What were you doing when we founded ADRP? Where did you go from there? Where are you now? 

I launched an award-winning stewardship, donor relations, and special events department at University of California, Irvine (UCI). Because of my additional renown as a writer and speaker on development stewardship, I was recruited to offset the heavy east coast representation on ADRP’s founding board. I also recommended my colleague, Nancy McKinney from UC Berkeley. I was later promoted to Executive Director of Principal Gifts and eventually Executive Director and Secretary for the UCI Foundation Board of Trustees. I retired from UCI seven years ago and now volunteer at several Southern California  non-profits. 

What lessons, words of advice/inspiration would you like to pass on to other donor relations professionals?

1. Join ADRP! I can’t say enough about the importance of networking and learning best practices from people who have been highly successful with their programs.
2. Never say never! Though it sounds cliché, you wouldn't believe how many times I was told something couldn’t be done. I attribute my success to thinking outside the box and evolving with technology and other trends.
3. Don’t overthink things. Forego a professional videographer and use your cell phone. Donors don’t care if it’s professionally done - they care how their funds are making a meaningful difference.
4. If it's not meaningful, don’t do it. Focus your time and energy on the things that will have the most impact.
5. MORE is not better. Keep thank you letters short, add a few personal sentences and let donors know you will follow up on the use of their funds. 
6. FOLLOW-UP! Many times a donor’s first gift to an organization is a “test” to see how well you follow up.

ADRP Memory Lane

Do you ever tell people about your early history with ADRP? If yes, what reaction do you get?

I am very proud of my role in ADRPs creation, and my many years on the board and on the conference committee, including as conference chair. When I tell people my history they are impressed, especially because in 20 years it has grown into a well-established organization with thousands of members.

What was the donor relations profession like when you first started?

Donor relations and stewardship offices were very few and far between. I worked at a very large public university and we didn’t launch our program until 2003 (the university was founded in 1965). It was a greatly overlooked area until we launched our first comprehensive campaign led by a new leader who believed stewardship is the most important step in the fundraising cycle.

Establishing a professional association is an enormous volunteer contribution. How does it feel to have the creation and early leadership of ADRP as your legacy?

It feels extremely rewarding and is a point of great pride. During those very early days, the organization had no money, no members, no bylaws, etc. Founding board members were responsible for their own association expenses. I was fortunate to have a boss who believed in the importance of donor relations and enthusiastically supported me both financially. He was a smart man who knew it would be good for me, our university, and the profession. 

Describe your experience in a completely volunteer-driven association before ADRP had professional staff?

We had to give our time, talent and treasure to the organization in order to make it the successful organization it is today. It was entirely a team effort and we were all so excited and humbled by the work to get things up and running.

What is your best memory of the early days of ADRP?

The inaugural board meeting. The ‘east coast group’ were already friends and had been meeting for awhile and sharing best practices. They welcomed me with open arms. It felt good to be part of such a special group who all had the same goals, enthusiasm, and faith that launching ADRP was going to be a complete success.

Another memory was a few years after we launched and several of us were planning the ADRP annual conference. I remember the person chairing that year pulled us all together the night before and said, “Now, everyone, repeat after me: PLEASE AND THANK YOU!” We all did. She then said, “Ok, let’s all work together over the next several days and know that we have already been asked to ‘please’ help with something, or we’d already been told '‘thank you’ when we did it!” I have told this story over and over in my career!