2023 ADRP Southeast Regional Session Details 

Keynote: Laughter Through Tears: Using Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Humor to Develop Meaningful Relationships

Jennifer Richwine, Executive Director, Wake Washington Center 

Is crying at work really as bad as "they" say? Why IS sorry the hardest word? And what if you actually DO let them see you sweat? We will explore these questions and more in a lively conversation about how and why to be authentically vulnerable and vulnerably authentic in your relationships, personal and professional. We’ll discuss how to use humor to disarm and engage even the steeliest and most intimidating people you know. You might laugh. You might cry. But it will definitely be better than Cats.

Jennifer Richwine has more than 24 years of experience in special events and higher education. In 2014 she became Wake Forest University’s first executive director of the Wake Washington Center in D.C. In this capacity, she partners with campus to develop programs for alumni, parents, and friends in the D.C. area, as well as between and among faculty and students, building a bridge from campus to our nation’s capital.

Previously, she was assistant vice president of university events, responsible for the overall strategy, production, and execution of signature events. Jennifer’s passion for gratitude in the workplace led her to author the book With Gratitude–The Power of a Thank You Note, named the number one new release in business etiquette.

Breakout Sessions 1

1A.  Recognition Refresh Panel Discussion (Slides)

Host, Anne Manner-McLarty, Heurista

Jill Hirsekorn, Vice President, Communications and Marketing, Low Country Foodbank

Mary Pat Minor, Philanthropic Communications Manager, Prisma Health

Riviere Moody, Director of Donor Relations, The Citadel Foundation

Recognition can seem like the easy part of a donor relations professional's job, the one that we've done before and can easily repeat. Then something—a campaign, a high-profile construction project, new leadership, rebranding, a call to use new technology, or some mix of them all—demands that we rethink our recognition program. Join this panel of southeastern professionals who are managing growth and change in their recognition strategies. Hosted by Anne Manner-McLarty, the discussion will address the full spectrum of recognition, including naming opportunity valuation, policy, and planning; facility-based design and implementation; and the appropriate considerations for digital donor recognition.

Track: Skill Building                                         Industry: General

Anne Manner-McLarty is lead strategist for the donor recognition firm Heurista and managing editor of the Journal of Donor Relations and Stewardship. Anne founded Heurista in 2011 to address the growing complexities of donor relations and stewardship. She and her team work with nonprofits to develop authentic, sustainable programs that help realize nonprofit missions by engaging and motivating donors. She’s been an active ADRP member since 2005.

At Low Country Foodbank, Jill Hirsekorn gets the word out about hunger issues because everybody has the right to eat healthy food every day. Jill began her career at a McDonald’s Corporation advertising agency. She has built and directed communications departments in IT, human services, state government, and Fortune 500 companies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. She has a master’s level education from grandparenting her granddaughter, Harper, and a doctorate-level education from parenting her daughter, Madeline–both of whom are kind, highly intelligent, beautiful, and wonderful human beings.

With a strong marketing and public relations background, Mary Pat Minor found philanthropic communications and relations a natural career step. Having served in healthcare for 30+ years, she sees building relationships, connecting people, and finding others’ passions as drivers behind her daily work at Prisma Health—strategically identifying and developing donor recognition opportunities while strengthening the culture of philanthropy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising from East Tennessee State University and was inducted into their Hall of Fame for Advertising. A Greenville native, she and her husband, John, have four children: Lillian, Frances, Eleanor, and Jay (a Citadel alumnus).

With an extensive background in class campaigns and annual giving, Riviere Moody moved into her current role in June 2021 and began donor relations and stewardship efforts based on her knowledge of the gift officer side of the field.  She also manages Foundation events and focuses on using data to enhance the current model, bringing new energy to retention and the donor life cycle. Riviere holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in business administration from Presbyterian College (Go Blue Hose!).  A Greenville native, Riviere and her husband, Matt, have a daughter, Cora, a fluffy rescue cat, Mo, and loving rescue pup, Cali.

