3D | Milestone Recognitions: They’re Part of Our DNA

Tuesday, Sept. 26
2:30 - 3:30 PM

Sector
Suitable across all sectors

Experience Level
Suitable across all levels

Shop Size
Suitable for any size shop

As human beings, we recognze milestones as a mainstay in all of our relationships. Throughout history, in every country, culture, and religion, major life-cycle events have been marked with celebrations and communications. The list of examples is as long and as varied as our cultural, religious, and national differences.

It only makes sense, then, as professionals tasked with building and maintaining relationships with our institutional donors that we look to milestones in those relationships with the organization as natural points to celebrate, recognize, and acknowledge. In this session we will share examples from other institutions of ways they have put the spotlight on major milestones in the life-cycle of a donor's relationship with the non-profit. Included in the examples will be how Rutgers researched and identified a variety of milestones for their top donors and how those milestones are being acknowledged.  And then we'll open the floor to participants to share their examples, too!

Roberta O'Hara

Roberta O'Hara is the Senior Director of Donor Relations at Rutgers University, where she oversees a team of 16 stewardship, recognition, events, and acknowledgment professionals.  Prior to joining Rutgers in 2014, Roberta was the Senior Associate Director of Stewardship at Princeton University.  As a volunteer, Roberta's roles have been many.  In service to ADRP, Roberta was the inaugural Treasurer for two terms, chair of the Best Practices in Donor Relations committee for ADRP and AASP, content chair for the 2014 International Conference, the conference chair for the 2015 International Conference, and most recently Research Committee chair for the joint project on donor relations literature with Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.  Roberta holds a BA in psychology and English from Rutgers University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and rowed on Women's Crew, and an MA in English Literature from Northeastern University.