ADRP Zooms In: Session Highlights

Jillian Ports
Donor Relations Writer
Lehigh University

So far, 2020 has challenged us to be agile and creative in our work. While these challenges present new opportunities, they do beg some questions about the future of donor relations. What lasting changes can we expect? What does effective leadership look like during these times? How do we conduct events and streamline digital messaging? All of these questions and more will be addressed at ADRP’s virtual event, ADRP Zooms In: Exploring a New World of Donor Relations on September 23 and 24, 2020. 

Below we've highlighted just two of many great workshops, panels, lectures and discussions that will take place throughout the event:

Digital, Decentralized and Donor Driven

Breakout Session 1B | 10:30 AM (PT), 1:30 PM (ET)

Natasha Jokic
Assistant Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations
University of Southern California Marshall School of Business

Danielle Costanzo Dorsey
Assistant Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations
University of Southern California

Louise James
Assistant Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations,
University of Southern California

Danielle Costanzo Dorsey
Assistant Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations
University of Southern California

Universities often have difficulty coordinating stewardship communication across multiple units. Moreover, with younger alumni/donor audiences preferring to receive information digitally, we must streamline and coordinate compelling stewardship messages for a digital age. In this session, we will share strategies and recommendations we used to collaborate with our colleagues across a complex research university, as well as how we leverage technology to centralize our database and creatively connect with our donors. Read More...

The Trajectory of Donor Relations: A Discussion by Seasoned Leaders
Breakout Session 5C | 11:45 AM (PT), 2:45 PM (ET)

Darnell Hines, Jr.
Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Development
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

Jaime Porter
Vice President, Advancement Services
Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health

Nancy McKinney
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor
University of California, Berkeley

At its humble beginnings, donor relations was often an add-on function to someone’s full-time job or afterthought once the dust settled from major gift activity. Today, we are visionary strategists ― connectors, communicators and collaborators. We are magicians with existing and emerging technology. And each donor relations professional is a blend of writer, psychologist, manager, and psychic. But this world as we know it has forced us to rethink our practices and methods. Where do we go from here? Read More...


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