The Loss of My Philanthropic Brother
I normally create a post title quickly for my Friday slot on NonProfit Pro. This week’s title was the hardest for me to write, as I lost a dear philanthropic brother, George Mongon of Huber Heights, Ohio. He passed away suddenly on July 28, 2015. I was teaching a community relations course at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois and could not attend the funeral. I felt awful, as I really wanted to be there to pray for the family and, if possible, provide a few words about my longtime colleague.
Who was George Mongon? George was a distinguished consultant in our profession. He created G. J. Mongon and Associates in 1971. He worked with a number of extremely bright and passionate career development professionals. These individuals worked with George on and off for more than 40 years. He worked with extremely large clients and very small clients. He always treated them the same. George was a very humble and devoted man to his profession, family and community. I knew him for many years and we never had a harsh word. He was always wise and thoughtful, plus engaging to anyone lucky enough to interact with him. He focused on solutions, not problems.
I talked to many people over the last few days about him. The word impact is played over and over again. He impacted people and set an example for others to follow. He had the perfect resume to be the outstanding consultant that he was in life.
Some examples of his work experience included:
- Corporate consultant to Fortune 500 companies
- Corporate consultant to the U. S. Olympic Committee
- Corporate consultant to the University of Natal in South Africa
- Directed a $51 million campaign for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming
- Directed the Air Force Museum Foundation to new heights while raising millions to acquire a space shuttle at Wright Patterson Air Force Base
- Lecturer in management at the University of Cincinnati
- Associate professor of business administration at Thomas More College
- Successfully raised millions of dollars for hospitals, universities, churches, etc.
- Categories:
- Executive Issues
Duke Haddad, Ed.D., CFRE, is currently the divisional associate executive director of development for The Salvation Army Indiana Division. He specializes in corporate development and capital campaigns. When time allows, he serves as president of Duke Haddad and Associates LLC and as a freelance educator for various educational entities.
He has contributed more than 600 articles to NonProfit PRO since 2008.
He earned his doctorate degree from West Virginia University, with an emphasis in education administration and a dissertation on donor characteristics. He also holds a master’s degree from Marshall University, with an emphasis on public administration and a thesis on annual fund program analysis. He received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in marketing and management from West Virginia University.
Duke has received the Fundraising Executive of the Year Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter. He also has been honored with the Outstanding West Virginian Award, the Kentucky Colonel Award, and theSagamore of the Wabash Award from the governors of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana, respectively, for his many career contributions to the field of philanthropy. He has been an AFP member for more than 40 years and has held the Certified Fund Executive (CFRE) designation for more than 30 years.
This year, Duke was named to Marquis Who’s Who in America for 2026-2027 and as an International CFRE Ambassador. He also recently published the book, "Prescriptions Rx for Nonprofit Success," which features more than 30 previously published articles, including several from NonProfit PRO.
