultural and community organizations in the central United States. 

“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”?

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

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

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.

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

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.