Suzanne Bellanger
Senior Managing Director, DCF Marketing & Stewardship
Dartmouth College

One of the things I appreciate most about ADRP is the access to creative ideas, innovative practices, and helpful insights shared by peers across the industry. Recently, I was on the other side of the information sharing stream as a presenter for the January webinar “Elevating the Student Voice: Amplifying Impact Through Dynamic Stewardship.” Not only was it fun, but it also gave my colleague, Kate Barlow, and me the opportunity to reflect on a ton of hard work, celebrate our accomplishment, and share our findings with others who were truly interested. And the very best part was the new connections we made. In the days that followed, many fellow ADRPers reached out to ask questions, schedule time to chat or to simply say hi.

Honestly, both Kate and I were a little nervous about hosting the webinar. We debated what to include. Would the content be too much, too little, not relevant? Would people even care? We went through four or five iterations before we felt like we had something worthwhile. And then we made our team listen to us practice. And then listen again. And again. BUT all the prep work was worth it! Despite the mild anxiety about our presentation skills and insecurity about all the technicalities of executing a presentation via Zoom for almost 200 people, it all worked out. And, you know what? You can successfully host one too! Yes, you.

Here’s why:

• ADRP sets you up for success! Sadie Countryman and Sara Ring were our go-to support team who went above and beyond to make sure we had all the necessary tools. They offered useful tips, gave us plenty of practice time, and provided valuable technical support. Plus, they made the whole process fun.
• People want to hear from you! The strength of this organization lies in our talent. ADRP members apply creative ideas to solve similar problems and use innovative technology to elevate our work. Our best work happens when we learn collectively from others and apply that knowledge to help achieve our own unique goals. 
• You are awesome! Designing the presentation content afforded us the opportunity to look back on projects we’d successfully launched over the past year. That reflection felt really good! It helped motivate us as we headed into the second half of the year, which is always busy, busy, busy. 

ADRP hosts webinars all year long and great ideas are in high demand! Consider sharing what’s going on at your institution; I promise it will be valuable and rewarding. You are the strength and the heart of ADRP. Together we can do so much!  

P.S. If you missed the January webinar and are interested in hearing about how we use the student voice to create meaningful and engaging content for our Dartmouth College stewardship program, please reach out. You can find me at [email protected].