The Development Debrief

If you follow me on instagram @devdebrief, you saw that I went out to Annapolis in March. There, I met the US Navy development team and learned about their approach to fundraising. Mike Hoffman is an amazing leader who is growing programs, posting new positions, and argues teams are best built in person.

Mike joined the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation in March 2013 and currently serves on the Foundation’s senior leadership team as the Vice President, Development. Mike began his tenure at Navy as a Major Gifts Officer and grew into a series of roles with increasing responsibility before taking the VP position last year.

As the Naval Academy Foundation builds out a team in anticipation of their next campaign, Mike will lead a staff of 15 on the Development team, which includes the Regional Development program, which is comprised of the organization’s major gifts and high-end leadership annual giving initiatives, and the Planned Giving program. In his role, he also works closely with the Foundation’s EVP, Board of Directors and other organizational leaders to play a central role in campaign planning and execution. Additionally, Mike manages a portfolio of top donors across the country with a focus on principal gifts.

Since 2004, Mike has worked in education at both the independent school and higher education levels, with most of that experience in development positions. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mike was at Johns Hopkins University in their Regional and International Programs development office.

Mike graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He lives in Annapolis with his wife and three children.  

Last week, I went with several of my colleagues to the NYSAIS advancement conference at Mohonk Mountain House. NYSAIS stands for the New York State Association of Independent Schools. At the conference, I had the opportunity to speak about building your personal brand for career success with today’s guest, Jan Abernathy. Before we did our talk, we recorded it to share with all of you!

Jan Abernathy is the Chief Communications Officer at The Browning School, a K-12 boys’ school in New York City. Formerly the director of marketing and communications at The Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, NJ. At Browning, she is a member of the Health & Safety Team, responsible for managing COVID response, and co-chaired the school’s successful search for its new director of equitable practice and social impact.

She is president of New York City Independent Schools Communications Professionals, a professional association of over 100 members from schools throughout the tri-state area, and the co-founder of Black Advancement Networking Group, which works to gain further representation and greater professional growth of Black professionals in advancement roles in independent schools. Jan is chair of CASE-NAIS 2022, the most prominent international advancement conference in the independent school sector. A journalist by training, she has written for NAIS’ Independent School Magazine on crisis communications (Winter 2019) and the “Black at” movement (Winter 2021).

She is a trustee of Grace Church School, a K-12 school in New York City, and was on the board of Stevens Cooperative School in Hoboken, NJ, for 13 years, spending six years as chair. Her consulting firm, Jan Abernathy Strategic Communications, provides communications and DEI counsel for educational institutions and non-profits.

The tale is as old as time- do you have regional major gift teams based in the cities they manage, or on campus? Vanderbilt University is rolling out a new initiative they are calling Vanderbilt Regional Hubs. Through these hubs, prospective students, current students, parents, alumni and friends will connect with Vanderbilt through professional opportunities and custom programming. This week, we will learn about how the program has been launched from the leader himself, Taylor. 

Taylor Wood joined Vanderbilt’s Development and Alumni Relations team in November 2018 to manage fundraising for the School of Medicine, including Basic Sciences, and the School of Nursing. In October of 2022, his portfolio has expanded to include oversight of development for the School of Engineering and DAR’s new regional development initiative. He previously served in development leadership at the Syracuse University School of Architecture, one of the top architecture programs in the country, as well as the College of Design at the University of Kentucky. Wood is a native Kentuckian and earned his bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Kentucky and master’s degrees in business administration and sports administration at Ohio University.

**Special shout out to Becca Jensen for suggesting this episode and making this episode possible.

In this week’s episode, we talk talent, recruiting, and, retention. Lisa Alvarez-Calderón is the founder of Shine Consulting, dedicated to advising leaders on people strategy, global organization effectiveness, leadership development and building high performing, inclusive cultures. Lisa is an executive coach who helps people connect, share and accomplish big things so we can thrive and shine.

Lisa is a dynamic leader with extensive global human resources experience working across diverse sectors and geographies. Lisa was Chief Human Resources Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, where she worked closely with the foundation’s executive leadership team through the COVID-19 pandemic. Lisa lived in Chile serving as HRVP for BHP in the mining sector and Academic Director for the University of Chile ́s Center for Organizational Engineering. She developed her career in the pharmaceutical sector as HRVP for Johnson & Johnson in the United States and Asia, including living in Singapore and leading HR across 14 countries; and with Bristol-Myers Squibb as HRVP for Research & Development, and HR and talent roles in Latin America and US commercial operations. Lisa began her career as a leadership trainee with CIGNA and spent the first decade of her career as an HR business partner and talent management specialist in the insurance industry.

Lisa serves on the Board of Trustees of Trinity College and on several Advisory Boards including Enspira, a strategic human resources consulting firm; Untapped Potential, a social enterprise dedicated to attracting professionally trained women caregivers (i.e., Moms) back into the workforce; and The Company of Dads, a community platform for Lead Dads and an advocate for more open and productive work environments for parents. Lisa is an active member of the International Women’s Forum, a global network of accomplished women dedicated to advancing women’s leadership and championing equality worldwide.

Lisa is known for building trust and connecting with people to help them perform, learn and grow. She brings passion, courage, authenticity, integrity, asense of adventure and joy to all she does. Lisa knows that If it’s not energizing, it is probably not worth doing.

Lisa received an MBA with Distinction from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Lisa and her husband have raised two grown sons and divide their time between Seattle, Washington and Chincoteague, Virginia.

This week, my guest Eric and I talk about Reunion and Annual Giving, portfolio optimization, engaging the next generation of donors, and what to say when people ask you why a wealthy institution needs their support. Ultimately, the team at Princeton is building what they call, a true partnership with their donors.

