Concurrent Session 3 | October 5 | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Jessica Hegarty

As a writer, what I'm about to say is blasphemous: sometimes the written word isn't the best way to share impact. While many donors prefer the narrative retelling of their philanthropy, sometimes there's a better approach. How to tell a given story is just as important as the why or the what and this session would share our techniques and approaches on how our donor relations team chooses a medium. We'll share how a few reports have evolved over the years, how the pandemic forced us to pivot, and what changes have stayed (and which have evolved further). It will also present an opportunity to share some tools we use to help us steward our donors, including Canva, Piktograph, and Shutterfly. While there isn't one way to do things, we want to share some of the positive impact we've received by switching the medium for certain messages. In this session, we will examine how the donor relations team at Northeastern has used changing the medium to reinvigorate a message and personalize reports according to donor preference.

You will learn how to

• Feel more comfortable changing medium for existing reports
• Tailor your medium the same way you tailor your message
• Ensure future reports and stewardship touches are donor-centric

Jessica Hegarty, Assistant Director, Academic and Donor Engagement, Harvard University

Jessica Hegarty is a stewardship and communications professional, passionate about the ‘why’s’ behind donors giving. In her current role as Assistant Director, Academic, and Donor Engagement, she maintains and manages the partnership between academic leaders and development professionals. After a decade working in entertainment and tourism, she's brought her creative problem-solving skills to development, donor relations, and stewardship. A playwright, spoken-word poet, communications professional, and calligraphy artist, she is a lover of words and the beauty of storytelling. Personally, she is a dog mom, a Patriots fan, and a lover of puns.

Return to Schedule

Session 3B: Zero to Hero: How to Create an Impactful Corporate Stewardship Program

Casie Kamph

When the American Cancer Society shifted its philosophy from a dedicated stewardship team for major gift and campaign-level individual donors to an enterprise-wide stewardship approach, the stewardship department was called to define and build a corporate stewardship program from the ground up. Over the last year, they built several 30-60-90 day plans, failed forward, and ultimately built trust to lay a strong foundation for success. In this session, learn how they empowered team members, strengthened relationships, and embedded the importance of stewardship for Fortune 1000 companies at a national nonprofit and what that can look like for you and others.

We will discuss

• Building a new corporate stewardship program
• Shifting stewardship philosophy
• Strengthening relationships internally

Casie Kamph, Senior Donor Relations Manager, American Cancer Society

Casie Kamph manages a portfolio of Fortune 1000 companies across the nation, developing strategy and innovative ideas to strengthen relationships and drive revenue. Dedicated to creating moments, sharing impact, and showing gratitude for corporate partners, she received ACS’s CEOs Club Award in 2020 for exceeding goal and bringing in over $3 million. Casie received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire in public relations and creative writing. She and her dog Baxter live in St. Paul, where they enjoy long walks on sunny days and playing frisbee for as long as his little legs allow, even when it’s cold and snowy!

Return to Schedule

Session 3C: Empathy: the Not So Secret Sauce of Donor Relations

Bethany Winslow, Courtney Bloniasz, Caitlin DerSimonian, Maura Ryan, and Tara Studley

Empathy is the key ingredient of every donor relations function, from letters to processes. Join us as we share the recipe for making a deep connection between unique people and our institutions’ missions.

Learn how you can tap into empathy to bridge any distance. Riffing off Alan Alda’s latest book,  If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face, discover how interactive games can cultivate empathy. You’ll gain practical methods to incorporate empathy into every aspect of your work and make it a lifelong endeavor to benefit those you serve, lead, and love.

Bethany Winslow, Director of Strategic Projects and Operations, Maine Medical Center

During Bethany Winslow’s tenure, the donor relations program expanded from a single position to a team of five covering campaign management, events, proposals, stewardship, impact reporting, and operations. Recently, the team celebrated surpassing an initial $150 million campaign goal by more than $29 million and received a GIA Award for Excellence from the Association of American Medical Colleges for their approach to the campaign’s public launch mid-pandemic. Bethany previously was assistant executive director for a local social service nonprofit in Maine. She holds a degree in visual design and a certificate of graduate studies in nonprofit management from the University of Southern Maine.

