Member Spotlight: Jackie Sewell

Jackie Sewell
Donor Stewardship Gift Acknowledgement Analyst
University of California, San Diego

ADRP Member for 1 Year

How long have you worked in donor relations/stewardship and how did you get involved in this profession?
I have worked in donor relations/stewardship for five years. I originally worked in political organizing and part of those roles involved membership and fundraising. This experience helped me transition to a position as Special Projects Campaign Manager for the San Diego Natural History Museum. At the museum, I held a few roles that helped me develop a breadth of skills in solicitations, appeals, digital and print communications, events, membership, stewardship, gift processing, and reporting. I found that my favorite part was working on stewardship strategies to communicate the impact of donors’ gifts, which led to my current role in Donor and Fund Stewardship at UC San Diego.

Could you tell us something about the organization you work for?
UC San Diego is a public research university located in southern California. It is one of the top 15 research universities in the world. The university has six undergraduate colleges and offers more than 100 degrees and programs. The health system, UC San Diego Health, is our region’s only academic health care system. Our Advancement team has been busy working toward a $2 billion fundraising goal for the Campaign for UC San Diego, which aims to improve the student experience, spark research and innovation, and enhance our campus community. 

What do you like most about being a member of ADRP?
I like the access that the ADRP membership provides me to other donor relations professionals and resources. I met a lot of wonderful people from many different organizations last year at my first ADRP conference in St. Louis. It was a really great opportunity to share common concerns, learn from one another, and connect after the conference. I also enjoy scanning the website and emails for webinars and resources that highlight industry trends, professional development opportunities, and new technology and programs. 

What is your greatest donor relations/stewardship achievement?  
When I was the Special Projects Campaign Manager at the San Diego Natural History Museum, I worked closely with the VP of Institutional Advancement on a $14 million campaign to raise funds for two permanent exhibitions (Coast to Cactus and the Library Special Collections Gallery). I planned and coordinated 91 proposals, six events, and individualized stewardship for donors by working with colleagues all across the museum. We exceeded the overall campaign goal by 19%, resulting in $16.7 million in total support. I was also responsible for managing appeals, events, and communications for a mini-campaign with a goal of raising $50,000 from low-capacity donors, and I surpassed the goal by 33%.

What is the most important professional goal you are currently pursuing, i.e., attaining a degree, preparing to give a presentation, launching an initiative at work or in your community, etc.?
I have applied to part-time MBA programs in my area and have recently been offered admission into an evening Professional MBA program starting this fall.

How big a role does the use of social media play in your work?
I don’t use social media as part of my role, but several other teams within Advancement do. For instance, our Annual Giving team, as well as development officers and alumni engagement officers, use social media to interact with donors and friends, help share stories, and encourage giving. If you’re interested in how Annual Giving is using social media, feel free to visit our Giving Day Marketing Toolkit.

Is there a resource, i.e., book, blog, website, etc., that you would recommend to other ADRP members?
ADRP, CASE, and Academic Impressions are the bigger ones that I pay attention to the most. The Donor Relations Guru (Lynne Wester) has been a great resource. I really like the stewardship swaps she’s done to look at what other institutions are doing for acknowledgments and stewardship pieces. Other blogs I’ve enjoyed are Know Your Own Bone (for those in museums and cultural organizations) and npENGAGE. 

What is the best piece of professional advice you have ever received?
I had been looking at part-time graduate programs for several years, but I was having a hard time committing to a program. After talking about my experience and what I enjoy doing most for work with one of my former colleagues, he recommended that I take a Project Management class to gauge my interest in a certification or MBA program. This advice helped me push myself beyond my comfort zone, keep learning, and develop skills that not only apply to my current position, but also to potential future roles. 

Are there any particular stories, insights, etc., from your experiences in donor relations and stewardship that you would like to share with our colleagues?
When I worked in the museum, I was going through the storage area to clear out old appeals and stationery when I came across a box with appeal reply devices from 1991. One of them in particular caught my attention because, while the appeal’s donation was only $25, the donor on the reply device was someone who pledged more than $1 million to the Campaign in 2015. I showed our Institutional Advancement team and our VP mapped a timeline of how the donor had been engaged as a volunteer and lower-level donor for many years before they began contributing at a much higher capacity. Most people don’t give big until there’s a relationship that’s been cultivated and they are confident that their funds are put to good use, which is why I think stewardship, patience, and persistence are all important parts of what we do in donor relations.