Eric R. Almonte serves as Assistant Vice President for Capital Giving at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. In this role, he supervises an extremely dedicated and professional staff including; three frontline fundraising teams and the support staff for Leadership Gifts, International Development and the Office of Gift Planning. The Capital Giving team focuses on fundraising to increase access and affordability opportunities, endowed professorships, and research funding to intensify innovation, curiosity and intellectual risk taking at Princeton University.

Today’s episode marks the beginning of Season 10! If you’ve been here from the beginning, thank you for sharing this journey—if you are new to The Debrief, we have been running for just over three years and have content with industry experts in nearly every corner of the fundraising profession.

One thing I have always been curious about is the dynamic between the Chief Development Officer and the Board Chair. How do they talk to one another? Who ultimately makes the call?  But those conversations are often had in private. I am honored to open this season with Bob Lasher, Senior Vice President for Development at  Dartmouth College and Laurel Richie, Marketing, Communications, and Management Executive as well as former Dartmouth Trustee and Board chair.

In the following 45 minutes, we will talk about wins, stalls, pain points, and women in philanthropy all during a multi-billion dollar campaign.

To Learn more-- follow us on instagram @devdebrief and connect on LinkedIn, I can't wait to hear from you!

Hello! I want to close out this season with a heart-warming episode. Today’s guest, Katy, tells us about how she went for her dream job-- and got it. We talk about her rise to Vice Chancellor for Advancement and how this affected her career, family, motherhood, and leadership. She gives great tips for working professionals who are parents, and leaves you feeling inspired.

As Vice Chancellor for Advancement for the University of Colorado Boulder, Katy Herbert Kotlarczyk (cut-lar-chick) oversees all campus efforts related to private fundraising, philanthropic outreach, and alumni engagement. Under her direction, the CU Boulder Advancement team identifies and partners with constituents who contribute their time and talent to advance the university’s mission.

With CU Advancement since 2010, Katy previously served as Assistant Vice President for Central Advancement and led CU’s gift planning and annual giving efforts. Prior to her time at CU, Katy led fundraising for a scholarship program at Georgetown University that supported first-generation, low-income, and diverse undergraduate students. She also served as a director of Orr Group, a fundraising and strategy consultancy for nonprofit organizations.

A life-long learner, Katy is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education degree in leadership in educational equity, with a focus on higher education. She completed her MBA at DePaul University. She has both an undergraduate and master’s degree from Stanford University, where she served as captain of the women’s gymnastics team.

When she’s not working, Katy serves as a Boulder County court-appointed special advocate for youth struggling with truancy. She and her husband enjoy exploring Colorado with their three children.

Today’s episode is nostalgic I sit down with an old friend and fellow fundraiser, Maddie Hansen. We share a few memories from our time singing together in our College a cappella group and analyze what skills we learned there that we can apply to fundraising. We then learn from Maddie about her grateful patient fundraising and how she has built an authentic voice and path finding meaning in her work.

Madeleine Hansen is a Senior Associate Director of Development for Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center. In this role, Maddie works closely with physicians, scientists, and grateful patients to support diverse research and patient care programs for women’s cancers. This includes Penn’s Breast Cancer Program, 2-PREVENT Translation Center of Excellence (TCE), Ovarian Cancer Research Center (OCRC), and Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research Unit. Maddie also serves as a point person for fundraising for diversity, health equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the Division of Hematology Oncology.

Maddie is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut where she received her BA in American Studies.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for all of you this week. Thank you for listening, sharing, and supporting the Development Debrief! This week, Adam Doyno and I debate about the meaning of the term "frontline fundraiser". Should we continue to use it? Or is this a problematic term? We polled all of you on the @devdebrief instagram and learned that 63% of you identify as a frontline fundraiser, 29% of you do not, and 7% of you don't know. We asked you if the term was necessary and 46% of you said yes, 33% of you said no, and 21% of you weren't sure. Take a listen, and talk about it with your teams. We would love to hear your thoughts. 

Please see Adam's article that inspired the conversation here: https://nycafp.org/News-Events/News-Blog/its-time-to-rethink-the-frontline-fundraiser

Adam M. Doyno, a Certified Fund-Raising Executive, is the Founding Executive Director of the CUNY SPH Foundation and Inaugural Director of Development for the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. Since 2018, he has been an essential catalyst in the graduate school’s achievement in becoming an independent, accredited, top-ranked public health authority in New York City and the nation. In his role, he is the architect of the school’s fundraising operations and drives forward development activities that support CUNY SPH students, the 500,000+ students and continuous learners within the CUNY system, and New York City broadly.

Active in the fundraising community, Adam serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals-NYC Chapter as co-Vice President of Member Engagement. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the 125th Street Business Improvement District in Harlem. In 2021 he was honored by NYNMedia Nonprofit as part of their annual 40 Under 40 Class.

Adam earned a BA from Hofstra University and an MPA from CW Post, Long Island University. He lives on Long Island with his wife and two young children.

What if I told you, you can’t plan your life, but you can make small moves each day to ensure a strong, healthy, and authentic path? What if I told you that letting go is actually the way to realize your dreams? This is not my message, but it’s one that I believe in and it’s delivered by today’s guest.

