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In Service:
The Column of the ADRP President
Kathleen Diemer, CFRE
Executive Director of Donor Relations and Advancement Communications
George Mason University
In just a few weeks more than 500 donor relations professionals will gather in Las Vegas at the 14th Annual ADRP International Conference. During the conference I will pass the leadership baton of ADRP to Eliza McNulty, our current president-elect. Eliza is a capable, dedicated, passionate and talented leader and she will continue to help move our association and profession forward.
I am tremendously proud of all that ADRP has accomplished during my presidency. But the truth of the matter is that leadership, especially for a 1,650 member professional association, requires more than just one human being. It requires tremendous trust, faith, belief, collaboration and vision on the part of many people.
Since this is my final Hub column, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who make ADRP a thriving organization. First, thank you to all of our members who bestowed upon me the honor and privilege of helping to guide and steer our association. I hope I served you well.
I also want to thank the many members who have reached out to me during the last year, most especially those who contacted me in response to one of my Hub columns. Writing a monthly column is no small task, even for someone who majored in journalism! My time as president has given me a newfound respect for monthly magazine editors. It was sometimes a challenge to explore topics that I hoped would resonate with you. Hearing that so many of you gained a glimmer of hope, a sense of community, or sometimes even a laugh from one of my columns was both anxiety-reducing and a great personal boost (often at a much needed time).
ADRP would not be what it is today without the extraordinary efforts and vision of our past volunteers and board members. They saw what could be, worked tirelessly to make it happen and then put great trust in others to successfully navigate the association in a forward trajectory. Thank you to all of you, most especially those who, over the years, have served as valued colleagues, sounding boards, and mentors to me personally.
During the last two decades our profession has grown exponentially. This growth is due in part to the collaborative efforts of the many sponsors and exhibitors that work with ADRP. They listen to our industry struggles, develop and create solutions, and help us be better at what we do. It has been a joy to get to know many of them and I want to offer my gratitude for their boundless support of ADRP and the donor relations profession.
The ADRP office keeps this association operating on a daily basis. I cannot even begin to estimate the number of times I have interacted with them in the last year. I thank the entire ADRP team for their endless patience, their gentle reminders when I had deadlines looming, and for consistently coming through with the many deliverables I requested, often with a short turnaround time.
While our office team keeps us humming along, I am also indebted to the many volunteers who have given their time and talents to ADRP this year. Without you there would be no Hub, no webinars, no regionals, no annual conference and no other engagement, educational or networking opportunities. I am especially grateful to my fellow ADRP board members. We have accomplished much in the last year and I am sincerely grateful for all of your energy, collaboration and thought leadership. You provided opposing points of view, helped me work through unexpected challenges, told me when my ambitions and vision exceeded our reality, and somehow managed to keep me sane (and laughing) throughout the year.
Last, but certainly not least, volunteering in a leadership role for a professional organization necessitates having the unwavering support and steadfast encouragement of your own professional leadership and colleagues. I simply cannot adequately thank my incredible boss and amazing colleagues at George Mason University. Their willingness to share me with the membership of ADRP means more - to me and to our members - than they will ever know. They have been a constant source of encouragement, served as excellent advisors and have kept me going on days when I felt stretched beyond capacity. I am fortunate to work with them each and every day.
As I finish out this year, I realize that I have contributed much to ADRP. But what I have given ADRP pales in comparison to what ADRP has given me. If you have ever thought about volunteering on behalf of ADRP, I encourage you to dip your toes in the water. Start small and give whatever time and talent you can. The return on your investment will be well worthwhile and you will meet and serve with incredible people along the way. Leadership can be messy and complicated at times, but service to others has its own unique array of unexpected and meaningful rewards.
With gratitude,
Kathleen Diemer
[email protected]
President
How to Cultivate the Gift Officer Relationship
Our colleagues at APRA have been kind enough to share a post from the APRA Connections blog. APRA member, Trevor Stasik, Prospect Researcher & Donor Data Analyst at Make-A-Wish America shares interesting insights on cultivating relationships with fundraisers. This is sure to resonate with the ADRP membership, as well.
[Read More]
5 Ways to Up Retention From Your Next Fundraising Event
Joshua Meyer
Director of Marketing
Bidpal
Looking to up donor retention at your next fundraising event, but not sure where to start? Check out these 5 donor retention tips to help grow your nonprofit!
[Read More]
Donor Relations & Stewardship Best Practices - Last month for comments!
ADRP continues to work in partnership with the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP) to review and update the current suite of best practices for Donor Relations and Stewardship. We are grateful to former and current ADRP-AASP Best Practices Committees for their excellent work originally crafting these best practices and for keeping these important resources up to date.
Now we need your input. Draft versions of the updated best practices are available for comment by both ADRP and AASP members. These drafts allow all interested to engage in active discussions of proposed best practices, and we encourage you to participate and make your voice heard!
[Read More]
Upcoming Events - Register Today!
Don't miss your chance to register for the 14th Annual International Conference! Join donor relations and stewardship professionals from around the world this fall in Las Vegas, Nevada. The largest international conference dedicated to donor relations and stewardship, your knowledge will help other professionals, whether just starting in the field or experienced in several areas of philanthropy.
Learn more and register >>
Calling all Californians! Seeking presenters!
We're happy to introduce an upcoming ADRP Regional Conference in Southern CA, open to all California residents in February 2018! Come spend the day with us at USC's beautiful and historic University Park campus located near downtown LA. (More details to come.)
But before we open registration, we're seeking Donor Relations specialists to share your insights, experiences and expertise with us. Please submit your topic ideas and a rough outline of your presentation by October 31, 2017 to [email protected]. Suggested topic areas include, but are not limited to the following ideas:
- Social media in stewardship
- Using technology in stewardship/innovative stewardship practices
- Donor Recognition - How to enhance your donor recognition program
- New to Donor Relations? - How to coach/train new team members
- Impact reporting for large group of people
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in 2018!
How to Use Online Donation Tools to Boost Donor Retention
Abby Jarvis
Blogger, Marketer and Communications Coordinator
Qgiv
Your donors are one of the most crucial elements of your nonprofit's success. As a nonprofit leader, you know that, with your donors' dedicated support, you have the funds to further your cause through various projects and missions.
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Guest Articles for The Hub
(We Want Your News!)
One of the many benefits of being a member of ADRP is belonging to a community of professionals that shares knowledge and experiences. In an effort to better serve our members this year, we are working to bring you content each month that is helpful, relevant, and cohesive.
We are seeking article submissions from our members that cover any topic relevant to the profession, including those that may coincide with one of the monthly webinars.
Please share with us your best practices, experiences, successes, or challenges related to this topic so we can collectively learn and grow. Articles must be received the month prior to the scheduled publication month.
Member Spotlight
Name: Jane McIntosh
Institution: Mercy Ships Canada
Position: Donor Relations Coordinator
ADRP member for 7 months
How long have you worked in donor relations/stewardship and how did you get involved in this profession?
I have worked in donor relations for two and a half years. I became involved in this profession because I was a volunteer crew member for our organization for two years on our medical ship the Africa Mercy.
Shortly after I returned from serving in West Africa, there was an opening in donor relations and I was hired into the position. I am currently the only person in our office who has served on the ship.
[Meet Jane]
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