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In Service:
The Column of the ADRP President
Kathleen Diemer, CFRE
Executive Director of Donor Relations and Advancement Communications
George Mason University
In the last 12 months, I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about naming opportunities. The university where I work is fairly young, 45 years old to be exact. This means our fundraising efforts are even younger. When I arrived at the university almost four years ago we had one philanthropically named school and one philanthropically named building to go along with it. Then, last spring, in the span of five weeks we named two other schools at our institution in recognition of very generous philanthropy. But if you walk around any of our campus spaces, you won't find many named rooms or facilities - a point that is often noted by our leadership and many of our key volunteers.
My incredibly talented team of donor relations and communications professionals recently spent a good amount of time compiling and cataloguing all of the spaces and facilities that are available for naming at our university. It was a daunting task and resulted in a seemingly endless list of possibilities. In addition to my team's work on that project, I serve on two different committees related to both philanthropic and honorific naming opportunities at our university. So yes, naming opportunities are often on my mind.
In the course of our daily tasks and responsibilities it is often easy to forget the true reason why we place names on items at our organizations. Today I encountered an excellent reminder.
At the risk of getting too personal, I had to go for my annual mammography screening today. Regardless of your personal health history and background, going for any type of medical screening can always be a stressful and anxiety-inducing activity. Year after year, I make an annual visit to the same radiology center and have been fortunate to leave with a clean bill of health.
Today I noticed that the radiology center had been renovated. As I sat in the waiting room, I admired the new furniture, art and paint color on the walls. But what I admired most during my visit was an incredibly simple naming gesture.
Upon being taken to the screening area to change into a medical gown, I was instructed to leave my belongings in a locker. As I approached the lockers, I noted that each was named. No, not named for an incredibly generous donor. Each locker was instead named for a strong and courageous woman. Some had fought and battled breast cancer and some fought different battles. I honestly had a difficult time deciding if I wanted to store my belongings in a locker named for Helen Keller, or Rosa Parks, or Harriet Tubman or Betty Ford (to name just a few)!
Somehow, just seeing those names gave me a sense of courage and peace going into the screening procedure. The names of those brave individuals reminded me that naming opportunities are truly meant to inspire and tell a story for future generations. Next time I am sitting in a meeting debating recognition levels, plaques or signage, I will think about those lockers and remember that it's not about the details. Naming opportunities are truly about the stories of those being honored - and the lessons and inspiration those stories can provide for others.
As I walked out of the radiology center, I stopped and told the staff how much I appreciated seeing those names on the lockers. Sometimes it is easy to forget that a name can mean so much!
With gratitude,
Kathleen Diemer
[email protected]
President
Stewardship: Everyone's Doing It
Ashleigh Manktelow
Senior Advisor, Volunteer Summit
McGill University
I recently had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion at a regional CASE event in Montréal. The title was "new challenges and opportunities in donor relations", which essentially meant that the conversation could go in a number of different directions.
I must confess that I was worried that nobody would sign up for my session as, in looking over the registration list, I saw that I appeared to be the only donor relations professional in attendance. There were also several other great talks happening at the same time. I had visions of sneaking out of the room quietly before anyone noticed how horribly unpopular I was. It turns out, I needn't have worried.
Around the table were three communications professionals, someone from a private college with a brand new foundation, another from a small not-for-profit, an alumni relations professional and a decentralized fundraiser from a large organization. How amazing is it that all of these people from varied backgrounds and with primary responsibilities outside of the field were interested in talking about stewardship!
[Read More]
Thanking Donors From the Heart
Vicki Winslow
Coordinator of Donor Relations - Acknowledgments
Elon University
Imagine you're 8 years old. The park near your house is old, littered with broken glass, all of the playground equipment has been removed because of safety concerns. Now you're shown some pictures of how the park will look once it's been cleaned and rebuilt, furnished with new equipment and a water play feature, birdhouses and flowers. What would you write in a thank-you note to the donor whose gift is making that transformation possible?
In an earlier life and another state, I worked for a foundation that made a grant to refurbish a neglected community park located next to an elementary school. A team of landscape architects presented the renovation plans at a school assembly, after which teachers encouraged their students to write thank-you notes to the anonymous donor. The timing was perfect, since the students were fired up about the images they had seen of the new park. I enjoyed those letters so much that I kept copies of my favorites to use as a simple checklist for making my own thank-you letters more compelling.