This episode is close to my heart as it marks the launch of my dear friend, Shanna Hocking’s book, One Bold Move A Day. Shanna has been working tirelessly on this book and it shows as it has gained early praise from Adam Grant and several other influential leaders. This conversation gives a sneak peek into the book and shares the story of Shanna’s writing process as well as more about her career story. We talk momentum building, dreams realized, and lifestyle decisions.

https://www.amazon.com/One-Bold-Move-Day-Meaningful/dp/1264278071

Connect to continue the conversation on instagram @devdebrief 

This week I talk with Connor Adams, Senior Director of Development- College of Engineering and School of Architecture at University of Miami about returning to his alma mater in a leadership position. Connor is re-imagining a team that supports two Deans. We talk about how he manages his goals and plans to build his team, ways he has stewarded donors, and his view on zoom vs. in-person relationship building. 

As an experienced University and education fundraiser, Connor is passionate about the power of education as a key pillar of growth, success, and life, particularly its ability to serve as an agent for social change and the creation of collaborative communities. After earning his Masters degree in Student Affairs Administration from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, and Bachelors of Science in Education from the University of Miami, Connor began his career at the Portland State University. From there, he moved to New Mexico to be a Director of Development at the University of New Mexico Foundation, then later on to the land grant institution of New Mexico State University. As of early 2022, Connor began as the Senior Director of Development for the College of Engineering at his alma mater, University of Miami and was recently promoted to oversee the School of Architecture in addition to Engineering. Connor professionally describes himself as trusted advisor, change maker, relationship manager and impact consultant. On a non professional side he is a father, husband, golfer, and a coffee aficionado.

Follow @devdebrief to learn more behind the episode! www.devdebrief.com 

Almost a decade ago, I met Karen Osborne at my first ever CASE conference. Today, I have privilege of picking her brain on two very important topics—board diversification and stewardship. Karen and I agree that the overall thread we continue to pull in this episode is about being planful with everything you do.

Karen believes in the power of philanthropy, generosity, and service. She built her career around these passions not only as a major and principal gifts officer, vice president, speaker, teacher, consultant, and coach, but also as a donor, volunteer, and board member.

For eighteen of Karen’s forty-four professional years, she held leadership positions–Director of Major Gifts, Director of Development, and VP for College Advancement–at colleges and universities. For the past 26 years, Karen served first as President and now Senior Strategist at The Osborne Group, an international management, consulting, and training firm.

Karen enjoys a rich volunteer life. The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awarded her the Crystal Apple for Outstanding Teaching and Public Speaking, and the Ashmore Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession. In addition to volunteering for professional organizations, she serves on the governing board of Easterseals Florida.

Karen is a suspense and mystery writer. Getting It Right, Akashic Books, published in June 2017. Award-winning and best-selling Tangled Lies, Black Rose Writing, launched July 22, 2021. Reckonings, Black Rose Writing, released June 16, 2022. Her weekly video Vlog, What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing? showcases authors and other creatives.

This week’s episode is steeped in data thanks to Patrick Schmitt, co-CEO of FreeWill. I ask Patrick about bequests, effective stock giving, crypto—he tells us about ethereum, QCD’s, and some data points on inheritance and millennial giving trends. This conversation is face paced, exciting, and informative!

Patrick Schmitt is co-CEO of FreeWill, which he and fellow FreeWill co-CEO Jenny Xia founded at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2016. FreeWill’s charitable giving platform makes it easier for nonprofit fundraising teams to unlock transformational gifts, and to date has generated over $6.6 billion in new gift commitments for thousands of nonprofit organizations. Patrick hosts FreeWill’s popular webinar series, educating thousands of nonprofit fundraising professionals each month about planned and non-cash giving strategies.

If you missed it, we did an "instagram live" with Patrick which you can find on my instagram @devdebrief. Feel free to find that and watch for more tidbits and information.

https://www.freewill.com/

Welcome to Season 9! I am thrilled to open with a conversation focused on Prospect Research, featuring Steve Grimes. In our conversation we talk about the important role both researchers and fundraisers play as they work together towards a common goal. Steve reflects on experiences throughout his career and shares how they have shaped his approach today.

Steve is the Associate Director of Data Insight at the Helen Brown Group. Most recently he was the Assistant Director of the NYC Mayor's Office of Data Analytics (MODA). Here, he provided guidance and supervision to the Office’s data scientists and analytic portfolio. As the City's center for data analytic excellence, he regularly interacted with City leadership, other Mayor’s Offices, City agencies, and NYC’s data science community.

Previously, he was the Director of Development Analytics and Strategy at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) producing reporting and analysis needs for senior leadership. Before JALC, he joined the ACLU as the Prospect Research Analyst working with the Principal Gifts team in the national office at the beginning of the Trump administration.

In a previous life he pursued academia as a doctoral fellow at Rutgers University, focusing his research on labor relations, intimacy, and visual sociology. When the time allowed, he taught various courses on social inequality, social research, and the sociology of emotions.

He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY at Old Westbury, a master’s degree in sociology from St. John’s University, and a second master’s degree in media studies from CUNY at Brooklyn College. He currently sits on the board of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, he is director for NEDRA, served as a director of APRAGNY and on various  APRA committees, and was co-host of a now defunct podcast on prospect research.

He is a fan of video games, nature, and history.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I am excited for the fall season as we close out the summer and season 8. This week, I chat with Leah Burton, the Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer at the Guggenheim. It has been a little while since we have had an arts and culture leader here. We talk about their pandemic response, handling times of crisis, plans for the future, and learn about Leah’s background and personal journey near the end of the conversation. I used a quote from Leah to title the episode—a circle in a world of squares. This is talking about the museum itself, but I also like the idea of being different and thinking out of the proverbial box.

