The Development Debrief

Kathi Warren (Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Rice University) and I talk accountability, approachability, and the importance of team culture. Kathi explains how her STEM background sets her apart and opens up about being one of the few African American leaders in the industry. Listen to learn more!

Connect on @devdebrief or email me at [email protected]

On this special episode of the debrief I will share some of my personal experiences with virtual visits. I walk through how I am securing meetings and share how I prepare, execute, and close meetings virtually. We can do this if we support one another and embrace the change!

Shoutout to my Columbia teammates who are my closest collaborators who helped inspire this episode!

I am hoping this will start a conversation, please add your thoughts on @devdebrief or email [email protected]

Matt Lachs (Development Officer at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology) has realized a childhood dream. Being in development was something he always wanted and it hasn’t let him down yet. He oozes enthusiasm and as he talks about his career and the change philanthropy can make both within society and on the most personal levels. Matt talks about his experience in Corporate and Foundation Relations, especially within the context of Covid. He also talks about his experiences working at UPenn and why he loves development so much.

Today I speak with Tamara Rogers, the former Vice President for Alumni affairs and development at Harvard University. In the first half of the conversation I asked her to talk about her career- candidly and with reflection from her first job to her last. In the second half, She shares her thoughts on management, mentorship, and campaigns. Tamara lead The Harvard Campaign whose public phase was 2013-2018, and with an announced goal of $6.5B, and it concluded at over $9.6B

When you hear principal gift- what do you think? I tend to think of named buildings, billionaires, and hushed conversations behind closed doors. Today, I was lucky to snag the brilliant and bold Ben Porter (Associate Dean of Advancement for Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management) to de-mystify principal gifts for this week’s podcast. Ben gives us the inside scoop on his book The Principal Gifts Checklist. We unpack principal gifts together from the definition to the inner workings of 8 and 9 figure gifts. We talk about problem solving, the similarities and differences with major gifts, and the universal imperative of trust.

You can purchase his book here: https://store.case.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Store/Product-Details/productId/1221588778

Fundraising in a field based on connections. We need to make connections with our donors and within our institutions. The same is true for the field. As fundraising professionals, how can we give back and help our colleagues who have been either laid off or furloughed during this uncertain time? How will we build and grow the talent pipeline for our field?

Featured are Brooke Schostak and Bonnie Taylor who talk about their experiences looking for work and share ideas for ways we can help! Please share more ideas on instagram @devdebrief

This is the trailer for Season 2. The first official episode will be out on 9/9/2020. Join us for more conversations about development as our field continues to change and grow.

Music by Susan Van Sickle.

After 28 weekly episodes, I am ending Season 1 and taking the rest of the summer to plan for Season 2. The last 7 months of this podcast have been a fabulous journey. I will share my experience recording and my key takeaways from the season.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and I look forward to continuing our conversation about creative fundraising and finding joy in our work. As Oprah says, "the power of change is through perspective" and I know we will come across more things that make us think differently in Season 2. It is a privilege to share this field with you! Until next time and please be in touch!

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Happy FY21! This year comes at us with a new set of challenges and opportunities. We are tasked with continuing to rethink our donor relationships and building new ones.

At the beginning of this season, I interviewed consultant, Craig Smith. Craig is a business partner of today’s guest- Dan Shephard (Principal of The Shephard Group). The two work together on sharing and teaching The Four Decisions.

In today’s episode, I will talk with Dan about his creation of The Four Decisions, and how we can use it for this fiscal year. We talk about how to get our of our own way with donor work, and suggest working with a one-sheet to organize your donor strategy.

To be in touch please reach out at [email protected] or @devdebrief

Happy 4th of July! In honor of the holiday weekend, I have decided to feature Abigail Smitka (Regional Director, Major Gifts at Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University)a close friend, confidant, and peer mentor.

July is always an opportunity to get grounded and reconnect with our motivations and goals. Abbie has always helped me get grounded—starting with my very first development job, working the graveyard shift at reunion weekend.

This episode is informal as we recount stories and share lessons learned. Our stories are organized into three overarching values we learned over a three year period. Our hope is that this episode will remind you of why you love your work and that it will draw you closer to the ones who have supported you the most.