Courtney Bloniasz, Leadership Gift Associate, Maine Medical Center (MMC)

As the lynchpin of MMC’s donor relations systems, Courtney believes data helps us understand where donors are coming from, and gives us hope we’ll make donor-centric decisions as we go forward. Combining her Annual Giving background with her graduate work in Analytics, she is currently focused on enhancing systems to create personalized donor experiences and champion the hospital’s mission. She organizes donor information with care so their stories can be leveraged thoughtfully to cultivate stronger relationships.

Caitlin DerSimonian, Leadership Gifts Event Manager, Maine Medical Center (MMC)

In her role, Caitlin generates a full slate of engaging and impactful events and programs for members of our community. Through her work she demonstrates her strong dedication to advancing MMC’s donor-centered fundraising in support of the hospital’s strategic priorities. In addition, Caitlin played an instrumental leadership role in the success of The NEXT 150 | The Campaign for Maine Medical Center, specifically focused on the Next 150 Public Launch event. The event generated a significant amount of interest and involvement within our community, which contributed to MMC raising a total of $179 million. In 2022, Caitlin was honored to be awarded 40 Under 40 by the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy for her professional contributions to this specialized field of work.

Maura Ryan, Donor Relations Copywriter, Maine Medical Center (MMC)

As a writer in MMC’s philanthropy department, Maura crafts compelling stories for donors during their journey from cultivation to stewardship. With more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience, she knows how to empathize with different audiences and tailor messages for the best impact. Maura’s goal is to highlight ways that the hospital’s mission and outcomes align with donors’ philanthropic potential. 

Tara Studley, Leadership Gifts Stewardship Manager, Maine Medical Center (MMC) 

Tara delights in learning people’s stories and uncovering what motivates them to participate in philanthropy. In her role, she works to ensure that donors not only understand the impact of their gift, but that they are reported to in ways that speak to their core reasons for giving. With a decade of experience in Maine Medical Center’s Philanthropy department, first as a Program Manager for Maine Children’s Cancer Program and most recently as a Stewardship Manager for Leadership Gifts, Tara believes that stories have a profound ability to connect us all, and she tries to harness this power through her work. Her thoughtful, heartfelt approach and love of the written word contribute to stewardship touchpoints that resonate with donors. 

Return to Schedule

Session 3D: Chatbot Got Your Tongue? The Promises and Perils of Chat GPT and Other AI Mysteries

Jeff Muller

It seems you can't read a ListServ, blog post, or article these days without someone mentioning Chat GPT. How much do you know about this up-and-coming technology—its attendant promises and perils? We’ll start with an entertaining presentation including pros and cons, then jump into some case studies from various organizations and host a live demonstration of the product (technology allowing!). We will also explore what this technology could mean for the future of our jobs. We will conclude with a facilitated exercise in which we’ll co-create a list of potential use cases that you can take back to the office.

You will:

• Gain a better understanding of artificial intelligence in general and Chat GPT more specifically
• Explore case studies and co-develop a list of use cases
• Emerge with a sense of benefits of Chat GPT along with some associated risks

Jeff Muller, Founder and Chief Strategist, Crossroads Insights LLC

Jeff Muller partners with NGOs, philanthropies, and other c3 and c4 nonprofits to provide strategy at the nexus of philanthropy, communications—creating the collaborative enterprise to strengthen organizations for durable success. For the past 20 years, Jeff has performed this work for organizations, from small regional nonprofits to international NGOs. He has helped build relationships to raise hundreds of millions of dollars that support transformative programs across the country and around the world, and supported campaigns from $10 million to more than $1 billion. A frequent presenter on philanthropy and communications, he spent six years on the ADRP board with one term as secretary/treasurer.

Return to Schedule

Session 3E: Tools for Effective Communication OR Respond Already So I Can Get My Work Done!

Ann Enthoven, Daniel Lucero, and Rachel Tarantino

“Sorry, I’m just getting to this now. I was hoping one of the six other people on this email thread would answer your question and I could just go on living my life.” Ever had this thought when reading a challenging message? Or if the recipient of your (long) email might be thinking the same? Join us for tips on how to use certain communication tools, how to write to get responses, and how to decide if a meeting is necessary. You’ll put these tips into practice as we work through several scenarios. What you take away will be immediately useful to keep your workflow flowing.