1B.  Career Advancement: Next-Level Support (Slides)

Judi North, Director of Development, Currey Ingram Academy

Where are you? How did you get here? Do you sometimes feel like an imposter? That you don’t belong or don’t know what you know? Do you struggle to gain the support of your superiors or to get their buy-in for your ideas? Join this interactive session to break through negative self-talk and look for that next-level support.

Track: Leadership/Management                               Industry: General

With 23 years of advancement experience, Judi North has worked with exceptional leaders and teams to develop and execute comprehensive annual gifts, major gifts, and capital campaigns; create marketing initiatives and branding guidelines; and implement community-building experiences. Her focus on strategic planning, organizational management, and streamlining processes and procedures had enabled her to strengthen the culture of philanthropy with internal and external audiences. Judi earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology/human development from Rivier University and a master’s in nonprofit management and philanthropy from Bay Path University. She is completing a master’s in independent school leadership at Vanderbilt Peabody College.

1C.  Not Just a Scholarship Luncheon (Slides)

Flora Fox, Director, Donor Experience, University of Miami

Let's talk scholarship events! Is your shop considering ways to revive your traditional scholarship luncheon or looking for ways to make the event more meaningful for donors and scholars? Hear how University of Miami revamped their scholarship luncheons to events that revitalized the donor and student experience.

Track: Innovation/Creativity                       Industry: Higher Education

At the University of Miami, Flora Fox leads endowment and impact reporting, student impact messages project, and the Scholarship Donor Celebration event. One of Flora's priorities is to streamline the reporting process through accurate fund awarding and data management. Flora joined the University of Miami in 2015 and has more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in management and leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Breakout Sessions 2

2A.  Creating Tools for DEI Fund Management (Slides) (Handout)

Kristy Wasilewski, Associate Director, Donor Services, NC State University

As requests for diversity, equity, and inclusion funds increase, institutions must be mindful of laws and regulations that impact the development of these funds. This session will discuss those regulations, parties who should be at the table, and methods for complying with regulations while also meeting donor intent, including how to develop tracking mechanisms for these funds.

Track: Skill Building                                        Industry: Higher Education

Kristy Wasilewski has more than ten years of experience documenting and improving processes at nonprofits and institutes of higher education. Her specialties at NC State include streamlining the centralized endowment reporting process, overseeing distinguished professorship agreements, and helping to manage the corporate and nonstandard gift agreement review process. Kristy holds a bachelor's degree in English/communications from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a master's degree in public administration with an emphasis on nonprofit management from NC State.

2B.  Women in Leadership: Contemporary Steel Magnolias (Slides)

Panel discussion with host Melissa DeClue, Director of Annual Giving, Prisma Health Midlands Foundation, and Chief Engagement Officer, Amplify Missions, with panelists Shawn Spann Edwards, CEO and Principal Consultant, Solutions by Shawn Edwards; Melissa Levesque, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina; and Leigh Jones Handal, Chief Advancement Officer at American College of the Building Arts

Track: Leadership/Management                               Industry: General

Melissa DeClue coaches and empowers emerging and existing passionate non-profit founders with tools to amplify their mission through transformative donor experiences and community-centric strategies. With over ten years of experience building relationships in fundraising and higher education, Melissa has built community and donor engagement programs that led to successful fundraising for gifts over six figures. Her holistic perspective and approach are reflected in the five guiding principles of donor engagement: receipt, thank you, access, impact, and invite. When she is not creating great opportunities for the community, she spends time with her wonderful husband and five children in Lexington, SC.

Dr. Shawn Spann Edwards is an organizational development professional with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and human resources, and process management. She is CEO and principal consultant of Solutions by Shawn Edwards, which helps organizations and firms build equitable and inclusive strategies, emphasizing strategy, systems, culture, and leadership. She is also a professor in the College of Charleston’s School of Business. Edwards earned a doctorate in business from Temple University, her MBA with a human resource management concentration, and her bachelor’s degree in management from Webster University. Shawn serves on various nonprofit boards and as a mentor to young professionals.

