Carla Willis informed me of John's passing. We were both attending a conference together in Baltimore.
John did a year long workship for the UNC system focusing on Major and Planned Gifs... 2006-2007. John provided with the skill set and the foundation to be a successful major gifts and planned giving professional. Because of his training, and ability to mentor, encourage, and to "see the glass half full", I am able to pass that along to so many others in the profession.
I was shocked and extremely saddened to learn of John's death last month. It has taken me a month to have the composure to write this note. I had the honor and priviledge of working as a Senior Consultant for John Brown Limited for about 4 years. I learned more in that 4 year period than in my entire 20+ year career in development. I cherish the time I spent with John on our travels to see and advise clients, and so appreciate all that I learned from these experiences. John Brown had a tremen ... (read more)
I am shocked to hear this news and my sincere sympathy go to his family. John was a neighbor & client for many years - he was one of the hardest working and caring people I have ever known. John used to spend hours working from his beautiful office in the back of his barn - then at 1 in the morning be out in his back field on his tractor by headlight!!! ... probably solving the worlds problems. Love to Jen & Julie.
Sandy Bean
Susan
I am extremely late in sending you this message. Just wanted to express my personal thoughts for John.
My first memory of John was in a national training session and was struck by his ability to answer a micro question with macro perspective. While there was no detail he did not answer he never failed to paint the bigger picture. It that ability along with his ability to speak so plainly on very complicated topics that got me hooked on listening to him pr ... (read more)
Susan,
I was so shocked and saddened to read your email, you have my deepest sympathies. I attended John's seminars in the summer of 2000 and consider it one of the major turning points in my career. The smartest thing I ever did was make sure I sat next to John at every meal during my week there. I tried to absorb everything I could from him and he was more than willing to share and help.
I still list my participation in those sessions on my resume and always recommended them i ... (read more)
Hi Susan and the rest of the JBL team. I thought you might appreciate seeing the tribute that PGGNE paid to John upon his passing this summer. If you go to our website - www.pggne.org - we have a link to our tribute to John right on the homepage.
John was so important to the growth and development of PGGNE. We are truly honored to have been a part of his life. He will certainly be missed - he was one of a kind.
I'm so glad to see that JBL will continue. Best of lu ... (read more)
I am so sad to receive this news. Just today I said to my staff that I wished I had his counsel on a particular issue. What a loss to the philanthropy community. As a mentor and coach he was unparalleled. He was undoubtedly the foremost expert on planned giving and fundraising that I had the privilege of knowing. It was an honor to work with him. Whenever I need advice I often imagine what I think he would say and then try to live up to that guidance. Please accept my most sincere condolences.
We are so sorry to hear this news. John was and remains an inspiration for me personally and throughout my career. I attended many of his workshops in my early years at the New Hampshire Association for the Blind and proudly display my certificate for completing his advanced planned giving course in 1989! I was also part of a small group of six development officers selected to participate in a five-day experimental workshop where John wanted to explore the concept of presenting an intensive ... (read more)
This is such a sad and tragic story.....and a complete shock to me...I had met and been to a few of John's Programs over the last ten years and found him to be the consummate professional and all knowing in our field..I learned so much from him....his examples, his experiences, others in the room..it was all most stimulating and rewarding---probably the best seminars I have attended in 35 years.
Please accept my sympathy at your great personal as well as professional loss...I am ... (read more)
I was saddened to learn of John's death. Our paths first crossed about 25 years ago when a development group I helped start sponsored a 'John Brown' talk at a local resort. Over the years I attended various seminars and even cotaught with a JBl rep. at an NAIS conference. We went into the next generation when my daughter attended the basics seminar three years ago. When I am not consulting myself, I'm doing the work...this year as an interim head in MI. Best wishes to all.
When I met John nearly 30 years ago he was wearing two watches. He explained that one was current EST and the other was Australian time. He was consulting with the Australian government about their charitable tax laws at the time and wanted to make certain that his calls there were timely, and not in the middle of the night. As we got to know each other over the years we always joked about the two watches. Over those years I was inspired to get to know gift planning and good major gift fundraisi ... (read more)
Like many fund raisers I met John when I first attended a summer seminar in Cambridge. I was very fortunate when my employer the House Ear Institute hired John to be our consultant in 1985. John became my mentor and invited me to speak about marketing PG on several occasions at the summer seminar. Actually what I learned about marketing I learned from John, and it all worked.
He encouraged me when I made my move to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and continued to be my mentor. Joh ... (read more)
JBL provided the first professional training seminar I attended once entering the world of higher education development. John's vision and viewpoint about major gifts and planned gifts set me on the course I enjoy tremendously today. To this day, I still believe that was the one seminar where I truly gained more from the presenters than I did from the colleagues in the room. To Susan and everyone else at JBL, John will be missed and my thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you remember ... (read more)