[Read More]
3rd Annual Midwest Regional Forum
Emily Abrahamson
Associate Director of Stewardship
Rush University Medical Center
Breaking news from Chicago! The 3rd annual Midwest Regional Forum is officially sold out! We are thrilled, honored, and inspired to see how interest in this event has grown since we first tested the waters in 2015 with a breakfast and panel discussion. We’re counting the days until May 10th, when we’ll all come together to network and learn from each other.
While registration is closed, we are maintaining a waiting list and intend to keep the conversations about strategies for stewarding, recognizing, engaging, and retaining donors going after the conference. Be on the lookout for a Hub article, social media posts, and an email containing takeaways from the conference. We will be actively looking for a larger venue for 2018 and welcome any ideas or suggestions.
[Read More]
Inclusive and Respectful Donor Site Visits
Eliza McNulty
President-Elect, ADRP
Stewardship Manager, YMCA of the USA
A central focus of the YMCA's mission is "for all." I am reminded of how imperative this tenet is daily, whether from watching the news or scrolling through my social media feeds. We are lucky to have an entire department at YMCA of the USA that focuses on diversity, inclusion and global (DIG) issues at the Y. I recently had the opportunity to explore an interesting philanthropic question with these colleagues - as development professionals, how do we ensure that donor site visits are inclusive and respectful of those we serve?
I've organized countless site visits during my career, priding myself on creating a donor experience that is engaging, thoughtful, personal and demonstrates impact. But this was the first time I had considered the site visit experience from the lens of a program participant or grant recipient. Luckily, I was well equipped for the challenge. As donor relations and stewardship professionals, we are adept at putting ourselves in the shoes of others.
[Read More]
Small Shop Teamwork for Scholarship Stewardship Success
Kimberly Wheeler
Special Events & Stewardship Coordinator
Stonehill College
As the Special Events & Stewardship Coordinator at a small, Catholic college, effectively stewarding hundreds of scholarship funds, which are awarded to nearly 600 students, can be a challenging and sometimes daunting task. Expectations are high, and rightfully so -- as anyone in the industry knows, managing those funds entrusted in our care must be appropriately and accurately awarded to the institution's neediest students on behalf of the institution's most generous benefactors. Expending the available funds each year is not only good stewardship, but it helps lower the institution's discount rate and, of course, aids the students. However, with so many moving pieces, details, and various departments' incongruous timelines, how does a staff of one tackle issues and challenges that inevitably but unpredictably arise each year, in addition to managing the day-to-day, month-to-month stewardship of the institution's scholarship funds?
If this article piqued your interest and you're asking these questions, odds are you are a small shop, which means you have little-to-no time to spare to read lengthy articles. Keeping that in mind, here is a quick cheat sheet of tips and tricks for leveraging the work, processes, and help of others for scholarship stewardship success.
[Read More]
Regional Updates
Registration for the Southeast Donor Relations Conference (SEDRC) 2017 is now open! Join your colleagues for two days of presentations, networking, and discussion while earning CFRE credits.
Learn more and register >>
Guest Articles for The Hub
(We Want Your News!)
One of the many benefits of being a member of ADRP is belonging to a community of professionals that shares knowledge and experiences. In an effort to better serve our members this year, we are working to bring you content each month that is helpful, relevant, and cohesive.
We are seeking article submissions from our members that cover any topic relevant to the profession, including those that may coincide with one of the monthly webinars.
Please share with us your best practices, experiences, successes, or challenges related to this topic so we can collectively learn and grow. Articles must be received the month prior to the scheduled publication month.
Member Spotlight
 Name: Suzanne Shaheen
Institution: Homes for our Troops
Position: Development Associate
ADRP member for 1.5 years
How long have you worked in donor relations/stewardship and how did you get involved in this profession?
I have had the pleasure of working in donor relations for more than eight years. The opportunities afforded by this line of work have brought me to the next level in the non-profit field. My job entails stewardship, donor events, and implementing and managing the Planned Giving program. The organization I currently work for is unique in its mission and very fulfilling. Speaking with donors day in and day out, who are just as passionate about our Veterans, makes my job that much easier.
[Meet Suzanne]
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