With four decades of experience in fundraising, public relations, and marketing, Leigh Handal has still never decided what she wants to be when she grows up. After being tapped by Mayor Joe Riley to co-edit Charleston's official history and tour guide training manual, Leigh opened her boutique tour company, Charleston Raconteurs, in 2015. She is author of Lost Charleston, Storied & Scandalous Charleston, and Charleston Then and Now (March 2024), and writes the "Do You Know Your Lowcountry?" column for the Charleston Post and Courier. In her spare time, Leigh follows her passion rescuing and loving homeless, misunderstood rabbits. She serves as ethics chair for AFP’s Lowcountry Chapter and received their Outstanding Professional Fundraiser Award.

For over 25 years, Melissa Levesque has been a leader in the nonprofit, financial, and grantmaking sectors known for her strategic vision and ability to motivate and lead successful teams to top-caliber performance. She serves as a board member and treasurer of the South Carolina Planned Giving Council, a mentor for the College of Charleston’s MBA Mentorship Program, a member of the planning committee for the Carolinas Planned Giving Conference, and a member of Philanthropy Southeast’s Public Policy Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Queens University of Charlotte and a J.D./master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Georgia. 

2C.  Designing Stewardship Programs that Work (Slides)

Kendra Wieneke, Associate Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Hear how one college used design thinking to build and launch a collaborative, scalable planned giving stewardship program. Learn how to turn challenges into opportunities for success, as we share preliminary success stories and evaluation metrics for this program. We will discuss holistic program components such as toolkits, collaboratively managed stewardship plans, impact reporting, and custom stewardship touches that have creatively and effectively re-engage this important constituency base. You can also participate in brainstorming exercises around planned giving stewardship, and how this approach is effective at building professional empathy between frontline fundraisers and stewardship officers, improving creative confidence within your team.

Track: Innovation/Creativity                       Industry: General

Kendra Wieneke directs her stewardship and donor relations program, leaning on her background in the arts, innovation, and design to create scalable solutions for the college's diverse constituency base. She sees stewardship as the center of everything and enjoys collaborating with gift officers, business managers, and communications professionals as much as possible. When Kendra is not at work, you can find her teaching yoga, seeking out live music, reading a good novel, or cuddling up and snuggling with her pup, Chewie.

Breakout Sessions 3

3A.  Taking the “ACK” out of Acknowledgments (Slides) (Handout)

Debbie Meyers, Writer/Editor, Rutgers University Foundation

Does thanking your donors seem like a thankless task? Is it painful to draft acknowledgments from your leadership? Are your letters boring and rote? Let's take the "ack" out of acknowledgments. Learn how to make your thank-yous more authentic, creative, and easy to write. In this workshop, we'll talk about making your letters donor-focused, who should sign, what formats you can use, and other acknowledgment basics. We'll also talk about a formula to use to overcome writer's block when you put virtual pen to paper.

Track: Skill Building                                        Industry: General

Having worked in advancement for more than 30 years, Debbie Meyers has honed her editorial skills by writing countless acknowledgments, talking points, proposals, gift agreements, and impact reports. She created or enhanced operations, communications, donor relations, and stewardship programs at several major universities, a Catholic high school, an art museum, and a regional health center. An ADRP founding board member, Debbie chaired the international conference in 2011 and has a consecutive streak of presenting at every international conference. She and her former drum major husband live in southwest New York with their three spoiled rescue dogs, Bo, Boo, and Marco Polo.

3B.  Becoming a Leader in Advancement—Life Lessons (Slides)

Jill Forehand, Director of Donor Relations and Prospect Development, Georgia Southern University

Always an officer, never the president—that’s how Jill preferred things in college. Let me be involved, but not too involved. She took that same approach to work. Let me be valued, but not too valued. Let me have responsibility, but not too much. Then it happened: she became a director with one assistant, then another. Another area was assigned to her, then another. What was happening? In this session, we will talk about leadership, how to be a good leader, what your bosses are looking for, and how to get that seat at the table you didn't think you even wanted.

