Yours, Mine, and Ours

PRAISE FOR Yours, Mine & Ours: Creating a Compelling Donor Experience

"Using the principles penned in this book, Barry McLeish has helped our nonprofit grow its customer base 400% with plans to double it yet again approved by our board. The creation of a compelling donor experience has increased gifts 1,000%."
--Ron Ward
Executive Director
Camp Berea


"Nonprofits face constant pressure from a public scrutinizing our every move, demanding more service for less cost. Into this perfect storm, Barry McLeish has cast a lifeline. He has given us the power to discern snake oil from salve and to craft custom strategies for our unique organizations. Those who survive the future shakeout and fragmentation of our industry will owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the likes of Barry McLeish and his tribe."
--Tony Lee
Associate Director of Development
Habitat for Humanity


"Becoming more donor-centric is not a choice--it's a strategic imperative. This timely book from a seasoned and very savvy practitioner sounds an urgently needed wake-up alarm for nonprofits that have yet to align their work with the hearts and minds of their donors. If you're an executive or board member of a nonprofit, after reading this book don't even dream of hitting the snooze button. In today's environment, it could well be your organization's last nap."
--Larry F. Johnston, PhD
President
McConkey, Johnston International

"Keeping up with the sea change in the business of philanthropy has become a full-time job for fundraisers and for managers of nonprofits. McLeish's book explores the expanded expectations of twenty-first-century donors and offers a road map to guide development professionals in building meaningful relationships that will insure years of engaged support. This book goes beyond conventional concepts of branding and marketing into the creation of authentic partnerships between donors and organizations."
--Linda G. Steckley
Vice President for Development and Executive Education
The Brookings Institution


"The words of Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the biochemist, summarize Barry's latest thoughts: 'Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.' The reader who captures Barry's insights and personally adapts and applies them will benefit greatly."
--Larry Fuhrer, Founder/President
Presidential Services Ltd.

Preface viii

Introduction xiii

Acknowledgments xxvii

CHAPTER 1 Redefining Boundaries 1

CHAPTER 2 The Need for a New Mind-Set 25

CHAPTER 3 The Tip of the Iceberg 49

CHAPTER 4 Doing What Matters for Customers, Donors, and Volunteers 75

CHAPTER 5 The Mind of the Nonprofit Strategist 97

CHAPTER 6 Five Critical Issues: First, Know Where You Are Going; Second, Know How You Are Going to Get There 117

CHAPTER 7 Integration and Communication: Issues Three and Four Continued 143

CHAPTER 8 The Fifth Issue: Creating the Cultural Tapestry 167

Afterword 191

Index 193

"This is a most fascinating and fast-paced read. More than this, it is eye-opening and definitely "of the moment". Mr. McLeish's book should serve as a compass for nonprofits sailing into a new era of undulating philanthropic currents.." (Estate Planning, 2/08) Barry McLeish (Deerfield, WI) is currently serving as the International Vice President to the McConkey/Johnston Group, a fundraising and marketing management consulting firm specializing in nonprofit organizations and associations. Before joining McConkey/Johnston, McLeish was the Director of Development for a $22 million dollar nonprofit organization and served as project director for the organization's $30 million dollar capital campaign. McLeish is a frequent and popular seminar leader, having spoken at numerous conventions in the US and Canada on fundraising, marketing, and market planning for nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including large marketing seminars for Merrill Lynch and the American Association of Manufacturers. He is the author of three books: The Personal Support Raising Handbook (Intervarsity Press), The Donor Bond (Taft Publishers), and Successful Marketing Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations (Wiley).

Yours, Mine & Ours

Creating a Compelling Donor Experience

Thousands of men and women around the world have taken part in worldwide collective shows of support for those who have fallen in the aftermaths of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Asian tsunami, and, most recently, following the New Orleans and Mississippi flooding disasters. Donors enjoy a sense of satisfaction at contributing to solve an immediate social need, but apart from donations given during devastating tragedies, how can you give your nonprofit's donors and contributors a reason to consistently involve themselves in your organization's philanthropic world?

Written by nonprofit marketing guru Barry McLeish, Yours, Mine, and Ours provocatively challenges nonprofit managers' assumptions about what successful nonprofit management looks like in light of new donor strategies. Filled with revealing case studies that highlight examples of current nonprofit practices, this maverick book shows you how to:

• Harness the capabilities the Internet offers and face the numerous issues and opportunities it presents

• Design a compelling donor experience that leads to increased giving through stakeholder collaboration, shared values, and new knowledge creation

• Achieve both immediate and long-term goals in today's competitive fundraising climate

• Promote and expertly present your nonprofit as effectively as do more "glamorous" causes

With donors, customers, and volunteers wanting to exercise their influence in every part of the nonprofit transaction, Yours, Mine, and Ours equips your nonprofit to transform itself into an organization with which every donor wants to be a part.

PRAISE FOR Yours, Mine & Ours: Creating a Compelling Donor Experience

"Using the principles penned in this book, Barry McLeish has helped our nonprofit grow its customer base 400% with plans to double it yet again approved by our board. The creation of a compelling donor experience has increased gifts 1,000%."
—Ron Ward
Executive Director
Camp Berea

"Nonprofits face constant pressure from a public scrutinizing our every move, demanding more service for less cost. Into this perfect storm, Barry McLeish has cast a lifeline. He has given us the power to discern snake oil from salve and to craft custom strategies for our unique organizations. Those who survive the future shakeout and fragmentation of our industry will owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the likes of Barry McLeish and his tribe."
—Tony Lee
Associate Director of Development
Habitat for Humanity

"Becoming more donor-centric is not a choice—it's a strategic imperative. This timely book from a seasoned and very savvy practitioner sounds an urgently needed wake-up alarm for nonprofits that have yet to align their work with the hearts and minds of their donors. If you're an executive or board member of a nonprofit, after reading this book don't even dream of hitting the snooze button. In today's environment, it could well be your organization's last nap."
—Larry F. Johnston, PhD
President
McConkey, Johnston International

"Keeping up with the sea change in the business of philanthropy has become a full-time job for fundraisers and for managers of nonprofits. McLeish's book explores the expanded expectations of twenty-first-century donors and offers a road map to guide development professionals in building meaningful relationships that will insure years of engaged support. This book goes beyond conventional concepts of branding and marketing into the creation of authentic partnerships between donors and organizations."
—Linda G. Steckley
Vice President for Development and Executive Education
The Brookings Institution

"The words of Albert Szent-Györgyi, the biochemist, summarize Barry's latest thoughts: 'Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.' The reader who captures Barry's insights and personally adapts and applies them will benefit greatly."
—Larry Fuhrer, Founder/President
Presidential Services Ltd.