Leah joined the Guggenheim in September 2019. Burton oversees the planning, management, and execution of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation’s strategic engagement with current and prospective donors regionally, nationally, and internationally. Burton comes to the Guggenheim from CCS Fundraising, a strategic consulting firm where, as Vice President, she advised nonprofit clients in the art and culture, higher education, healthcare, and social services sectors. She has worked as a consultant for the Guggenheim since 2016. for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in New York, where she oversaw fundraising initiatives for the greater New York and New Jersey area in support of the hospital. She previously was the Director of Development for St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children, where she managed a prospect portfolio, developed strategies for donor solicitation and cultivation, and prepared the organization for campaign readiness. She serves as an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University in the Master of Nonprofit Management program, where she teaches fundraising fundamentals. She graduated from Knox College and received her Master of Science in Nonprofit Management with a focus in fundraising from Columbia University. A member of the Columbia University School of Professional Studies Alumni Council, Burton is also a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, New York City, and received the National Young Professional of the Year Award from AFP.

This is the final episode of season 8. I will be taking a short break and would love to hear from you in the interim. Check out my linkedin page or the instagram @devdebrief. I would love to hear how you are exploring being a circle in a world of squares, and what thoughts and ideas this episode brought up for you.

I want to start this episode by thanking Jim Livengood for making this episode happen. Jim, who is the Assistant Director of Development at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine, reached out to me and said that our community must hear from Michael and Megan. Michael Hibler is Executive Director of Development for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and Megan Ward is Director of Development for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Jim said, “Some of my colleagues recommended seeing if it might be possible to have both Michael and Megan come speak with you as “co-guests.” They work very closely together, and you might get a better feel for how their partnership captures the higher-level big picture stuff and maybe some of the more in-the-trenches aspects of this type of work.” Thank you, Jim- because this episode is dynamic and authentic in a way that can’t be planned or staged.

We talk about the true meaning of being mission driven, Understanding the complex nature of the healthcare center, goal setting, retention, hiring tips, team building, and so much more!

Debbie has focused her career on fundraising from corporations and foundations. This week, she tells us how she has made career decisions through relationship building and networking, which confirms my hunch that work in CFR is not so different from working with individuals. 

Debbie Rosenberg Bush is director of corporate and foundation relations at Columbia University School of General Studies, which she joined in March 2022 as the first person to hold this newly created position at the School. She previously served in a similar role for nine years at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.  Prior to Columbia, Debbie was senior director of development for the Cancer Support Community, director of corporate and foundation relations at Gilda’s Club Worldwide, director of foundation support at the American Museum of Natural History, and director of development at the New York Academy of Sciences.  Before her career in development, she worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as director of publications and was an editor at Random House, The Sciences, and Consumer Reports.  Debbie has a Bachelor of Science from Yale University and is active in the governance of the Yale Club of New York City. She was also on the board of Women in Development New York.

Do you wonder what really needs to be done in preparation for an ask? I talk with Amanda about the work she has done in the last year plus in her role created and designed to work with all parts of the advancement team. Amanda has had success keeping constituents engaged at all levels. She compares her work to setting the table before a meal. 

Amanda Pulawski is Director of Constituent Engagement at The Taft School, an independent boarding school in Watertown, Connecticut. Prior to her current role at Taft, she was a member of the Annual Fund team and served as Director of Special Events. A passionate and creative professional, she works with each part of their Advancement team to connect the schools constituents to the institution through events, communication, engagement, and stewardship. Amanda works closely with volunteers of the school to ensure that their practices are relatable and engaging across generations and relationships. She is a volunteer herself, working as an advisor to The Red Rhino Fund a 9-student board tasked with raising funds to grant awards to local organizations in support of education, literacy, and the arts, is a member of the Connecticut Community Foundation Women's Giving Circle, and serves as Board President at her children's school. She graduated from Albertus Magnus with a degree in Humanities and attended Boston University's Center for Professional Education for Fundraising. She and her husband, Artie, have two boys Jack (5) and Owen (3).

Subscribe to my website www.devdebrief.com or follow for more info on instagram @devdebrief 

This episode recounts my experience attending AFP’s NYC chapter of Fundraising Day on 6/17. I talk through the questions I was asked on a panel with Adam Doyno, Leigh Reid, and Stan Smith titled "Making The Ask and Demystifying the Process". I share how I do individual giving outreach, work to get a meeting, prepare for a meeting, and important rituals for the day of the ask. At the end, I share a few "pro tips" that have served me over the past 1,000+ visits I have conducted. 

Ultimately, this session will either be a refresher, or provide some new ideas for you as you prepare for/continue solicitations and building relationships.

Please connect with me by liking the LinkedIn page, following the instagram account @devdebrief, rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple or Spotify, or sharing your favorite episode with a friend. 

Let's Celebrate 100!! We've made it so far. Over the past 100 episodes, we have had over 60,000 downloads. Our listeners are 90% in the US with the most popular states being New York, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Massachusetts. However, people are listening to the Debrief in all 50 states and over 60 countries!

In this episode I reflect on what inspired this podcast as well as why it is so important to me. I also feature a conversation with my Dad, Fred Van Sickle-- Vice President of Alumni Affairs and Development at Cornell University. We talk for about 20 minutes about what we would like to amplify, sunset, and continue to create in our respective institutions. I close with some hopes and visions for the Development Debrief in the future. 

More to come on my brand new website: www.devdebrief.com please also follow us on instagram @devdebrief

Special thank you to all of the amazing guests who gave their time to this project. I am grateful for the connections and support and will continue delivering fresh content your way! 

Join us tomorrow—May 26th at 3pm ET for a webinar on the future of Major Gifts. Here is there registration link: https://www.case.org/conferences-training/future-major-giving-schools

Welcome to the final episode of our Independent School miniseries. We wrap up with some big questions such as, how does culture inform the strategy? And how do leadership transitions impact teams? Especially during the pandemic. This week's guest, Thomas P. Lockerby is the Secretary of the Academy at Phillips Andover. He leads the alumni engagement, development, and communications initiatives for the school. 

