The Development Debrief

This is a two-part episode but the two parts are inextricably linked. The first is looking back at the past six months—and the second is looking forward and creating visions of an ideal future.

Part 1 is a six month update on my time in New Haven and at Yale!

Part 2 is a 5-step process at creating a vision board, a tradition of mine...

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to today's guest, Chad Paris!

Ever wondered how a campaign is born? How firms get started? What matters most with communications? Chad Paris tells us about his firm, Parisleaf and how it has grown into an international brand and digital partner working with a wide array of non-profits.

With over 15 years of experience in brand, digital, and

Liz comes from a family of story tellers. This week we learn about how she found her voice as a communications specialist, a trustee, and so much more. Liz tells us how her education impacted her and lead her to write about her great uncle and philanthropist, A.G. Gaston. His investment is his family and ultimately her- is an inspiring story. Liz sights “movement moments” and her mentors along the way.

Throughout her career, Ms. Hines has dedicated herself to helping non-profits grow, in part by serving on the boards of a wide variety of organizations, including: The Third Wave Fund, The Women’s Media Center Advisory Board, LIFT (Legal Information for Families Today), People’s Production House and The Independent Media Institute. In 2018, Hines was named a fellow of the New World Foundation, where she oversaw the organization’s research on the state of local media, investigating opportunities to support local journalism and journalists in the face of widespread media corporatization.

 Ms. Hines holds a B.A. from Yale University and conducted her graduate studies at Harvard University. She lives in New York with her partner and their three children.

This weeks episode explores what is looks like to work for a younger institution and realize exciting potential, the way that our guest combined a variety of skills for his current role, and the critical aspect of leadership along the way.

Brandon Baker is the associate senior vice president for University Advancement at the University of Southern California (USC) where he works across campus on principal and transformational gift opportunities. Baker has experience in launching and leading campaigns and prior to joining USC, Brandon spearheaded the $400 million Tomorrow Demands Today Campaign at the RAND Corporation.

Baker previously served as assistant dean of external affairs at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. He and his team were responsible for a $250 million goal as part of the school's campaign, a component of UCLA's $4.2 billion effort.

He has more than sixteen years of experience in both public and private higher education institutions. He also served as a development director at Villanova University and Columbia University Graduate Business School. Baker holds an M.A. in higher education administration from New York University and a B.S. in biology from The University of Tennessee Southern.

This week, my guest and I explore the concept of academic research in the field of fundraising. We dig into donor motivation and ways in which scholarly research can help provide framework and clarity of thinking.

Frontline fundraiser, researcher of donor inclinations, and status quo breaker, Anna Schlia is an expert in philanthropy research, principal and major gifts, program building, and executive leadership coaching. Relentlessly inquisitive about nonprofit institutions and the donors who support them, Anna is an emerging philanthropy scholar. She is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Rochester studying philanthropy for higher education.

This week, I talk with Anna Dugan about her work with next generation donors at Carnegie Hall. Since I knew her there, she has moved on to work at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Anna talks about building a pipeline program, answers why younger donors want more metrics and data, and explains why creating a feeling with events must always go back to the mission.  

Anna Dugan is a frontline fundraiser with a passion for helping people actualize their philanthropic goals. She is currently Senior Associate Director of Development at the Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine, working with a variety of specialties, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Geriatric Psychiatry, Community Psychiatry, Acquired Brain Injury, and DEIB initiatives.

Follow along for more on linkedin and instagram @devdebrief

Hello! Today you are in for a treat. The following episode will explore themes of being put on the spot, networking, and sparking connections. Listen to learn how to start and stop event conversations, make a cogent pitch, and understand a tough audience.

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in the field of communication. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting and has received the school’s Alumni Teaching Award. Matt also teaches public speaking and co-teaches Improvisational Speaking in the Stanford Continuing Studies Program.

When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and communications consultant and coach. He has helped numerous presenters prepare for high-stakes talks, including IPO road shows, Nobel Prize award presentations, and appearances at TED and the World Economic Forum. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, The Podcast. His book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped a wide audience manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically.

To relax and rejuvenate, Matt enjoys hiking with his wife, talking and watching sports with his kids, hanging out with his friends, and being continually humbled at the karate dojo.

Welcome to Season 12. In today's solo episode, I talk about the process I took to plan our team retreat. Special thanks to Lisa Alvarez-Calderon for guiding me through the planning and execution.

Planning tips:

1. Set your intention- what is the goal?

2. Space

3. Timing

4. Outside inspiration- mentor, volunteer, or donor can share their expertise!

5. Order of information

6. Follow up plan

This episode is the last conversation of Season 11. The episode took place in NYC with a live audience of over 1,000 people. AFP-NYC puts on a fundraising day for fundraisers every year-- we were lucky enough to be the morning keynote. Enjoy the live format featuring Wendy Sealey and thank you AFP-NYC!

Wendy Sealey has over 20 years of non-profit management and fundraising experience, overseeing teams in the areas of leadership gifts, campaign fundraising, annual fundraising, and special events. Currently, she currently oversees a $30 million fundraising program as Vice President for Development at the Guttmacher Institute, a leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) worldwide.

Emily and I talk about preparing for fiscal year end, annual giving trends and changes, and her passion for leadership.

Emily Kernan is the Executive Director of The Penn Fund at the University of Pennsylvania, where she oversees all annual giving efforts primarily engaging undergraduate alumni. She previously led the annual fund team at Rice University and started her career in development at Lafayette College. Emily has remained committed to annual giving throughout her professional life because she loves building relationships with donors and volunteers at every level as well as collaborating with almost every other team across development in some way. She is a volunteer herself as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Philadelphia Ballet and the outgoing Chair of the Annual Giving Directors Consortium (AGDC). Emily holds a BA in English from Binghamton University (SUNY) and an MS in Nonprofit Leadership from Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice. Her instructional experience includes presenting for AGN, CASE, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), teaching about annual giving at Rice's Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, and being a course assistant for a class on human-centered design through Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice. She lives in Philadelphia with her two cats—Alvin and Simon.