Really! Who would have thought? Including the fictional development director of Elinor Lipman’s funny and light On Turpentine Lane (2017), who refers to our main character, Faith Frankel, as “ . . . head of whatchamacallit.” Faith, who thought she was signing on to a “stress-free job,” as director of stewardship at her alma mater, Everton Country Day, finds more than she bargained for when the school’s leadership accuses her of conning an elderly couple into leaving her a personal bequest gift of $100K, when all the time she was cultivating them for a donation to renovate Everton’s pool and locker room, as part of her annual fundraising duties.

Although I can find nothing in Lipman’s official biography to indicate that she ever did this type of work, she seems inordinately aware of the nuances of fundraising and particularly of stewardship, including finding the right words to thank wealthy donors for a $25 check, or explaining to a scholarship donor that his recipient is currently on social probation for peeing off the roof of the science building. In less challenging times, Faith handwrites notes of thanks to donors of endowed scholarship funds, chairs, and prizes named after a loved one, to show them the impact of their gifts.

She and co-worker, (later housemate), Nick Franconi, even practice the fundamentals of our trade while chaperoning a Thanksgiving outing to NYC, where, over grace, Faith encourages their student charges to “thank the generous alumni who funded our trip,” to which the quietest boy in the group responds, “Thank you, rich people, wherever you are! Keep it comin’!” With a wink, Nick looks at Faith and says, “Planting the seeds of stewardship.”

Where else in fiction is our profession so richly recognized and rewarded?

Dianne Dyslin
Associate Director of Stewardship
Clark University

Back to the June 2017 Hub