Robb Hoffheins
Head of Product
Mythos

1. Can you tell us about your career trajectory? 
I learned the ropes and got an on-the-job masters in business, marketing, and sales at America Online. I then had a few successful small business ventures of my own before meeting Jon Budington (Mythos CEO) through a former colleague. I have been working with Jon for over 10 years leading the development and marketing of the Mythos platform.

2. In simplest terms, describe how Mythos fits into the donor relations paradigm. What differentiates your company from others with the same offering?
Stewardship teams use Mythos to simplify the process of creating personalized and meaningful donor communications. Mythos harnesses the power of storytelling to help donors better understand the impact of their giving. The platform streamlines the process of beneficiary story collection, financial data reporting, and communications design and distribution—both online or in print. There is no other product that combines this breadth of services.

3. Are there any lessons, words of advice, or words of inspiration that you would like to pass on to the donor relations community from a vendor perspective? 
Donor relations is an incredibly valuable function and, I believe, is becoming more so every day. Don’t ever forget that what you do is the bridge that enables experiences and education that can’t really be quantified. Though it can be qualified and then shared with donors to cultivate more of the same.

How do you define philanthropy?

For most, the word is synonymous with giving to a worthy cause. Yet the idea of philanthropy didn’t begin that way. A look into the word’s ever-changing meaning provides us clues into the motivations that drive philanthropy and how the practice will likely evolve.

Image Credit: Heinrich Füger (German, 1751-1818), “Prometheus Brings Fire to Mankind”/Wikimedia Commons

The concept of philanthropy first appeared in the 5th century BCE. Aeschylus’s play, Prometheus Unbound, tells the story of Prometheus—a god-like titan who took pity on humanity left freezing and starving in the dark. He steals fire from his fellow gods and gifts it to mankind. It’s a gift he knows will likely cost him dearly, but Prometheus is motivated by a universal and unconditional sense of altruism: philos anthropos, or the love of humankind.

Cheryl Smith Lintner

Executive Director, Donor Relations

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation

It’s almost time for me to put on nice pants again - just a few more weeks until the ADRP 20th Annual International Conference. I’ve got Purple Rain on repeat, and I’m practicing my enunciation - there are a lot of syllables in Minneapolis!

Margaret Coad 
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

This year, the ADRP International Conference in Minneapolis on Oct 5-7 will feature deep-dive workshops that address leadership development at all stages as well as crash courses in the fundamentals of our profession. We are proud to present leaders in the field that address what is often the stickiest aspects of our work.

Theresa Haenn will focus on finding calm in the chaos and breaking down silos, and Kay Coughlin will guide us in tools to manage up, down and across. Nicole Wood will provide a leadership coaching session, and ADRP veterans Jen McGrath, Eliza McNulty, Mark Lanum, Debbie Meyers and Kathleen Diemer will provide a DR 101 road map if you're just joining the field or want to brush up on the latest in best practices.

The organizing committee has placed careful attention on curating game-changing connections for you through multiple networking opportunities. This year we are bringing back the option to participate in a small-group cohorts to develop close contacts that last beyond conference, a welcome party for all participants, and not one but TWO group excursions!

Increase the Volume of the Quiet Rebel in You with the 100 Voices Framework ADRP Experiential Conference Session 

Tracie Jae, aka The Quiet Rebel, doesn’t make any guarantees – with one exception. She promises that you will walk away from her 100 Voices Framework at the 2023 ADRP conference with what you need.

You define that, not her.

Tracie’s commitment to offering audiences experiences that connect us to our shared humanity and foster a space where we feel safe and seen is among the many reasons we are thrilled to feature her in this year’s conference.

Cheryl Smith Lintner

Executive Director, Donor Relations

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation

Cheryl Smith Lintner

Executive Director, Donor Relations

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation

Barbara C. Mlawer

Can you tell us about your career trajectory? How did you come into donor relations as a career?

I began a career in healthcare development communications over 15 years ago, cutting my teeth at two incredible medical institutions: the first one as the director of development communications at Northwell Health and now as the director of stewardship at NYU Langone Health. 

Stewardship, as a distinct unit within the development and alumni Affairs department at NYU Langone was, believe it or not, somewhat new so while I ‘sit’ on the stewardship team, I really feel that my work more closely reflects donor relations work. 

As a donor relations professional, using my visual arts background, I get to partner with our fundraisers to develop communication pieces that capture the impact donors have when they make a gift. It’s both creatively fulfilling as well as strategically specific to our mission and donor interests.

