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Feb
23
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Before You Go…
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Dec
02
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JessicaBefore she became ill, I used to see Jessica every Sunday night when her parents came to play in the little mixed-couples pickup basketball league at the parish gym. At that time — and this was twenty years ago — Jessica was about one year old. Cute kid. An only child who was barely talking yet.
During the games when I was on the sidelines, I’d try to say hello to her and make friends. Usually, a child will come over and get acquainted with me sooner or later, but not Jessica. No matter what I tried, she wasn’t having any part of it. She kept her distance. For some reason, I frightened her.
Later that year, Jessica became ill. The doctors said she had neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that most commonly affects children under the age of five, usually detected only after it has started to spread. So even before she was age two, Jessica knew what it was to lose her hair to chemotherapy.
The illness brought our whole parish together to find ways to help Jessica and her family. It was no surprise that one major area where help was needed was money. Jessica’s parents were not well-to-do people — just good people.
Many Voices
So with the parents’ permission I began organizing fundraising events. One was a multi-choir concert featuring singers from four multi-denominational local churches. It seemed a life-affirming way for the community to contribute. Ticket proceeds would help to pay the $5,000 deductible on the little girl’s health insurance.
One day I met Jessica and her parents at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh — where the little girl was receiving an emergency transfusion — to finalize some important concert details. Jessica’s dad invited me to stick around until his wife and Jessica returned. Knowing the effect I had on the child, I was hesitant to stay, but ultimately
I did.
Soon, Jessica’s mom turned the corner pulling one of those portable IV drip trolleys. Jessica was in her arms connected to an IV tube. When Jessica saw me she immediately hid her face against her mom. We all chuckled, and I thought, “Some things never change. What is it about me that frightens her?”
Jessica’s Gift
But the next thing I knew, Jessica turned back, stared at me for what seemed like minutes, then reached out her little arms like she wanted to give me a hug! After I cautiously approached, she put her arms around my neck and just squeezed. One-and-a-half-year-old Jessica was giving me the biggest hug she could. Words can’t describe how I felt at that moment.
Then her parents explained.
“Do you know why Jessica hugged you, Jack? It’s because you’re bald. Jessica thinks you have cancer, too. And she’s trying to comfort you.”
Jessica passed away a few months later. If she had lived, she’d be celebrating her 20th birthday in 2012. Fortunately, her parents were later blessed with another daughter and a son — all healthy.
I share this story because Jessica’s compassion changed my life. I began by trying to generate a gift for her, and in the end her gift to me was greater — a lesson on how suffering can help people put aside their fears to serve one another. She enabled me to realize that there is no greater gift than the gift of compassion.
When I was recently ordained a deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, I incorporated Jessica’s story into my first homily. I continue to share it today with others as I have with you.
Despite Jessica’s short lifespan, she lives on through her kindness and compassion.
That’s what I call leaving a legacy.By Jack Miller, CFRE
By Jack Miller, CFRE Before she became ill, I used to see Jessica every Sunday night when her parents came to play in the little mixed-couples pickup basketball league at the parish gym. At that time — and this was twenty years ago — Jessica was about one year old. Cute kid. An only child who was barely talking yet. During the games when I was on the sidelines, I’d try to say hello to her and make friends. Usually, a child will come over and get acquainted with me sooner or later, but not Jessica. No matter what I tried, she wasn’t having any part of it. She kept her distance. For some reason, I frightened her. 
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Apr
26
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Making Mid-Level Prospects into Major Givers
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Mar
06
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Ever Heard a Kamikaze Success Story?I don’t think so. If you think “having no limits” is part of your job description, think again. Everybody has limits. Even fundraisers.
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Jan
24
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Philanthropy Is Where He LivesBruce L. Blumer of the Dakotas United Methodist Foundation shared this story with us: A donor invited me to visit with him to discuss his estate, so we set up a time to meet at his farm. I drove up to the nice two-story home and knocked on the door. A lady answered, and when I asked for the donor, she said he lived next door – in a trailer.
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Jan
02
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Marketing Gift Annuities After The Rate Reductionby Brian Sagrestano With the November announcement that the American Council on Gift Annuities recommended gift annuity rates would be reduced effective January 1, there was a healthy debate in the charitable community about whether to advertise this change to prospects. With the change behind us, it is a good time to reaffirm that our planned gift marketing should be focused on:
This donor-centric approach ensures that our appeals will produce qualified leads, regardless of gift annuity rates.
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Dec
13
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Gone Without Trace:
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Nov
20
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Suggested payment rates for charitable gift annuities will decline effective January 1, 2012Suggested payment rates for charitable gift annuities will decline effective January 1, 2012. Many fundraisers are viewing the drop as a marketing opportunity – a chance to prod their prospects into locking in current higher rates by making a gift now. If you’ve been trying to get this message out to your prospects but haven’t had the time to compose and produce it on your own, we invite you to download one of our sample letters (download at the end of this post). There’s no charge and there’s no catch: We’re committed to making your job more easy.
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Nov
04
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“Monkey See, Monkey Do” Fundraising:E-Marketing Is Not the Answerby Viken Mikaelian If you really think you can run a planned giving program on autopilot with outsourced help that supplies electronic tools online such as tax reference libraries for prospects and financial advisors, articles on gift laws, automated email blasts, complicated calculators, etc., this article is for you. One of the scariest things I see is that many fundraisers are entirely, foolishly depending on this stuff (which no one reads) and on the Internet for marketing, and worse, simultaneously abandoning direct mail and other print media for outreach to new donors and prospects. It is terrifyingly stupid, ugly, lazy, and cheap.
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Nov
04
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You’re Late for the New ParadigmBy John Foster Not so long ago, fundraising reflected the sunny optimism of the overall economy. Our donors had secure, well-paying jobs; the value of their McMansions and vacation condos was projected to follow an endless upward arc; and when they opened their retirement-plan statements, the ending balance was always gratifyingly larger than the previous month’s. What a difference a few years and some economic “uncertainty” make. Read more »
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