Diversity and Inclusion through the Donor Relations and Stewardship Lens
Session 3F

Session Description: 

In our workplaces and the communities we serve, we see inequity and injustice and may be unsure how to confront it. This session is intended to be a safe space to learn about diversity and inclusion and consider how they are key underpinnings of a more equitable and just society that is accessible to all.

Session attendees will hear from a panel of St. Louis leaders who are battling inequity in different ways. Panelists will discuss why diversity and inclusion are important; how we can be more inclusive in our communications; how we can foster a culture of diversity and inclusion with donors, beneficiaries, volunteers, and colleagues; and how we can contribute to a more inclusive, equitable, and just society. Attendees will leave the session with activities and exercises they can take back to their institutions to build awareness, facilitate discussion, and promote a respectful, equitable, and inclusive culture for our donors, volunteers, colleagues, and communities.

About the Speaker(s):

Brandon Braud
LC Consultant and Project Manager
Honorcraft

Brandon Braud is a Donor Relations Officer in the office of Advancement at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. His donor relations experience comes from a fusion of successful years as a concierge, capital campaign team member, program manager, producer, and events manager. For 20 plus years, Brandon has also worked as a social justice advocate. During his tenure at the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) national office in Washington DC, he founded—and for five years managed—a successful outreach program in support of the LGBTQ community on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). He would soon develop programming for training administration, faculty, and staff on creating a better campus climate, inclusive of all students for higher education institutions. As the diversity manager, he led the charge for a staff-wide mandatory diversity and inclusion summit for the organization to deepen their work of equality for underrepresented populations of the community.

Mary Weingartner
Director, Donor Relations
University of Chicago

Mary Weingartner is Director of Donor Relations at the University of Chicago. She began her career in stewardship at the University of Illinois Foundation in 2006 and has since held donor relations positions at Loyola University and YMCA of the USA. Mary has a BA in philosophy and religion from Truman State University and is president of their Chicago Alumni Chapter. She is an active ADRP member and enjoys exploring the multitude of volunteer opportunities available to members.