The Development Debrief

Several months ago, a listener of the Debrief reached out and asked if I would please feature today's guest-- Daren Batke. She said, "Daren leans into his individuality and uniqueness more than anyone. He shares of himself first, before asking that of others. He sets the example that you don't need to be a blank slate or adopt a flat, robotic affect to be deeply donor-centric." So it feels fitting that at the end of the year, I ask Daren to reflect on his career journey and personal leadership style. 

Daren Batke is the Chief Advancement Officer for the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He has nearly 20 years of experience as an administrator of higher education, having served in leadership roles in advancement and external relations at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. He began his career in advancement at the University of Michigan's Law School. He received his bachelor of arts degree with distinction from the College of Wooster in Ohio, and completed graduate study at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, where he hopes to complete his doctoral work focusing on the intersectionality of philanthropy and pro social behaviors at colleges and universities. In 2017, Batke was a fellow at the Institutes for Higher Education at Harvard University. He volunteers for a number of not for profit organizations across Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, and serves as an advisor for a small investment management group.

Today I interview Rich Berlin, Co-CEO of DREAM. I ask him about his origin story at the organization, leadership structure, board management, and his views on fundraising. There are lots of things that make DREAM stand out in New York City and an impactful place to work. This episode is special because DREAM is currently searching for their next Chief Advancement Officer. 

Originally founded in 1991 as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,000 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. DREAM’s Grow the Whole Child model embodies a commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, creating lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom.

The Chief Advancement Officer will develop and lead DREAM's experienced seven-person Advancement team to drive an ambitious fundraising strategy, raising over $20 million annually and spearheading a $50 million capital campaign that will lead DREAM into its next phase of growth. DREAM’s unique position within the education and nonprofit spaces—combined with   its best-in-class Board and donor base—make this an incredibly exciting opportunity for someone with a strong track record of impact as DREAM continues to deepen its roots in New York City.

To learn more about DREAM, and to apply, visit wearedream.org/jobs. You can also refer someone you know for a $1,000 reward!

This week I talk with Sarah Krasin (Executive Vice President at CCS fundraising) about her career journey. She made a big move right before the pandemic and found herself in a new city across the country, leading a team of people many of whom she had never met in person. Sarah describes fundraising as a “contact sport” and she explains how she was able to make contact virtually. She tells us how she built culture and lead a new team in the past two years of incredible change.

Since joining CCS in 2012, Sarah’s client engagements have spanned all major non-profit sectors and included campaign planning studies, major gift program development, interim development management, and capital campaign management. She has specific expertise in designing and managing national, comprehensive major gift campaigns, particularly for institutions with nascent or start-up programs.

In this week’s episode is reconnect with a college classmate who is doing exciting work in the world of sales. CeCe Aparo shares some great hacks with us as we think about emailing and communications with our constituencies. Later in the episode, she puts on her donor and trustee hat and lets us know what excites her on the receiving end of development strategy.

CeCe has dedicated her career to building, optimizing, and training top sales organizations across the United States. Starting her career in sales and marketing, CeCe quickly identified the benchmarks for success in a winning sales program. CeCe spent five years in venture capital where she was responsible for working with portfolio companies post-investment on their sales and go-to-market strategy. CeCe is Vice President of Corporate Training at HOFFMAN, working with corporate clients around the world to master our technique and increase pipeline and revenue. With a strong understanding of the sales process and a passion for the art and science of sales, CeCe delivers training that is tactical, engaging, and meaningful.

CeCe attended Trinity College in Hartford and is on the board of trustees at Providence Country Day school. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband in two daughters.

Click here to learn more about Hoffman: https://sellhoffman.com/

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is enjoying family and good food. This Thanksgiving, are you looking to up your stewardship game? We learn from today's guest that sometimes it really is a simple as picking up the phone.

I am reporting to you from Ithaca, New York today. I am spending the holiday with my family upstate. I want to feature some great work being done in this region. Mary Jane Bray who is the Major Gift Officer for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier is with us, to share some stewardship strategies she has found effective. MJ’s food bank acquired 7800 new donors in 2020. 22% of their new donors gave again. 35% of that group has given more than one gift. 