Track: Leadership/Management               Industry: Higher Education

Jill Forehand began her career at Georgia Southern and for some crazy reason, she has never left. She's worked all angles of university advancement, beginning her career as a gift accountant, which evolved into a scholarship coordinator, which evolved into a donor relations officer, which evolved into the director of donor relations. Now, in her 23rd year at Georgia Southern, she oversees prospect development, donor relations, and advancement events. Jill has a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in business from Georgia Southern.

3C.  Expressing Gratitude via Video (Slides)

Katie Layton, Assistant Director of Donor Relations, University of Tennessee Foundation

Learn how to express gratitude using a video component while also educating a community of students, faculty, and staff on the importance of expressing gratitude to those who make so much possible. We will discuss innovative ideas focused on stewardship through videos. We will also highlight how to use a video platform to send wholesome, heartfelt, and engaging videos to donors for various occasions.

Track: Innovation/Creativity                       Industry: General

Katie Layton has more than ten years of experience in donor relations—starting as a student assistant and now as an assistant director working in the higher education realm at Columbus State University, Georgia State University, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as well as serving as development coordinator at the Atlanta Humane Society.  She recently earned her master’s degree in management and human resources at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  In addition, she earned her Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional certificate.  A native of Atlanta, Katie enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her dogs, Poppy and Walter.

The UNSESSION: How do YOU do it?

Scott S. Eichinger, Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship, The National Park Foundation

Need to know how to do something? Wondering how other places do it? Want to learn more about something that’s not covered in other sessions? Now’s your chance to ask a room full of your peers.

ADRP board member Scott Eichinger has nearly 20 years of nonprofit fundraising experience in performing arts, higher education, and environmental advocacy. His areas of expertise include donor engagement, special events, individual giving, direct response, recognition, and reporting. Scott leads a four-person donor relations and stewardship team for the National Park Foundation. Previously, he worked for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and Maryland Fund for Excellence (both at the University of Maryland), Environmental Law Institute, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Scott has a master’s degree in arts management from American University and a bachelor’s in theatre management from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Breakout Sessions 4

4A.  When Did We Become Data Geeks? (Slides) (Handout)

Jessie Blekfeld-Sztraky, Assistant Director of Stewardship, NC State University

Hey, donor relations and development operations practitioners—do you want to improve your data management skills? Listen to some real-life examples of roadblocks and success stories that show practical applications for data management. Learn the importance of understanding the technical details of project implementation and how relying on outdated methods can impede progress. And hear about how to use ChatGPT to write JavaScript and run code for complex data segmentation for a Day of Giving stewardship campaign, which resulted in significant improvements in real-time stewardship efforts. Attendees should have a basic understanding of spreadsheets, but no experience in AI or coding is required.

Track: Skill Building            Industry: General

Jessie Blekfeld-Sztraky is passionate about streamlining and optimizing operations to ensure a top-notch donor experience. She collaborates with campus partners to manage the university's Day of Giving stewardship efforts and leads scholarship stewardship impact reporting. Jessie also is a vital leader of Pack Appreciation Day, an annual student event promoting donor appreciation and building a culture of philanthropy. Beginning as a temporary staff member in alumni relations at UNC School of Law, she transitioned to the advancement services team and was hired full-time as an advancement services manager. Jessie holds a bachelor's degree in international economics, business, and Asian studies from Mary Baldwin University.

 4B.  From Me to We: Amplifying Each Other At Work (Slides)

Juliette Kesterson, Director of Donor Relations, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Jenna Dulling, Assistant Director of Board Relations and Donor Experience, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Are you ready to be a better colleague? Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start when you aren’t a part of the leadership team. That’s where WE come in. This interactive session explores the concept of amplification: about being heard, and looking at who is actually heard and by whom on any given team. We will focus on inequities among groups in the workplace, empowering your colleagues, and allyship. Gain the knowledge and strategy to amplify yourselves and fellow team members to ensure that every voice matters in your organization—a mindset change that benefits everyone.

