 December 1999 |
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Jim Johnson, Director of Leadership Gifts, Office of University DevelopmentFor the first time, George Mason has a staff for cultivating and processing large gifts. Once the sole responsibility of one person, or part of the job descriptions of a few people, this function now is led by Jim Johnson, who is assisted by three leadership gift officers--Una Murphy, Shernita Rochelle, and Mary-Earle Farrell. Leadership gifts are generally considered those of at least $50,000, but Jim defines them in terms of their planned aspect. "Large gifts always have financial planning considerations. Much discussion and planning need to take place with the donors to explore how their gifts affect their other investment strategies, and how their gifts can make the most impact here at the university," he says. "So we discuss with them their interests and values, and hope to find a good fit for their philanthropic activities." To help with the processing of planned gifts and stewardship of donors, Johnson intends to hire a planned giving coordinator. Johnson comes to George Mason from the northeast region office of Ohio State University, where he was director of major gifts. He also worked in development positions at Case Western Reserve University and at Loyola College in Maryland. "I knew after my first year of law school that I wanted to go into higher education administration," Johnson says. "I have a real passion for higher education and the structure that supports it." He accepted the position at George Mason because it is "a fascinating university--it has a youthful willingness to experiment. It's not set in one mold."
Leadership giving by definition means that relationships with donors must be built--sometimes very slowly, sometimes even over a lifetime. But in Northern Virginia, abundant opportunities for cultivating such relationships exist. "Almost everyone in this area has been touched by George Mason, because the university and the region grew up together," Johnson says. "For a university so young, we have a lot of stellar and diamond-in-the-rough programs. We want to make people aware of all that's special here."
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