Will León
Arizona State University Foundation
Director, Donor Digital Engagement Services

Can you tell us about your career trajectory? How did you come into donor relations as a career?

Given that I've spent 25 years in the higher education space, it's fair to say that higher education is in my wheelhouse. I began my career in donor relations after working in the University of Texas at Austin Development Office in corporate and foundation relations. When I relocated to the Phoenix area, I was hired by Arizona State University and have continued my career there.

What influenced your interest in and passion for donor relations?

Donor relations found me! Also, what better way to spend one’s time than expressing gratitude! Receiving gratitude makes donors feel good about their decision to give, and it makes me feel good to express gratitude to donors and colleagues as well. I think it's an honorable thing to acknowledge that people are supporting your organization and to find additional ways to engage with donors and connect them to their passions.

Cheryl Smith Lintner

Executive Director, Donor Relations

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation

In just a few weeks, I will be on a short flight to Toronto, Canada, where I will gather with the other members of the ADRP board for two days of intense and thoughtful discussions at our annual spring in-person meeting. On the agenda are new board director nominations, membership structure, by-laws (so fun!), and policy development (also so fun!). And while I jest, these important conversations and decisions always leave me energized and excited about the future of ADRP. More to come on that front!

It’s never too early or late to reflect on one’s career especially after a life-changing experience like a global pandemic. Many of us have likely changed in small ways over the last two years including where you find yourself on the donor relations spectrum. Leave us a comment to let us know in the comments below!

Sara Moïse
Tulane University
Senior Director of Donor Relations

One of the most prevalent struggles I hear across education-based donor relations professionals is getting scholarship recipients to submit content for stewardship reports. I also spend a lot of my time thinking about JEDI. (Yes, my husband is a mega Star Wars nerd, but I mean Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.) These two topics cross lightsabers in my mind with high frequency… and I think there’s A New Hope for the future.

As we work toward equity and inclusivity, I find myself examining the power dynamic between scholarship donors and recipients, who should express gratitude to donors, and what best serves our donors and students (i.e., our future donors!) in the long term.

At my institution, we don’t require gratitude from scholarship recipients. We strongly encourage it—with repeated, months-long reminders that are laborious and ineffective. Even in-person events often fail to generate content as the Jedis-in-training are focused more on free food and swag.

1. Network with colleagues all over the world.
2. Get the inside scoop on ADRP activities before everyone else does.
3. Make a difference: Is there something you’d like to improve about ADRP?
4. Join a committee and make the change yourself!
5. Work and learn alongside donor relations veterans.
6. Make friends.
7. Learn new skills such as event planning, project management, communications, and presenting.
8. Gain professional experience that you can add to your resume.
9. Have a platform to share your ideas and expertise.
10. Broaden your perspective.
11. Have fun! 

Carrie Flood
Dalhousie University  
Director, Donor Relations

Corey Smentek
MIT
Director, Donor Relations & Stewardship

Carrie and Corey currently lead ADRPs marketing and communications committee.

Cheryl Smith Lintner

Executive Director, Donor Relations

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation

It’s kind of hard to shout out an enthusiastic message in a static written column. Stage directions might help.

Cheryl enters from stage right with a bullhorn. She taps it, and whispers “Is this thing on?” Then, she shouts:

Jennifer Hughes
National Park Foundation
Senior Manager, Board and Council Relations

Volunteers are special people. They offer your organization a diverse skill set and bring incredible abilities to help deliver on your organization’s greatest needs. Volunteers make a difference by recognizing no task is too small or insignificant. Each volunteer is a tiny piece of the puzzle with a large purpose in making change and creating opportunities throughout the world. One of my favorite quotes comes from Mother Teresa: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

I spent the last seven years in a donor relations role. I had the great honor to be able to communicate the impact and importance that philanthropy has on our national parks as part of our stewardship events team. Last year, I transitioned over to a new role in governance and working directly to manage our Board of Directors and National Advisory Council, some of our organization’s biggest supporters and ultimately, volunteers. Being able to think of creative ways to thank them for their volunteer leadership and philanthropy is a rewarding aspect of stepping into this new capacity for me. Sometimes we get caught up in the details of our roles without appreciating the broader ways that our daily efforts help meet the organization’s mission.

This is a friendly reminder that they are not just volunteers. They’re not just planting trees. They’re not just serving a bowl of soup. They’re not just planning the next ADRP International Conference. We know that our volunteers’ impact far exceeds the action that is taken in our communities, and we should continuously thank our volunteers for their commitment and talents. I encourage you to send a note of kudos to your volunteers and show your appreciation for all of their heart work and dedication to help build upon your mission today.