Langley Innovations Blog

by Jim Langley Forensics is a fancy term for “investigation.” The idea of digging into the psychology behind philanthropic giving began during my tenure as Vice President at Georgetown University. I decided to poll alumni about their experiences at the school and their outlook for the future of the school. I theorized that, once I…

by Jim Langley Alumni relations are paramount to the success of any philanthropic campaign because we’ve seen a 24-year decline in the rate of annual giving to institutions across the board! We need to understand what caused this. Nothing was of greater impact than the rising cost of higher education and the debt incurred by…

When I ask presidents, deans, CEOs and others what they are looking for in their next fundraiser, many still say, “charisma.” Yet, when we listen to donors, analyze the records of successful gifts, and consult seasoned fundraising executives, they insist “curiosity” is the defining feature of the most effective fundraisers. Charisma draws attention to the…

Langley Innovations Philosophy Fundraising is a process; it is put to it’s highest and best use when it become the means of allowing a purpose-driven philanthropists to give through an institution or organization to render a significant and lasting improvement in the human condition.  The are many corridors in which organizations seek to improve the…

Had I not had bad bosses who expected me to work longer days without explaining why, I would not have learned the importance of asking staff to sacrifice more only after I had defined the greater good that we might achieve – not for my sake but on behalf of those we were called to…

My most respected colleagues and I do not consider ourselves “fundraisers.” We see ourselves as professionals who help frame agreements between institutional doers and philanthropic investors. We do this by identifying philanthropists with strong track records of investing in areas that correspond with the strengths of our institutions. We signal to each investor that we…

Professionalism cannot be imposed on us by higher ups. It can only be achieved by forging a compact with our fellow workers. Its purpose is irrefutable: to accomplish more together than we can apart. Its practicality is undeniable: the fruits of our collective labor allow each of us to take home more, to save more,…

The mistakes we make out of passion, including those in defense of our integrity, may provoke the wrath of the powerful or the ire of the insecure. They may lead to significant setbacks in our careers yet the reputations we continue to build as passionate, principled professionals will create more opportunities than even our most…