by Angela White

 Our JGA team of professionals has grown by one with the addition of Melanie Norton, our newest consultant.

Melanie is a talented planned giving director and fundraising professional well known to the JGA family. Over the years, she has served both at Franklin College and most recently at Depauw University.

Her keen understanding of the legal, financial and emotional dimensions of charitable giving will be immensely valuable for our clients. She provides real world insight into best practices, proven processes and procedures that can help clients generate success in their donor management programs.

I am very excited to welcome Melanie to our team and look forward to having the opportunity to introduce her to you personally over the next few months. Please find more information on Melanie’s background and experience in the announcement below.

JGA Welcomes Higher Ed Development Professional

(Indianapolis) September 8, 2011 – Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates announced today that Melanie J. Norton has joined the firm as Consultant. Norton will provide philanthropic counsel to JGA’s nonprofit clients to help them maximize their fundraising potential and position themselves for long-term success.

Prior to joining JGA, Norton was the Director of Gift Planning for DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She brings more than 12 years of experience with Planned Gift Giving committees and boards for higher education institutions.

During her work at DePauw, Norton was responsible for the oversight and administration of the $180 million gift planning program. She helped donors navigate the complex legal and financial mechanisms while matching donor giving interests with the institution’s needs to create a mutually positive and effective legacy between donors and the university.

“We are very excited to incorporate Melanie’s skill set into the JGA team,” said Angela White, Senior Consultant and CEO of JGA. “We have been familiar with her work over the years and her notable track record of success. Her proven leadership on volunteer boards and her expertise with prospect strategy and development will provide great insight and counsel for our clients.”

In addition to her four year tenure at DePauw University, she worked for seven years as the Director of Major and Planned Gifts at Franklin College, where she also began her career as Assistant Director of Admissions.

During her career, Norton also spent seven years in the banking industry serving as an Assistant Vice President at Fifth Third Bank in the divisions of Trust and Investment Advisors and Retail Banking.

Norton holds a B.A in Business with a concentration in management from Franklin College. She also holds an M.B.A from the Kelley School of Business. She was recently elected to serve on the national board for the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP). She is past President and board member of the Planned Giving Group of Indiana and also served on the board of Independent College Advancement Associates.

About JGA

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

by Dan Schipp

Not long ago I had the opportunity to attend an organization’s annual gathering for members of its planned giving society. 

It was an impressive event, not because of great fanfare or an extraordinary venue, but because of the generous hospitality extended to the guests and the messages conveyed to them:  we’re glad you’re here, we care about you, you are helping us accomplish great things, and we thank you for building the endowments that help sustain our programs and outreach.

This organization got a lot of things right with this event. First and foremost, the hospitality was superb.  

• A staff member greeted arriving guests in the parking lot and directed them to the reception area. 
• Golf carts transported those who needed assistance. 
• Name tags (with sufficiently large print!) were provided to all guests and staff.
• Overnight lodging was arranged for those who had traveled a distance. 

In addition to making all guests feel genuinely welcomed and appreciated, the organization impressively carried out several other aspects of this “thank you” event for members of its planned giving society. 

• New members of the society were introduced. 
• Members of the society who had passed away in the past year were remembered.
• The president of the organization, not only extended his gratitude to the members for their support, but inspired them with his remarks about the lives impacted and the exciting opportunities made possible by their generosity. 
• A print annual report, listing members, summarizing the different programs and activities funded by endowments, and offering a brief recap of the endowment’s growth and performance during the past year, was distributed to guests. 

One last highlight of this well-planned and executed event was the featured speaker at the after dinner program — a recent alumnus of the school.  He acknowledged that as a student he did not realize how endowed funds were influencing his education and he gave personal and concrete witness to the impact of endowment-building through planned giving.

• Endowed scholarships not only directly assisted him, but they also promoted greater diversity within the student body. 
• Endowed faculty development funds helped the school retain a top-notch faculty.
• Lectures presented by outstanding speakers were made possible by endowments, as were study abroad opportunities. 
• Even today the alumnus benefits from planned gifts to his alma mater by way of a continuing education program in which he is currently participating and for which the school is building a sustaining endowment. 

Yes, this organization offered its planned giving donors a memorable evening because it did several things right. 

• It executed a well-conceived plan. 
• It attended to the details of hospitality. 
• It enabled donors to hear and see in a very personal way how their planned gifts were assisting others.

I hope you can find ways to incorporate some of these key elements of hospitality into your own donor recognition events.

by Ted Grossnickle

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.