Melvin B. Shaw offers more than 40 years of experience in fund development and marketing. Formerly the vice president of marketing for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), he created and produced the Lou Rawls Telethon, raising $4 million annually in corporate sponsorships and more than $500 million in gifts to date. The telethon was designated as the largest special event in the African American community. Mel also served as the Executive Director of the Texas Association of Developing Colleges, facilitating joint programs and fundraising. There he established the East Texas Educational Opportunity Center, a federally funded program that has served more than 60,000 students since its founding.
Mel Shaw founded Saad&Shaw with Pearl Shaw in 2004. The firm’s work is rooted in his years of experience working across the country with institutions of higher education, grass roots organizations, faith communities, and civic, social and professional organizations. His tried and tested techniques form the backbone of the Saad&Shaw approach to fundraising, community engagement, and successful business operations. Mel currently serves as Vice President, Creative and Strategy.
He is nationally recognized for his work in creating and designing programs that combine marketing and fundraising and increase revenue and alumni/volunteer engagement. Mel’s strategies create involvement and opportunities for corporate partnerships. He has developed cause marketing programs for Anheuser-Busch, General Motors, American Airlines, Chrysler Black Dealers Association, McDonald’s, Essence Magazine, Disney World, and 7-Eleven.
Prior to forming Saad&Shaw Comprehensive Fund Development Services he headed his own firm, Shaw & Company, which specialized in capital campaigns, annual giving, development assessments, feasibility studies, board development, campaign designs and planning, and major donors. Mel holds a B.S. from Lane College in Tennessee; a Master’s in Business Education from the University of Memphis; and was a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Educational Management. In 1991 Mel received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Lane College in recognition of his unique donor engagement and cause marketing programs and their impact on the fields of philanthropy and higher education. He was named a Memphis Living Legend in 2012.