Concurrent Session 5 | October 6 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Session 5B: Donor Recognition: Where's Your True North?

Melody Schoonover and Pennie Kolinski

Brand guidelines are a crucial tool which create alignment across your organization on who you are. They provide harmony, structure, and consistency across marketing and communications. While good guidelines can go in-depth into regulations around signage, many fall short or miss the opportunity completely when it comes to addressing visual consistency among donor recognition. More importantly, they lack the organization’s story—its purpose and vision, and how it supports the brand. This session walks you through the process to create the first set of donor recognition guidelines at OhioHealth. Co-hosts will discuss content and how it addresses common challenges, sparking ideas, and conversation.

Key takeaways are

• Internally: a set of donor recognition guidelines is an effective tool to gain alignment among my team, provide consistency, and elevate the Foundation within my organization
• Externally: having a set of guidelines will provide clarity and consistency among my donors
• You will walk away feeling inspired, with a few ideas and knowledge on how to start your own set of guidelines

Melody Schoonover, President, Eleven Fifty Seven

 Melody Schoonover is a design professional, business owner, and branding expert with over 20 years of experience. Before landing at Eleven Fifty Seven to focus on design and strategy for donor recognition, she spent many years in advertising and branding. This background has brought a unique approach to the donor recognition industry, where she is able to balance her time being hands-on creative, overseeing her teams, and serving donor relations clients all over the U.S.

Pennie Kolinski, Senior Consultant, Donor Relations, OhioHealth

 Pennie Kolinski is an accomplished and dedicated donor relations professional with more than ten years fundraising experience. She has a background in customer service which helped her excel in donor relations where she provides valued expertise facilitating acknowledgments, stewardship actions, donor recognition, and engagement activities for a large donor base. Her passion for building relationships and keen ability to multitask a variety of challenges and responsibilities has helped her succeed in donor relations.

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Session 5C: Understanding Your Work Style and Managing Up

Leticia John, Laura Lane, and Kawai Lai

This workshop will strengthen your emotional intelligence and self-perceptions, and enhance your understanding that as individuals, we all receive and process information differently—especially in the workplace. You will be able to identify your work style preferences as they relate to your professional development and work relationships. You will also engage in a meaningful conversation about "managing up" (managing your boss) in theory and in practice, as we share tips, examples, and thoughts that will lead you to be successful in your position and advance professionally.

You will gain

• Greater self-awareness
• Greater self-management
• New and tangible ways to influence and improve communications and relationships with colleagues

Leticia John, Director, Stewardship and Engagement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

 Leticia John leads a stewardship and engagement program for mid-level donors who give between $1,000-$24,999, creating contact strategies, developing impact communications, and planning events to increase donor and revenue retention. Before coming to PPFA, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and master's in public administration and nonprofit management from New York University. Leticia has over 15 years of diverse experience in nonprofit and for-profit sectors, working with academic institutions, philanthropic consulting firms, national and international healthcare organizations, and government agencies. She enjoys developing meaningful partnerships and creating mutually beneficial solutions that improve access to economic, educational, social, and healthcare equalities.

Laura Lane, MPA, MPP; Director, Marketing and Operations, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Laura Lane brings more than 15 years of experience in development, including direct marketing, peer-to-peer, and corporate engagement. At Planned Parenthood, she manages multi-channel direct response efforts for donors of $1K to $25K annually. Previously, Laura worked for several New York City-based healthcare, arts, and human services non-profits. She managed recruitment and retention for Team In Training New York City, the largest peer-to-peer fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She also served as fundraising advisor for Team TLC NYC, a volunteer-based organization helping those seeking asylum in the US. Laura holds a master's degree in public policy and public administration from American University.

Kawai Lai, Senior Transformation Consultant, August Public Inc

 Kawai Lai believes in the power of visuals and finds purpose at the intersection of leadership, equity, and strategy. She is a designer and facilitator partnering with leaders across multiple industries to plan for the future and brings an equity lens and a visual practice to everything she does. She is the co-author of "The NEW Team Habits 2020," which provides practices for leaders to build better team habits, and creator of the "Strategic Planning Playbook," a step-by-step guide to demystifying strategy for leaders who want to run an inclusive and joyful process.