Thom has spent his entire career working in and consulting with charities, focusing on major and planned gift fund raising as well as organizational leadership. Prior to joining Andover, Thom was the Vice President for Development at Boston College and directed its $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign. Previously, Thom served as Director of Gift Planning at Dartmouth College, Relationship Manager at Kaspick & Company, Vice President at PG Calc Incorporated, and Director of Development Relations at Harvard Business School. Thom serves on the Board of William James College, an independent graduate school of psychology based in Newton, MA. He is also a former Board Chair of Polaris, a leading organization fighting to eradicate human trafficking in the United States and abroad; a former Board Chair of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning; and past President of the Planned Giving Group of New England. Thom is a graduate of Harvard College.

This week, we hear from Jennifer Kaplan Burns, Assistant Head of School, Advancement and External Affairs at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Jenn provides our first parent perspective within the world of independent school fundraising. She tells us about the history of Solebury and about her current campaign which is breaking historic records!

Prior to her current position at Solebury, Jenn was the Director of Advancement at Wilmington Montessori School. She also spent nine years as the Director of Philanthropy at the Nature Conservancy.  Jenn is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross. She is also a dedicated CASE volunteer having served as the committee co-chair for CASE District II for five years.

This is episode 3 of a four-episode miniseries in partnership with CASE. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement professionals who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. Now let’s get started.

Please connect with the debrief on instagram @devdebrief. I would love to hear from you. Next week will be our final episode spotlights at Independent School Advancement leader. See you then!

This week, Harold Brown, Director of Advancement at Cranbrook Schools, talks to us about the multiple elite institutions he has served and what he has learned along the way.

Harold previously served as the Director of Development at Salisbury School, a boys college preparatory boarding school for 325 students in Salisbury, CT. Before joining Salisbury, Harold served for 25 years in various roles in the Office of Institutional Advancement at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. As Executive Director of Alumni Relations and International Gifts, Harold led a program serving more than 21,000 alumni and 5,000 parents, strengthening ties to the school and one another.

Before dedicating his career to the world of education, Harold was in the financial sector, where he held various positions including Vice President at Connecticut Bank and Trusts, and the Bank of New England, both in Hartford, CT.

This is episode 2 of a four-episode mini-series in partnership with CASE. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement professionals who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. 

Follow and learn more on instagram @devdebrief 

Hello listeners! I am thrilled to announce a four-episode mini-series in partnership with CASE. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement professionals—in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services—who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society.

The next four episodes will feature Independent school advancement leaders. I couldn’t be more excited to kick off with Emily Stone, Director of Development at the Spence School. Emily works at an all-girls independent school just blocks from the one where I work. I have known her for a while through our alma mater’s alumni network. You will hear Emily talk about how important those networks are and her career trajectory. She has worked in alumnae relations, and can keenly analyze the differences between working with alums and parents. Emily is high energy and filled with good ideas.

Follow us on instagram @devdebrief or connect on LinkedIn for more information. 

The Final episode of our Impact and Innovation season is extra long. It may be because I’m just not ready to end these amazing conversations we’ve been having over the past 8 weeks. The good news is, we will have a Webinar next week on March 29th at 11am (ET) to recap these episodes and dig even deeper. 

You can learn more via this registration link: https://bwf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lSj9P2hqSA2aZVEyu2hbsQ

This week's conversation is with several leaders within the New School Office of Development and Alumni Engagement. This conversation grapples with some hard questions and focus on three main themes; hiring diverse applicants, handling micro aggressions on the front line, and building affinity groups and cohort fundraising. Jonah Nigh, Meg Kaufmann, and Alex Tapnio are incredibly inspiring as they talk about their work advancing the New School with a diverse team and brilliant set of perspectives.

Connect on instagram @devdebrief

Rob Scott and I talk about his role at MIT that evolved out of an idea. Rob actually wrote the job description for his role and has been able to live out his vision. Rob gives great advice on working with senior leaders and explains how he has executed his ideas and goals.

Robert D. Scott, senior advisor to the Chancellor for Academic Advancement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a career fundraising professional, advancement leader, and veteran of four multi-billion-dollar campaigns. He has held various leadership positions in resource development at MIT during the past twenty years, and before coming to MIT Scott served New York University as a development professional for five years. He entered the fundraising field in 1989 at Cornell University, his alma mater.  Over the course of his thirty-year career, Scott has held national and international volunteer leadership roles within the professional advancement community.

If you want to continue this conversation, please join me and James Barnard of BWF to talk about this innovation series with a larger group of professionals. We will be hosting a webinar on March 29th at 11am ET. Please reach out if you would like more information or have questions you would like us to address. Next week is our final episode of the season. See you then!

Dr. Ashutosh Nandeshwar is the Assistant Vice President, Relationship Management and Data Sciences at the University of Southern California. He also is a Data Scientist. Consultant. Speaker. And Process Innovation leader. We talk about Ashu’s recommendations for portfolio management as expectations have changed since the pandemic. We discuss the pros and cons of activity comparison amongst gift officers as well as how Ashu thinks AI can advance our industry. This is a wonderful conversation about data from the research perspective.

Author of Tableau Data Visualization Cookbook, Ashutosh R. Nandeshwar is one of the few analytics professionals in the higher education industry who have developed analytical solutions for all stages of the student life cycle (from recruitment to giving). He enjoys speaking and ranting about data professionals' chase of "interesting" things (example: http://youtu.be/dHbl9t5eNjg). He received PhD/MS from West Virginia University and BEng from Nagpur University all in industrial engineering.

