Saad & Shaw provides clients
with a unique brand of fundraising that combines marketing,
corporate partnerships and the best of business leadership
with fundraising fundamentals. The firm is known for
designing innovative fundraising programs that increase
revenue, strengthen partnerships and provide value to all
parties. Core services include campaign research, planning,
design and implementation. Clients include colleges and
universities, health care institutions, grass roots groups
and philanthropy organizations. Principals Mel and Pearl
Shaw are the authors of How To Solicit a Gift: Turning
Prospects into Donors. They also write a biweekly column for
The Globe Newspaper Group, republished on this site on the
News You Can Use page.
The concepts and strategies
employed by Saad & Shaw are based on the combined 50 years
experience of principals Melvin and Pearl Shaw. They are
rooted in the fundraising techniques of the Black Church and
have been combined with education, theory and experience
developed by majority institutions such as Notre Dame
University, Harvard University and Mills College. They have
been proven and refined over the years as Mr. Shaw developed
fundraising programs for six church-related private colleges
in Texas and as he developed and grew the Lou Rawls Parade
of Stars for the United Negro College Fund. Widely
recognized as the first and largest national fundraising
program targeting the African American community, the
telethon was designed to engage Black donors in supporting
the UNCF and did so most successfully. In 1991 Mr. Shaw was
recognized for his unique donor engagement and cause
marketing programs and their impact on the field of
philanthropy and higher education with the award of an
honorary doctorate by Lane College.
Pearl’s experience in the
private sector, her work with Mills College and her strong
analytic and writing skills combine with Mr. Shaw’s
experience to create a unique brand of fundraising that
combines business and marketing principles with the art and
science of fundraising. Concepts and trainings shared with
clients are presented verbally and in writing. Our goal is
to inspire, train, engage and to build capacity and
infrastructure. We believe that one way to contribute to the
longer-term capacity of an organization is to provide
written documents that can guide the organization in spite
of changes in leadership and participation that occur within
the life cycle of most campaigns.
© SAAD & SHAW
:: 510-834-4310
