A Place at the Table for Donor Relations

The role of Donor Relations after a gift has led many organizations to treat their Donor Relations program as an afterthought.  When organizations put Donor Relations strategies into place before solicitations even begin, the benefits for donors and the organization are greatly increased.  This session will explore techniques to guide our organizations toward a new paradigm, where Donor Relations professionals are engaged as key strategists, resources for Donor Relations are a top priority, and the visibility of Donor Relations is increased at every level of the institution.

Keynote Speaker: Penelepe C. Hunt

Penny Hunt is a professional fundraiser, trainer, management consultant and executive coach, with twenty-seven years of experience in the development field.

Penny is the Vice Chancellor for Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She heads a comprehensive program that includes seventeen schools and units, a central development office, and a comprehensive medical center. Penny works closely with UIC’s chancellor, deans and senior campus leaders build UIC’s philanthropy programs. She leads the campus’ $650 million campaign, manages a staff of 95, and has instituted an ongoing three-tier faculty training program. She is also appointed as Senior Vice President at the University of Illinois Foundation.

Prior to joining UIC, Penny spent thirteen years at Northwestern University, where she directed the university’s $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign. As associate vice president for development, she led Campaign Northwestern to a final total of $1.55 billion, making it one of the most successful campaigns in higher education. While directing the campaign, she also managed the major gift operations of seven schools and the university art museum. In previous assignments at Northwestern, Penny directed the Campaign for Scholarships and managed the university annual giving program.

In her private practice, Penny specializes in training, executive coaching and professional development for boards, presidents, deans and other senior leaders, and development staff. Throughout her career, she has trained over 2,000 academics and development professionals. Her book, Development for Academic Leaders: A Practical Guide to Fundraising Success, will be published by Jossey-Bass in the fall of 2012.

She has also served as director of development for the Des Moines Art Center, acting director of development for the Illinois Arts Alliance, and director of annual giving for Pomona College.

Penny earned a BA in English from Pomona College, and an MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.