You will:

• Be able to choose the best communication tool for the situation
• Understand how to put the needs of readers first
• Craft effective emails to get a response

Ann Enthoven, Senior Associate Director of Donor Relations for the Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University

At Stanford University’s School of Humanities and Sciences, Ann Enthoven and her team work with development staff, faculty, and students within the school to report on professorships, fellowships, and department-level and dean’s-level funding across 23 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. Prior to this position, Ann held donor relations, program director, and assistant coach positions in Stanford’s athletics department, the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, and Stanford women’s basketball.

Daniel Lucero, Assistant Director of Donor Relations, Stanford University

 Daniel Lucero is on the central donor relations team that produces communications, impact reports, and events for a portfolio of Stanford’s most generous and prominent donors. Daniel is a project manager for two university-wide leadership-level recognition societies. Prior to Stanford, Daniel graduated from the University of Oregon and worked in several nonprofits throughout the bay area.

Rachel Tarantino, Assistant Director of Donor Relations, Stanford University

Rachel Tarantino is on the central donor relations team that manages large-scale narrative impact reporting. Rachel acts as project manager for various fellowship and professorship impact reports for the Stanford Law School, Graduate School of Education, School of Engineering, and Graduate School of Business. Prior to Stanford, Rachel graduated from California State University, Chico, served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Billings, Montana, and worked in fundraising and marketing in a bay area health nonprofit. 

 Return to Schedule

Session 3F: Building a Student Philanthropy Ambassador Team

Sira Naras Frongillo

Nothing we can say or write to a donor will be as meaningful as what a student can say or write. The Student Philanthropy Ambassador (SPA) team provides well-trained students for events ranging from intimate lunch dates and campus tours with donors to staffing Alumni Weekend and Homecoming. SPA also provides gratitude quotes and photos for regular social media posts as well as messaging for various print and video donor-facing collateral. This session offers a step-by-step guide to building and maintaining a student philanthropy ambassador program for your institution.

Learning Objectives

• Gain step-by-step instructions to build and maintain a successful student philanthropy ambassador team
• Learn the many uses for and benefits of having a student philanthropy ambassador team
• Consider pitfalls and trade tips for building and maintaining a successful student philanthropy ambassador program

Sira Naras Frongillo, Director of Advancement Strategic Content Development, Worcester Polytechnic Institute - University Advancement

Sira Frongillo lives “A Tale of Parallel Careers” with the great fortune of getting to wear both of her favorite professional hats at the same time. As a veteran marketing and communications executive, she successfully promotes and supports academic institutions through her advancement and development work. As an adjunct professor in communications and a student adviser, she supports and helps develop her university’s bright young scholars. Sira’s passion for her work has been described as contagious, and she is on a personal mission to share all the knowledge and skill she has earned over her 30-plus-year career with fellow non-profit organizations.

Return to Schedule

Session 3G: Building a Risk Management Ecosystem for Gift Management

Nancy McKinney and Oriel Nolan-Smith

Risk management has many facets and is part of every phase of managing a philanthropic gift. In this session you’ll hear about how the University of California, Berkeley has built an eco-system to protect itself from reputational, legal, and financial risks as it solicits, documents, records, and stewards gifts. You’ll leave the session with an understanding of the key elements you’ll want to consider when building something like this program for your organization.

Nancy McKinney, Associate Vice Chancellor, Advancement Operations, University of California, Berkeley

Nancy Lubich McKinney is the associate vice chancellor for Advancement Operations at the University of California, Berkeley. Her responsibilities encompass gift agreements, gift acceptance, fund management, gift processing, donor relations, stewardship reporting, compliance, data management, institutional reporting, data analytics, technology, gift accounting, treasury, budgeting, talent management, DEIBJ initiatives, business operations, and facilities management. Nancy is a past president of ADRP.
Prior to her advancement career, Nancy had an 18-year career at Bank of America that spanned internal management consulting, credit risk management, and procurement. In the 1980s she led the bank’s exploration of applications of artificial intelligence.

Oriel Nolan-Smith, Assistant Director for Policy, University of California, Berkeley 

Oriel Nolan-Smith has been working for UC Berkeley since 2014, and currently serves as the Assistant Director for Policy on the Fund Stewardship and Compliance team. In 2020, she launched the research gift intake process to the campus, through which all research gifts are reviewed for gift acceptance and the back-up shared with the gift services team for expedited processing. Her role also includes writing gift agreements, reviewing and negotiating external terms, and managing endowed matching programs.

Return to Schedule