Learn more about Ashu's work here: https://nandeshwar.info/

This week we revisit the on-going conversation about working for one’s alma mater and building momentum for campaigns. Karl Clauss, the Vice President for Advancement at Colgate University and I talked about what it has been like for him to return and lead the Development team at his alma mater, and the exciting new plans they have for their upcoming campaign. Karl is currently partnering with President Casey, Colgate faculty, and board leadership to engage alumni and parents and secure the resources that will make their newest campaign- The Third-Century Plan a reality.

As of this week, we have surpassed 50,000 downloads on this podcast. Thank you for listening, sharing, and contributing to this vital community. Thank you as well for celebrating with us on social media. If you don’t already follow, you can find a page on LinkedIn called The Development Debrief and our Instagram page is @devdebrief.

Jason Briggs and I have a wonderful conversation this week about everything from Tibetan Buddhism to entrepreneurship. He tells us how he decided to make specialist knowledge more accessible through Pyro Talks.

Jason Briggs is Co-Founder of PyroTalks CIC, as well as Consulting Partner for BWF Europe. and Fellow for Halpin Partnership. Previously, Jason was Director of Development at Cavendish Cancer Care, leading on all income channels. Whilst Jason was at The University of Sheffield he headed up their fundraising research & insight function, raising the value of their prospect pool value from £4.2m to £62.5m, and sat on the senate’s academic Research Ethics Committee. He also worked as a Consultant at Graham-Pelton specializing on campaign planning.

This week, Leti Light takes the mic. She continues the conversation we had last week with Matt Hutter about strategic initiatives and principal gifts. The conversation moves from east coast to west coast as we go from Durham North Carolina to Berkeley, California. Leti emphasizes that giving at the highest levels is not about the dollars but about the idea itself. She also reminds us that partnership is critical at all levels of this kind of work. Leti is the President and co-founder of SIGAP—Strategic Initiatives Group for Advancement Professionals.

Leti Light is a leader in higher education fundraising for transformational philanthropic partnerships, often in the form of cross-cutting, multidisciplinary initiatives. As Executive Director, Principal Gifts & Strategic Initiatives at UC Berkeley, Leti and her team partner with a wide range of academic and program leaders and work with the world’s leading philanthropists to achieve their vision through partnerships with the university designed to make Berkeley’s highest aspirations possible. Over the last 20 years, Leti has led philanthropic development efforts at Cornell University, UCLA, and now UC Berkeley.

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Today's episode is sponsored by BWF. 

This week, we hear from Matt Hutter, Assistant Vice President of Development for Duke Science and Technology at Duke University. He is a strategic initiatives fundraiser who is an expert in raising money for the sciences. Roles like his are primarily found in large research universities and drive large scale giving. We talk about how these kinds of gifts make ripples not just through their dollars, but the culture change they create. Matt breaks down strategic initiatives and transformational gifts for us in a very approachable way.

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BWF is the proud sponsor of Season 6, Innovation and Impact.

I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Sue Cunningham, the CEO of CASE. Sue’s long relationship with CASE as well as her international experience really set her apart as a leader and visionary. We talk about her career to date, and then drill into CASE’s most recent strategic plan. Sue tells us how she facilitates joining the dots globally, expresses pride in her staff, and talks to us about the six key areas CASE will be focusing on as they recalibrate the organization into the next 5 years.

CASE is truly a community of volunteers and leaders aiming to evolve and grow the profession. Sue says it herself in the episode that she would love to hear from you and add you to the growing community that is CASE. We will be ending this season with a Webinar on March 29th. Mark your calendars to join us and keep the conversation going! More on that soon, but in the meantime, please connect on social and have a great week! 

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I can’t believe this episode will wrap up two years of the Development Debrief! I talk with Stephanie Posen about how she has recruited, trained, and grown a team of front line officers doing leadership gift work. She has worked with her team to build a great culture of work in a remote environment.

Stephanie Posen is the Director of Leadership Giving at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Stephanie manages the mid-level giving program which includes donors and prospects giving $1,000- $250,000. The Leadership Giving team serves as a pipeline for the rest of the department- both for revenue and donors, as well as developing talent and strong gift officers.

Stephanie's professional career has been focused on Education and Academic Medicine with prior experience working at New York University (NYU) and Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). In previous roles, Stephanie has worked in International Major Gifts, Leadership Annual Giving and Campaign Events. Stephanie holds a Master of Business Administration from NYU's Stern School Business and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University in History and French Literature.

I will be taking a break in January before returning with more episodes in February. Please share this podcast with your networks and follow us on social media @devdebrief and on Linkedin. Thank you for listening to the last episode of 2021. Warm wishes for 2022 and the great work I know we will all do! 

I talk with Dave Kayiatos, Assistant Director Leadership Giving (and fellow alum of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut) who received both a BA and an MA in history at Trinity, in 2002 and 2006 respectively. We discuss the value of working at your alma mater and how exciting it is to be working at Trinity today! This conversation prompts me to share some great opportunities at Trinity.

Trinity is moving toward the public phase of a $500 million dollar comprehensive campaign, and they are growing the advancement team. Frontline fundraisers – this is an opportunity to join a strong, collaborative team. Trinity is also looking for an inaugural director of digital media, as well as other communications positions. If annual giving is where you shine, some great leadership roles are available there, too. 

If you are thinking about your next move and want to have great impact, Trinity may be the place for you. To learn more, reach out to Vice President Michael Casey at Michael.Casey@trincoll.edu. 

