Annual Sheryl A. Blair Scholarships

Established in 2007 to honor the memory of former ADRP board member Sheryl Blair, The Sheryl A. Blair Scholarship includes a free annual membership and provides up to ten stipends of $1,000 to new and returning ADRP members. Since 2007, nearly 150 donor relations professionals have benefited from the Blair Scholarship. In 2022, the ADRP Board decided to revisit the Blair Scholarship through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and tasked the DEI Committee to take over the management of the scholarship and revise it to offer a more equitable and fuller ADRP experience and to cover expenses associated with member opportunities within ADRP. These include but are not limited to: an annual membership, International and Regional Conferences (including travel), workshops, and other professional development opportunities related to ADRP. This effort aligns with ADRP’s goal to represent a wide range of organizations and professionals – especially those who have historically been underrepresented within ADRP’s membership.

Blair Scholars become part of a cohort, with the expectation that they take part in at least one of the following upon completion of their scholarship year: writing about their experiences in donor relations in ADRP’s newsletter The Hub; participating in ADRP’s mentorship program, either as a mentor or mentee; partnering to develop and present a webinar or session for ADRP. 

About Sheryl Blair | Scholarship Details | Donate | 2024 Recipients

2024 Sheryl A. Blair Scholarship Recipients

• Kim Milliken Hayden, NAF
• Caitlin Bowen, University of San Diego
• Jeanine Olivares, Royal Alexandra Hospitals Foundation
• Alaina Podmorrow, United Way British Columbia
• Carrie Enkler, Craig Hospital Foundation
• Naoimh Wilson, Queen’s University Belfast
• Hanna Lounsbury, Portland State University Foundation
• Katie D. Shank, Mercersburg Academy
• Hunter Treash, Gordon College
• Penny Amescua, MLK Community Health Foundation
• Emily Phillips, Fort Lewis College

Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

Eligible applicants must:

1. Hold a position focused mainly on donor relations or stewardship

2. Wish to participate in the ADRP professional development opportunities, including but not limited to International and Regional conferences (including travel expenses), workshops, and other professional development opportunities by ADRP.

3. Be either a new ADRP Member or returning ADRP Member:

   New ADRP Member: joining ADRP for the first time, in need of membership support.

   Returning ADRP Member: a current or returning lapsed member of ADRP, in need of membership support.*

   *Members of a group membership held by their institution are not eligible to apply

Thank You, Eleven Fifty Seven for many years of supporting the Sheryl Blair Scholarship Program!