An early group gathers to meet about the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (photo credit: Debbie Meyers)

Our Story

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. And so it was with the founding of ADRP—formerly the New England Stewardship Conference (NESC). Prior to 1990, there were relatively few professionals dedicated solely to stewardship. But those who were developed an informal network and began meeting as a group that year. The founding members were from the New England area (hence the original name) and focused primarily on higher education. These efforts were spearheaded by Joseph J. Donnelly, Jr., who would later become ADRP's first President.

One of the founding members, Roberta O'Hara, recalls the early days, "Twelve people sitting around a table at Vassar...led to an organization that is now 1,800 strong."

One can only imagine the excitement and synergy that existed among our inaugural members—could it be that there was an entire body of work that could advance an organization by expressing appreciation and demonstrating impact to its donors? A resounding YES! And was there an inherent art and science to this aspect of the fundraising profession? Again, a resounding YES!

Typical of donor relations professionals, this group was energetic, visionary, and progressive. They freely shared ideas and used relatively new electronic technology to establish a cohesive network in between annual meetings—which were organized on a volunteer basis and hosted by various institutions.

"All of ADRP's members are very fortunate recipients of the vision, fortitude and 'never give up' attitude of those who have gone before us."–Roberta O'Hara.

Fast forward to 2002 when members decided to hold their conference at a non-institution, advancing their goal of inclusivity. But such a move added a host of complexities that needed to be addressed. And, by now, the importance of the profession was being recognized and the number of members was burgeoning—time to re-group. 

A group of like-minded colleagues began earnest discussions about the future of the organization. Rather than join forces with other existing, related entities, they decided to blaze their own trail.

So they broadened their reach beyond higher education and illuminated this very specific aspect of development. In 2003, bylaws were adopted and in January 2004 in New Hampshire, a newly-formed organization with an international reach was incorporated–the Association of Donor Relations Professionals. Joe Donnelly officially took up the mantle of President of ADRP alongside a stellar founding board. Over the next several years, the organization drafted a strategic plan, launched the website and The Hub monthly newsletter, and hosted the first International Conference. 

ADRP has grown in leaps and bounds since its incorporation in 2004, and the board continues to set ambitious goals to keep up with the speed of the industry and the evolving needs of our membership. Nancy McKinney, who was ADRP’s third and longest-serving President, remembers a major priority of the group, “Our evolution was about making sure the organization was sustainable.” Improving and evolving are hallmarks of the Association of Donor Relations Professionals–for individual members and for the organization as a whole. After all, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” as Aristotle observed centuries ago!