The Development Debrief

This week I speak with William Christopher "Chris" Clarke, the Associate Vice President for Campaigns at Duke University. I ask Chris about his fundraising experience at engineering schools. Chris explains how engineering fundraising is unique and how it fits into the larger picture of a research University. Later, we talk about Chris’s professional training in singing and performance. All of Chris's experiences, have prepared him to execute his current role in campaign planning. Chris emphasizes that above all, there is an underlying core importance of curiosity in our profession.

The week I sit down with Alison Traub (Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations at University of Cambridge) and Chris Cox (Vice Principal at The University of Edinburgh). Our guests talk candidly about the cultural differences between fundraising in the US vs. the UK. Alison and Chris are perfectly positioned to discuss this given their respective backgrounds. We talk structure, academics, growth over the past ten years, due diligence, admissions and more!

Please connect on instagram @devdebrief or on our LinkedIn page if you want to learn more about the podcast.

I had the absolute pleasure of spotlighting a great friend for this episode. I compare the similarities between working with high end donors and working in real estate. If you like New York City, real estate, or have an interest in social media, you will enjoy this episode.

I am exploring an idea here- how do other industries relate to our development work? Robert is a real estate broker at Compass who is first in class. He talks to us about his field and then we learn about his Instagram handle and how he has developed a following.

I am so lucky to have storytelling expert and communicator Esther Choy as our guest this week. She talks with us about her newest study called "Transforming Partnerships with Major Donors--

Aligning the key values of first generation wealth creators and fundraisers in the age of “Winner Takes All”"

We talk about the dichotomy of abundance and deprivation among the privileged, the disproportionate amount of newly created wealth, desired ways to communicate and identify these donors, and 4 key pillars Esther created to better understand people who have created first generation wealth.

Esther Choy is the President and Chief Story Facilitator at Leadership Story Lab, where she works with clients to help them communicate their own authentic stories.

Esther is the author of the book "Let the Story Do the Work: The Art of Storytelling for Business Success" and her work can be seen regularly on Forbes.com, Virgin.com, Entrepreneur.com and AMA.org.

An alumna of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as well as Texas A&M, Esther holds both an MBA and an MS in Higher Education. Esther lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Find the report here: https://www.leadershipstorylab.com/wealth-creators-research/

How do athletes go from multi-million dollar contracts to making a difference? What happens in retirement for athlete’s whose identity has been focused on their sport? What motivates athletes to give and why is it unusual to see major giving in higher ed from pros? This week's guest, Braylon Edwards addresses these questions in an unscripted conversation about his philanthropy and leadership.

Braylon was a wide receiver for the University of Michigan, which led to him being the third overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He retired from the NFL in 2014 and returned to Michigan to finish his degree. Since then he continues to be a sports commentator and published his first book, “Doing It My Way”, which chronicled his outspoken life as a Michigan Wolverine. Braylon’s philanthropy has focused on athletic scholarships at the University of Michigan and in Cleveland. Most recently, Braylon has become an advisor for nonprofits on mental health initiatives, and with the U of M Alumni Association, U of M African American Giving Initiative, and the U of M Depression Center.

Today’s guest Blake Davis (Assistant Vice President for Development at Southern Methodist University, located in Dallas, TX), started networking from a young age. He opens with telling the story of his early networking in college and then we move on to talking about navigating hierarchy through networking and get as granular as talking about effective cold emails for outreach. Blake tells us, ultimately, good networking looks like good portfolio management. Blake uses the word pure a few times as he talks about making connections- listen for his examples, they are powerful.

Key takeaways:

1. Network internally

2. Create support groups

3. Network role play

4. Be YOU!

Please connect on instagram @devdebrief or email me [email protected], I would love to hear from you!

I am so glad you are here! Please follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram @devdebrief. There, you can get updates on the podcast and learn more about our guests. I hope you will find me any enjoy this week’s podcast.

Today’s episode features Karen Isble, the Vice President for Advancement at Kalamazoo College. We talk about her recent arrival to the role (last fall) and her journey getting there. Karen’s career has been steeped in an expertise in prospect management and operations and she talks about how the skills for that part of the work apply to leadership and an ever important full-picture strategy.

Karen identifies inflection points in her career that were pivotal to her growth. Did you know Karen dreamed of being an Opera singer? She tells us how she pivoted from the performing arts into administration and then ultimately development.

Are you working up the courage to start interviewing or in the throes of a job search right now? Keep listening to hear John Toolan (Vice President of BRYANT GROUP executive search) give the inside scoop on preparing for a strong interview. He even suggests that if you aren’t looking you should still be practicing and thinking about your own professional narrative.

Learn:

Fatal mistakes to avoid

The STAR technique

Top 5 tips for online interviewing

The Rule of 7

And how to be memorable as a candidate

Welcome to Season 3. Our first episode of the season is called "Pressing The Reset Button". A term that Patty Hill Callahan used when she told me she was taking time off from work and leaving her role as Vice President of Medical & Health Sciences Advancement at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

The first ten minutes of this episode is reflecting on Patty’s career to date. It didn’t feel right to have Patty on and not ask her important questions about the work she has done in our field. The next twenty minutes are dedicated to the difficult decision she made to step away from her professional life and focus on her personal one. Patty talks about authentic leadership, personal growth and following her gut. She shows without telling that it doesn’t matter what people think of you if your decision was the right one for you and your family.

As I sit here in my studio apartment looking ahead to the next three months of winter I know it will be a slog. I am reading more books, and working more than ever on the Development Debrief.

On the episode I share:

1. A poem called "2020" and talk about the projected vibes for Season 3.

2. An instagram live event that will be taking place tonight (1/14 at 8pm). You can find my collaboration with Shanna Hocking on my account @devdebrief.

3. How much I am looking forward to a positive and inspirational Season 3!