In Service: The Column of the ADRP President
Eliza McNulty
Director of Stewardship
Stanford University
I am happy to report that after 3,250 miles, six states, two National Parks, one turkey dinner and three La Quinta hotels, Pete, Yogi and I made it to California! A big thanks to ADRP-member Jennifer Hughes at the National Parks Foundation who suggested we take some opportunities to stretch our legs. We decided to #optoutside after Thanksgiving and visited Joshua Tree National Park. What an amazing place! We picked up a yearlong pass to the national parks and are looking forward to doing some more exploring in California.
We set-up our Wi-Fi just in time for the influx of Giving Tuesday emails, social media posts, and personal requests. I found myself following a Twitter discussion started by Steven Shattuck at Bloomerang. What if organizations put their Giving Tuesday resources toward building long-term relationships? Giving Tuesday is an exciting and fun way to build awareness while working toward a fundraising goal. But what are we doing in the days and months following to turn these mostly transactional gifts into relationships? I think it’s important that we give thought to Giving Tuesday, and ask some tough questions. Here’s an Agitator article that gives an alternative to typical Giving Tuesday activities.
I gave just one gift on Giving Tuesday: to Second Helpings in Indianapolis. Early in the day, I received a phone call from a Second Helpings board member (and friend) who was part of a crew tackling more than 1,000 thank you calls that day. He left a message (Yogi and I happened to be on a walk) describing the impact of my 2016 gift and conveying gratitude. There was no ask.
Not long after, an email request from the CEO popped up in my inbox, and feeling warm fuzzies from that call, I made my gift. I received a prompt receipt that further demonstrated my impact. My friend thanked me on FB and Twitter featuring photos of my friend performing volunteer service (after making all those calls!). And just today, I received a follow up email letting me know the impact of Second Helping Giving Tuesday campaign. Pretty stellar example.
My other favorite Giving Tuesday social media post came from TOMS. No secret, I love their customer stewardship. They spent Giving Tuesday performing community service and giving back in their own way.
I wish you all a very merry holiday season with your family and friends!
Organize a Process Review to Improve Your Donor Retention
Erica Waasdorp
As a fundraiser and donor relations professional, you work hard every day to make sure your donors feel important.
You know like no other that all donors need to feel appreciated, no matter how much they give or how often they donate to your organization. That’s why I’m still amazed at how difficult this seems to be, especially as organizations grow. Especially if there are multiple "cooks in the kitchen".
Often decisions are made based upon resources. Sometimes decisions are made in departments that are less involved with donors on a day-to-day basis. These can have a major impact on donor retention.
Read More
SEDRC is Looking for a Host!
The Southeastern Donor Relations Conference is in need of a home in 2018. If you are interested in hosting this regional event in your area or at your organization, please contact the ADRP Office for more details and assistance in planning the event.
Write for The Hub - We Want to Hear from You!
The new year is just around the corner, and The Hub is seeking article proposals for new monthly issues!
Do you have a success story you would like to share? How did you handle a particular problem or project that seemed insurmountable? Have you discovered effective tactics that help gain a seat at the table? What are your thoughts on best practices or new, emerging ideas that take a donor relations/stewardship program to the next level?
We want to encourage our members— new and experienced—to share their insights, best practices, and what works (or doesn’t work!) when planning their shop’s programming and responsibilities.
We welcome all submissions related to donor relations and stewardship, but we especially encourage ADRP members to step forward and share their expertise and experiences in the profession.
The 2018 submission form is now open. We have, once again, included the webinar topics for each month, in case you would like to tie your article to a specific webinar topic.
Please submit your article proposal today! We can’t wait to “hear” what you have to say!
Member Spotlight
 Name: Jane Ellington
Institution: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Position: Director, Donor Relations
ADRP member for six years
How long have you worked in donor relations/stewardship and how did you get involved in this profession?
I have been at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for more than 26 years. For twelve years, I have been Director of Donor Relations. Previous positions include Director of Annual Fund and Stewardship for two years, and Director of Volunteer Services for 11 years. All the previous positions helped me with the skills for the Donor Relations position. Dana Power and Allie Suessmith work on the Donor Relations team and I could not do what I do without their support, hard work and commitment to the donors and the Foundation team.
Meet Jane
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