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.

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.

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https://jelf.org/

Don’t Assume Anything. Our guest, Sara Sargent says this term at one point in the conversation, but I wanted to highlight it by using it as the title. I speak with Sara, a bright activist and scholar…who also happens to be a child of wealth…5 generations of it. 

Sara (Resource Mobilization Director at United for a Fair Economy) speaks candidly about how she manages her inherited wealth and how she gives it away. Sara talks us through her relationship to her money, how is has cumulated, and her plans for the future.

https://resourcegeneration.org/

https://www.faireconomy.org/

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Kris Putnam-Walkerly wrote the book, Delusion Altruism as a way to help funders make better decisions about their philanthropy. I talk with her about how fundraisers can learn from her book and the donor experience through her writing and teaching. 

For over 20 years, top global philanthropies, ultra-high net worth donors, celebrity activists, foundations, wealth advisors, and Fortune 500 companies have sought Kris Putnam-Walkerly’s philanthropic advisory services to dramatically increase the clarity, speed, impact and joy of their giving.

As a sought after philanthropy advisor, expert and award-winning author, she’s helped hundreds of foundations and philanthropists strategically allocate and assess over half a billion dollars in grants and gifts. 

Kris also contributes expert philanthropic commentary to the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Forbes, Variety, Thrive Global, Worth Magazine, and other media. She was recently featured on NPR’s Marketplace Morning Report, and she co-edited The Foundation Review’s themed journal on philanthropy consulting. Kris is the author of her second book, Delusional Altruism: Why Philanthropists Fail to Achieve Change and What They Can Do To Transform Giving (Wiley 2020).

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Today we talk with Sam Duplessis about his career change from MGO at the Wharton School to Director of Advancement at the Pennsylvania libraries (both positions within the University of Pennsylvania). He discusses the differences he both expected and didn’t between being an individual contributor and leader of a team. We also have the treat of learning more about the libraries at Penn and the reputational risk that comes with working alongside such treasures.

Sam is the Director of Advancement at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, which has over 400 full time staff who manage 14 departmental librairies. His team includes two gift officers, a development communications person, a data/research person, and a development assistant. His team manages four boards and raises approximately $10m a year in cash, pledges, and gifts of materials such as books, manuscripts, and photographs- all with no natural constituency! Whereas most schools and centers at Penn have alumni, the Libraries has no graduates and counts on campus partners to identify prospects who are interested in their funding priorities and engagement opportunities.

Prior to this role, Sam was a Major Gift Officer at the Wharton School, covering alumni living in the southeast and Texas. Sam also worked as an MGO at Bryn Mawr College and spent five years in the admissions office at the University of Chicago.

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Our conversation today is dedicated to annual fund work. Rebecca Clendenen (Assistant Director of Annual Giving at DePaul University) talks to us about balancing an inclusive environment within the annual fund while using societies as a tool. Rebecca believes that every alum should feel comfortable giving to their annual fund at whatever level is best for them. She is also a strong proponent for making a career working in the annual fund. 

Rebecca has more than 10 years of experience in leadership annual giving and non-profit management. She is currently a PhD candidate with an academic focus on local civil society organizations and engagement, including interest groups, social movements, and non-profits.

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Do you want to hone your development writing skills or think more about reputation? Are you tasked with communications in your role and want to be more effective? This episode is for you. I ask our guest, Ben Feller about brevity in communications, how his experience in the White House has changed his view, and how development is critically intertwined with communications.

Ben is a Partner at Mercury, where he leads media strategy. An award-winning writer, Ben offers strategic counsel on communications after a 20-year journalism career in which he distinguished himself as one of the finest reporters in the nation.

Ben specializes in crafting powerful messaging for corporations, universities, foundations and leaders, and in managing complex, fast-moving challenges. He has a rich understanding of how the news media works and how to shape a communications strategy that delivers real results.

Prior to joining Mercury, Ben served as the chief White House correspondent for The Associated Press, a premier role in which he led presidential coverage for the largest news organization in the world. He offers expertise on the media, politics, writing and public engagement, and a deep reputation for accuracy and integrity across the political spectrum. Ben has particular experience in the fields of education, health care, the economy, national politics, voter attitudes and civic affairs.

Ben’s full-time career began in 1993 as a reporter for the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa. He also wrote for the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C. and The Tampa Tribune in Tampa, Fla. A native of State College, Pennsylvania, Ben graduated from Penn State in 1992 with a degree in journalism. He lives in New York City.

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Hello! Thank you for tuning in to our very first miniseries. Today you will be hearing Part 2. If you haven’t already, please see Part 1 which aired on July 8th, a few weeks ago. Today’s episode features four dynamic professionals in different parts of the country and holding different positions of leadership. In today’s episode the questions will center around who these professionals are, and what they’ve done to date to cope with the pandemic and remote work.

We will hear from the following four people in the following order: Willie Jude II, Vice Chancellor at The University of Wisconsin–Parkside; Allison Baker, Senior Director of Development, Women's & Children's Health at Johns Hopkins Medicine; Kelley Morris, Vice President of Individual Giving at Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation; Karim Kafray, Executive Gift Officer at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Each person will speak for about 15 min. I ask them a similar line of questions, but in their answers you will get a good sense of how different work places operate and how perspectives are differ depending on the role.

Please connect with us and send in questions for our speakers as we will be hearing from them again. Let’s get started!

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email: devdebrief@gmail.com 

Do you remember what it was like to begin your career? This week, I interview Michele Ripka about her desire to join the fundraising field and we learn about what she is looking for in a career and how she views our work. This episode is a fresh take on the field. Michele reminds us about the importance of mentorship and working together. 

