Of Counsel

J.S. May, development director for the Portland Art Museum, is an innovative entrepreneurial fundraiser who led MG’s resource development team from 1998 to 2005.

He has extensive expertise in planning and implementing successful fundraising strategies and tactics along the entire resource development and mobilization continuum—from annual fundraising, special events and corporate sponsorships, to major gifts, capital and planned gifts. He helped MG clients—local, national and international—raise millions of dollars in cash and in-kind gifts as well as public funding.  Clients who achieved major fundraising successes included Oregon Health & Science University, Eugene Public Library Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Confluence Project and Loaves & Fishes.

Under his leadership, MG also developed and marketed the software fundraising program "Campaign Pyramid — An Essential Tool for Fundraisers."

Prior to joining MG, J.S. was the executive director of the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation at Oregon Health & Science University for six years, where he led the successful $42 million capital campaign that built a new children’s hospital. During his tenure at Doernbecher, gift revenue increased more than 600 percent. J.S. also worked six years as the director of corporate support for Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Active in the community, J.S. has served as president of the Portland Schools Foundation and as co–president of the Oregon Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)—formerly National Society of Fund Raising Executives. He has served AFP as the chair of the Oregon Philanthropy Awards, and a member of the local and international AFP conference committees. He also speaks on fundraising at conferences around the United States.

In true southern tradition, his sister began calling him by his initials before he could speak. He is an avid yogi and enjoys remodeling projects whenever his wife and two daughters allow it.

Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have hold of for a brief moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. … I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  —George Bernard Shaw