Track: Leadership/Management

Industry: General

Juliette Kesterson has a background in stewardship, donor relations, annual giving, and adult education. In her current role, she coordinates stewardship and donor relations initiatives across campus, with a focus on top donor needs, recognition societies, donor events, and ThankView initiatives. Having been in advancement for more than ten years, she is a passionate supporter of DEI and seeks to educate others about gender inequities and how to raise each other up. She holds a bachelor’s degree from York College of Pennsylvania and is pursuing a master’s degree in educational psychology with an adult learning concentration.

Jenna Dulling has a background in leadership, board management, executive communication, stewardship, and donor relations. In her current role, she focuses on advisory board governance and unit-specific stewardship initiatives. An advancement professional for nearly six years, Jenna has continually developed her unit’s stewardship strategy as its endowment has grown to nearly $4 million. While pursuing her master’s degree in adult education, she found her passion for empowering individuals through situational awareness and self-directed learning. Jenna holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee.

4C.  Scholarship Roundtable: Ethics and Logistics (Slides)

Jill Forehand, Director of Donor Relations and Prospect Development, Georgia Southern University
Sara Moïse, Senior Director of Donor Relations, Tulane University

Time to discuss all things scholarships–logistics, ethics, and optics. Join Jill and Sara for a discussion covering hot topics, everything from scholarship criteria that put our universities at risk, to changing the way we treat scholarship recipients, and the old-school narrative of saying “thank you.” We will use this time to talk about best practices and discuss emerging trends in our industry. 

Track: Innovation/Creativity

Industry: Higher Education

Jill Forehand began her career at Georgia Southern and for some crazy reason, she has never left. She's worked all angles of university advancement, beginning her career as a gift accountant, which evolved into a scholarship coordinator, which evolved into a donor relations officer, which evolved into the director of donor relations. Now, in her 23rd year at Georgia Southern, she oversees prospect development, donor relations, and advancement events. Jill has a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in business from Georgia Southern.

After graduating from the University of Southern California believing (incorrectly) that she was destined to become an attorney,  Sara Moïse began her career in philanthropy as a jack-of-all-trades at the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program in Los Angeles. She then specialized in stewardship at Keck Medicine of USC, running an acknowledgment and recognition program during a $6B campaign. After stretching her wings at cultural and advocacy organizations, she found that higher education is home and leads a best-in-class stewardship and donor relations program for Tulane University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a certificate in fundraising and institutional development from UCLA.

Breakout Sessions 5

5A.  Creating Individualized Stewardship Plans for Your Top Donors (Slides)

Corey Smentek, Director, Donor Relations and Stewardship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Are you looking for ways to align stewardship more closely with cultivation? Bringing donor relations and stewardship to the forefront of the overall donor strategy is paramount to donor retention. Learn how to implement an individualized stewardship plan program for major and principal donors. This session will demonstrate a step-by-step plan, walking you through the implementation, execution, and maintenance stages, and will provide you with tools to assist with the management of the program.

Track: Skill building

Industry: Higher Education

Corey Smentek has worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 16 years, beginning in trustee relations before moving into fundraising. After managing MIT’s highest-level volunteer fundraising committee, Corey joined donor relations and stewardship in 2014 performing a wide array of functions, from acknowledgments to reporting, recognition, and engagement. Corey develops and executes broad-based and individualized stewardship plans for major and principal gift donors and oversees MIT’s acknowledgment program. She has served as co-chair of ADRP’s marketing committee since 2021, elevating ADRP’s presence on social media. She is a member of the international conference core planning team as marketing co-chair in 2022 and 2023.

5B.  Donor Love, For Life: Planned Giving (Slides)

Suzanne Bellanger, Associate Director, Direct Response and Stewardship Marketing, Brown University
Sierra Rosen, Executive Director, Planned Giving, Brown University

Planned gifts can have a transformational impact on an organization. Because they have uncertain timelines and are mostly revocable, we must take special care to craft a plan that secures the donor relationship for decades to come. The session includes an overview of the impact planned gifts can have on an organization’s current and future revenue stream, along with industry stats and compelling anecdotes, focusing on three key elements of a successful plan.