MJ tells us how she thanked those individuals and built relationships with them over the phone. I also asked her how persistent she was with her  calls and how she works to have donors at all levels feel appreciated. MJ has some great answers! 

Thank you for joining us today. I am grateful for our debrief community. If you have effective stewardship strategies, share them with us! You can connect on LinkedIn or instagram @devdebrief. 

Enjoy the holiday and if you are liking these episodes please rate and review the show!

Colin Donovan Wyatt is the Director of Development at Santa Barbara Middle School. This week, I talk with Colin about the “other duties as assigned” that independent school professionals often find themselves doing. However, it’s not just duties—as we engage with our schools outside of development, we are able to be better at the work of storytelling and making a case for support for our institutions. I also think engaging deeply with your institution will serve you well regardless of which sector you are currently in. 

Colin and I also talk about the DEIJ (J is for justice) work at Santa Barbara Middle School and we brainstorm about ways we can continue to evolve our field into a more inclusive environment while still raising major gifts. To be fair, we don’t solve any of these quandaries—but hopefully it can guide some new thinking. We are all in the business of becoming whether it is as individuals, teams, or institutions. I hope this episode helps you think about how to continue to grow intentionally and strategically. 

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Welcome to Season 5! 

I am so happy to be at this point, almost two years into the Debrief. I continue to be amazed by this community and the bonds that are forming within our network. 

I am honored to be featuring Jim Husson (Senior Vice President for University Advancement at Boston College), in this episode. Jim and I thought it would be fun to talk about identity as an opener for this season. I’ve just made a career transition and Jim has made several throughout his career. We talk about how and when to make a move, but more importantly why understanding your institution really matters. Listen on to learn more…

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Today is our final episode of the Returning to a Sense of Place Mini Series. While we will continue to discuss the topic of working from the office and home in its various forms, our study with BWF and our guests has come to a close. Since July, we have been asking the questions about what is working and what isn't. Today, Josh Birkholz and I wrap up what we have learned over the past several months and what we want to move forward.

This is not just the end of the series, but it's also the end of Season 4. I will be taking some time to continue to acclimate in my new role and begin working on a dynamic Season 5. I have already secured some very strong and exciting guests and can't wait to share what is in store later this fall. Until then, good luck-- and have a great week!

**Special thank you to BWF, Willie Jude II, Allison Baker, Josh Birkholz, Kelley Morris, and Karim Kafray for their contributions to this project. 

Please connect on instagram @devdebrief for updates on the new season and more information on guests, book recommendations, future episodes and more! 

A few months ago, I was asked to put together a presentation of lessons learned on the podcast as well as major giving best practices. I decided to record the presentation shortly after giving it so that I could share it with all of you. This episode is a rare one-- there is no guest speaker. I am not reading from a script but rather recounting my presentation and thought process. 

I took six episodes throughout the podcast's history, to use as guideposts while talking about important pillars of major gifts fundraising. You'll notice, there is no one size fits all. This episode contains my general ethos to major giving and my hope is that it will help you think in new ways about your work.

**Thank you to the wonderful guests I quote in this episode and to Texas A&M for inspiring the dialogue. 

Please connect with me on linkedin and on instagram @devdebrief.

This week we learn from Josh Schaier about JELF (Jewish Educational Loan Fund). JELF helps Jewish students earn their degrees through interest-free loans. Josh talks about moving to JELF from higher ed and ways he has grown the team through data organization, story-telling, and educating recipients about their loans. Josh says, “We have history we are reflecting backwards to look forward.”

Josh Schaier is JELF’s Chief Development Officer. Prior to working at JELF, Josh worked in University Development and Alumni Relations at New York University and with the fundraising team of the 92nd Street Y. Before beginning a career in nonprofit fundraising, Josh worked as a legal assistant at some of New York’s top law firms. Josh received his MPA, Nonprofit Management from NYU Wagner in 2015 and his BA, History from Binghamton University in 2006.

Connect @devdebrief 

https://jelf.org/