In Service: The Column of the ADRP President
Eliza McNulty
Director of Stewardship
Stanford University
Resolutions. Bucket lists. Motivational words. Goals. The new year brings out the dreamer in all of us: from what we’d like to accomplish at work to changes we want to see in our personal lives. It’s a natural time to reset, renew, and recharge. Let ADRP help you reach your 2018 career goals!
- If investing in professional development is on your list, check out ADRP’s upcoming regionals in LA, New York, and Chicago. Or plan for the International Conference, October 3–5, in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Looking to take stock of your general stewardship and donor relations practices at your organization? We recently released updated versions of four best practices: acknowledgments, recognition, reporting, and scholarship stewardship. These are good guidelines for evaluating your program structure and procedures.
- Need the inspiration to try something new? Review the list of 2018 ADRP webinars, and commit to learning from your peers.
- Ready to put some science behind your donor relations and stewardship program? Consider participating in our research initiative with the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. We’re looking for organizations who have invested in staff or engagement strategies in the past several years and are willing to share data for analysis. Contact [email protected] if you’d like to participate.
After just three weeks at the new job, followed by a two-week winter break, I’m ready to get back to business. It’s tough being the new kid on the block and learning a new organizational culture, structure, practices, etc. This white board session from Harvard Business Review is a good place to start if you’re tackling a new role. My thanks to the entire stewardship team at Stanford for being so welcoming, sharing information, and answering all of my questions. I’d be curious to hear from my fellow ADRP voices: what are some of your best onboarding experiences? Worst? Over the next month or so, I’ll be doing a listening tour across campus; what are some things I should ask about? Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. I’d love to chat!
What Will the New Tax Laws Mean for Donor Relations and Stewardship?
Gina Galluppi
Senior Executive Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations
University of Southern California
By now, you have heard or read about the potential effects the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on charitable giving. The Chronicle of Higher Education provides a brief—but helpful—summary of the changes to the tax laws that will impact philanthropy and nonprofits.
Currently, we can only speculate what these new laws may mean for fundraising. The Council on Foundations estimates $16 billion to $24 billion will be lost annually in charitable donations. By raising the standard deduction, the incentive to itemize diminishes. Some states will have limits on the deductibility of state and local income and property taxes, leaving less money available to give to a favorite charity. Smaller nonprofits may be hit harder by losses in philanthropic dollars, than a university or college. Donations from wealthier donors will continue, but it’s the smaller donations from alumni and from those that support causes close to their heart that will be more challenging to acquire and retain. Additionally, taxes on investment earnings at some private institutions with large endowments, and the elimination of the deduction athletics donors may take for the right to purchase tickets will have a negative impact on the people and programs those dollars ultimately support.
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2018 Los Angeles Regional Workshop
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Franklin Suites - TCC425 at the Ronald Tutor Alumni Center
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Come together with donor relations professionals from the greater Los Angeles area to network, get inspired, and learn about best practices within our profession.
At ADRP's 2018 LA Regional, hear from incredible speakers as you learn more about donor relations best practices and how to interact with potential donors. Register online today!
Registration for the 2018 ADRP NYC Regional Conference Open
Don't miss this opportunity to network with colleagues and learn about emerging best practices in donor relations. The NYC full-day conference will include presentations on topics such as:
- Donor Relations Writing and Communications
- Leadership in Donor Relations
- Digital Stewardship
- Stewardship Events
- And so much more!
Register Today!
Write for The Hub - We Want to Hear from You!
The new year is here, 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!
Best Practices are Live!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and provided comments on the recent suite of Donor Relations and Stewardship best practices developed in partnership with the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP). The best practices have been finalized based on member feedback and are now posted in ADRP's Knowledge Center. Many wonderful minds have contributed to developing these best practices over the years. We are grateful to our current and past ADRP-AASP Best Practices Committee members for their tremendous work reviewing and updating these important resources.
We would love to hear if you find these documents helpful and what best practices you would like to see documented in the future. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to Kristen Batten.
Member Spotlight
 Name: Brandis Blodgett
Institution: YMCA of Middle Tennessee
Position: Director of Stewardship
ADRP member for six months
How long have you worked in donor relations/stewardship and how did you get involved in this profession?
After I graduated from college, I held part-time jobs as I explored what I wanted to do with my life. In this time, my friend repeatedly asked me to join his team as a full-time event planner for a grant he managed. I politely declined until the market crashed and I needed secure employment. Thankfully, he hired me on! I jumped right in putting on 8-12 summits a year on behalf of the grantor, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Foundation representatives, political and project leaders came together to discuss the opportunities and limitations of their grant. Projects included building mobile computer labs for Texans so that victims of hurricanes could get access to relief quickly, and building broadband to remote villages in Alaska, so people could have access to online education and health specialists. Needless to say, I had quite an adventure over the next three years! The Foundation required excellence in everything and they taught me how to be a good steward of grant dollars, resources, and relationships. When the grant ended, I started my career with the YMCA. I left briefly to work for Vanderbilt University before returning to the Y. Altogether, I’ve been in a donor relations role for 8 years.
Get to Know Brandis
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