Learn how to create and execute a comprehensive, cost-effective stewardship plan for legacy donors that helps show the impact of their future gifts now.

Track: Leadership/Management

Industry: Higher Education

Suzanne Bellanger leads the strategy, development, and execution of stewardship marketing and donor recognition programs for units across the advancement division. She previously held client management and marketing strategy roles at other mission-based organizations as well as marketing agencies focused on the non-profit sector. Suzanne is passionate about giving back and holds board of director positions for the Marion Art Center and Girls on The Run Rhode Island, and volunteers as a grant writer for Our Sisters School in New Bedford. Suzanne has been an ADRP member since 2017 and is on the Hub's editorial board, as well as a frequent contributor.

With 15 years of experience in development, Sierra Rosen brings a strong combination of skills and collaborative abilities in assessing and managing planned giving programs. She is passionate about helping non-profits advance their mission to create a sustainable future through planned giving. During her career, she has worked on multiple capital campaigns and acquired a deep and nuanced understanding of best practices in all areas of development, including annual giving, planned giving, and principal gifts. Sierra holds a master’s degree in taxation and a JD from Northeastern University, and a bachelor’s degree from Gordon College.

5C.  Creating with Culture: Community Voice in Marketing (Slides)

In raising money and visibility, nonprofits have historically harmed the communities and individuals they seek to serve. Stories of hardship and survival have been manipulated to increase donor engagement often in ways that cause disrespect and harm. Many non-profit marketing professionals know how storytelling can connect the organization’s work to the community in meaningful, transformational ways. When used appropriately, equitable, justice-aligned storytelling should not only honor the stories and experiences of those for whom an organization is set to serve but also invite others into the movement or organization. This facilitated discussion will explore community-centered storytelling, and what it takes to get there.

Track: Innovation/Creativity          Industry: General

Rachel D'Souza-Siebert has served as an innovator and pioneer in the community-centric fundraising movement, a global initiative to reimagine the nonprofit sector through a lens of radical collaboration, racial equity, social justice, and decolonization, and is a member of the CCF Global Council. Additionally, Rachel is president-elect for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater St. Louis Regional Chapter and has been an active supporter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network and EPIP -Emerging Professionals in Philanthropy. She is pursuing her second master’s degree at the Washington University School of Law and hopes to build more transformative connections between the nonprofit and public sectors.

For ten years, Ann Fisher-Jackson has supported nonprofits and technology start-ups as they built out and implemented equitable communications and growth strategies. She found herself working alongside visionary leaders who sought to translate their dreams into solutions and action plans. Using skills developed throughout her childhood, education, and career, she built strategies, project plans, tools, templates, and aligned messaging to motivate and align staff teams, funders, customers, and target audiences toward a common vision. Ann has supported systems change and direct service nonprofits, government entities, and grantmaking institutions developing strategies and creating accountability in communications, fund development, equitable engagement, and strategic planning.

Faybra Hemphill is an experienced facilitator who enjoys participating in courageous conversations. Lead racial equity capacity catalyst and interim executive director of Forward Through Ferguson, she has a background in organizing community engagement, supporting nonprofit organizational startups, and facilitating racial equity initiatives. Her work has touched community advocates representing institutions, initiatives, and coalitions of varying identities, reaching approximately 400 changemakers and close to 100 institutions over the span of her three years at FTF. A proud St. Louisan, She holds a master’s degree education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a bachelor’s in African American Studies from Saint Louis University.

Monti Hill carries multiple hats in several spaces of her work. She is the founder of Black and Brown Leadership in Politics and the founder of MH Designs. As an organizer, Monti worked on state and federal elections, as a candidate recruiter for the Missouri Democratic Party, and with the Democratic Congressional Campaign in Southern Illinois. Her journey in obtaining skills, knowledge, and leadership has allowed her to work with some dynamic organizations like WEPOWER, Forward Through Ferguson, Generate Health, and the National Women’s Political Caucus-St. Louis Chapter. Monti is a skilled photographer, painter, and graphic designer weaving art into social justice and change.