Michele Ripka is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan (U-M), where she earned her Masters degree in Business Management from the Ross School of Business, and Bachelors degree in Violin Performance, while studying Performing Arts Management and Entrepreneurship at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD).

Please connect with our community on instagram @devdebrief 

Happy New Year! Happy 4th of July! I am so excited about what this season has in store for the Debrief. 

On this episode, Elizabeth shares her perspective on how to prepare for your new year from the greatest place of strength. This is important as we navigate another big year of changes personally and professionally. We talk empathy and ambition, revisiting your case for support and building a comprehensive fundraising plan.

Elizabeth Abel is a thought leader in philanthropy and seasoned expert in fundraising. She has designed, advised, and directed development initiatives and capital campaigns that have collectively raised more than $250 million, positively impacting tens of thousands of lives. Elizabeth is a Corporate Vice President at CCS Fundraising, a leading fundraising consulting firm to nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Tune in to learn more on our instagram live July 13th at 5pm! You can learn more on instagram @devdebrief 

Hello friends! Today I share with you the Final episode of season 3. Although this is the last episode for a little while, there are still two more ways for you to engage with the Debrief before Season 4. Tomorrow, at 5pm eastern, I will go live on Instagram @devdebrief with Lisa Greer to talk about her book and answer any questions you have from this episode. If you can’t join us there, I highly recommend you sign up via Eventbrite for our first ever zoom event on May 20th.

Lisa Zola Greer is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, convener, and the author of the bestseller "Philanthropy Revolution". Over the last decade, the Greer home in Beverly Hills has been home to nearly 200 charitable salons and events connecting nonprofits with donors and the community.

Email me your questions for Lisa on the live here: devdebrief@gmail.com

Join our instagram live via handle: @devdebrief

Join our community event on May 20th here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-development-debrief-listeners-live-event-tickets-150829550245?aff=eemailordconf&utm_campaign=order_confirm&utm_medium=email&ref=eemailordconf&utm_source=eventbrite&utm_term=viewevent

Jill Lasman, Senior Executive Vice President at Lois Lindauer, and I talk about executive search. We toggle back and forth between the perspective of the firm, and the candidate. Jill shares her expertise on how she is placing people, what areas have become even more important in the search process, and how things have changed since the pandemic. Certain skills are now more valuable than ever before, and so listening to this episode will help anyone who is looking to make a change or start interviewing for the first time since the pandemic.

Jill Lasman is a key force in setting the Lindauer standard for executive search. A well-known and respected national search executive, Jill has placed senior leaders and their teams in many major education, healthcare and science, arts and culture, advocacy and mission-driven institutions since joining the firm in 1998.

Register for our event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-development-debrief-listeners-live-event-tickets-150829550245?internal_ref=login

This week, I spoke with my colleague Ryan Hart about conversational gift planning. Ryan has coined the term “the four gift frames” and walks us through each of them and how they can help us identify bigger, mutually beneficial gifts between our donors and institutions. Ryan explains to us that we don’t need to know the in and outs of complicated gifts to be able to identify them with our donors. Ryan also highlights the critical aspect of collaborating with colleagues- this is a crucial ingredient with the type of work we are talking about.

Ryan Hart is Executive Director of Gift Planning at Columbia University where he oversees strategic university-wide efforts to raise funds for the $5 billion Columbia Commitment Campaign through planned gifts.

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This week, the debrief begins to talk about returning to work and the outlook on FY22 with Joan O’Nell, Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development at Yale University. We recorded this episode one month ago, on the one year anniversary of working in a remotely. Joan tells us about Yale’s planning for their first ever virtual campaign launch for the fall. She also tells us about two big gifts that were closed during the virtual environment. She weighs what is easier and harder with a virtual practice.

Prior to her appointment as vice president for alumni affairs and development in July 2012, Ms. O’Neill spent eight years as associate vice president for development leading the major gifts, parent giving, planned giving, annual giving, and reunion giving programs, which together contributed $1.2 billion of the Yale Tomorrow campaign's total. Ms. O’Neill held earlier positions as area director at the Yale School of Medicine, as director of special projects and assistant to the vice president for development, as director of leadership and major gifts, and as a director in principal gifts for Yale’s previous capital campaign, which concluded in 1997. She first joined Yale in 1987 as a major gift officer.

Ms. O’Neill received a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Please connect on instagram @devdebrief or check out our website at www.thedevelopmentdebrief.com 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) continues to remain at the forefront of our minds. Violence and hate permeate the news far too often.This week’s episode is a beacon of hope for how we can make change in our communities. Development holds power and is just as relevant to DEI as any other arm of our schools and institutions. 

This week, David Smith, Director of Development at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, talks to us about his work in the context of a career in independent schools. David examines Saint Ann’s history and how it informs their work today. David has had the opportunity to execute some bold changes with his program. He tells us about cancelling Saint Anne’s gala, removing the donor roll, and reframing the idea of scholarship. David is contrarian in many ways, but he backs up his strategies with results. This episode is very thought provoking!

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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/

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.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank YOU for tuning into this podcast and supporting the Debrief. This week’s episode features Brent Grinna, Founder and CEO of Evertrue. The theme of our conversation is gratitude and we talk about it from several different angles. Brent shares his personal story of going to Brown on scholarship, how that bleeds into his origin story for his company Evertrue, and several other touching stories and ideas he has come across along the way. Check out his podcast: https://www.evertrue.com/raise-podcast/ The episode we reference is here: https://www.evertrue.com/raise-podcast/?wchannelid=4jq5h5puib&wmediaid=svt9ymufef **Correction: Brent is a proud Brown alum