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Session 5D: You've Got the Questions, We've Got the Research

Research Committee members Liz Menne, Michelle Michael, and Sarah Kuenzler

Don't have the time or resources to pore through peer-reviewed scholarly journals to learn about latest research findings in donor relations? You don't have to! ADRP's Research Committee has done that on key topics. Guided by the ADRP membership, the Research Committee will present two to four research studies to answer questions about our current and future work in the donor relations profession.

This session will

• Provide digestible research for you to apply in your shop’s strategy
• Give space for you to ask questions about how research studies can apply to your organization
• Offer you the opportunity to learn what’s new in our profession

Liz Menne, PMP, ODDER Manager, EverTrue

Liz has built her career around supporter/customer experience to help cultivate loyalty and generate revenue. She started at the University of Miami, her alma mater, as a customer service representative and has been crushing projects ever since. She is currently the GTM Launch Manager/ODDER Manager at EverTrue, holds her PMP Certification, and is an associate helping clients at the DRG Group. Liz’s career has taken her all over the Southern U.S., working with teams to make the mundane engaging while creating efficiencies so the critical goals get the time they deserve. She has led ventures involving reporting, renewals/reminders, software implementation, events, agreements, and more. She was even named Rookie of the Year for her software implementation and report process building. Liz volunteers with ADRP and her local PMI chapter. She is an avid reader, enjoys a good cup of coffee, especially with others, and spending time with her husband.

Michelle Michael, Executive Director, Stewardship and Events, University of Chicago

 Michelle leads the donor relations, gift acceptance & agreements, and strategic events teams at the University of Chicago’s central office of Alumni Relations and Development, providing oversight for donor engagement and stewardship strategies and programs. Michelle is a graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan where she earned her BA in Journalism, and is in the home stretch of pursuing her Master’s of Public Administration at Illinois Institute of Technology. When not studying up on public policy, Michelle’s free time includes playing guitar, seeing rock shows, and enjoying the lives of her young adult sons.

Sarah Kuenzler, Donor Relations and Engagement Specialist, Twin Cities PBS

As Donor Relations and Engagement Specialist in the Major and Planned Giving Department at Twin Cities PBS, Sarah manages donor relations strategies and initiatives though donor communications, stewardship events, and building new reporting and recognition opportunities. Sarah is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Potsdam where she earned her BS in Art History, and later earned her Master's of Art History at the University of Saint Thomas. She volunteers as a Strategic and Development advisor for the Free Book Buggie, and as a statistician for the Saint Paul Pioneers semi-pro football team. In her free time, Sarah enjoys creating ceramics, playing video games, and spending time with her partner, Jake, and their two cats.

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Jean Maginnis and Julie Ford

Faculty hold key content to create Phillips Exeter Academy’s dynamic impact reports to endowed fund donors, but cultivating that content is not always easy—for faculty or the donor relations team! Exeter’s donor relations team will share strategies they developed for educating faculty on endowed funds and supporting them through impact reporting, including hosting our Storytelling Summit for Fund Administrators. There, chairs and key staff learn about endowment, department funds, donor relations, and storytelling for donor impact. We also work with our partners in finance to create and deliver fund administrator memos with critical information, creating a system for developing more than 1,000 customized donor reports.

You will be able to:

• Repurpose Phillips Exeter Academy’s “Storytelling Summit for Fund Administrators” to meet the needs of your organization
• Identify and implement strategies for effective collaboration with partners across your organization 
• Create a system to develop customized donor impact reports within your organization’s staffing capacity

Jean Maginnis, Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship, Phillips Exeter Academy

 Jean Maginnis launched her career in public television at WGBH in Boston and has since worked in fundraising and development at United Way, a college, environmental groups, museums, Shriners Hospitals, and an advertising firm with national and international clients. Maginnis has made hundreds of presentations, usually to inspire audiences to give! She has presented at the National Americans for the Arts Convention and the Lincoln Center Institute for the Imagination Conversation Initiative, where she described creating her own non-profit organization, the Maine Center for Creativity. Maginnis believes the donor relations and stewardship profession provides endless opportunities to create meaning and purpose.

Julie Ford, Assistant Director of Donor Relations, Phillips Exeter Academy

Julie Lynn Ford is Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a well-established secondary boarding school whose mission is to: “Unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.” Julie is relatively new to the field of donor relations, but has spent her entire career in organized philanthropy working for organizations such as the Council of Michigan Foundations, Associated Grant Makers, and The Philanthropic Initiative. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Policy and Public Administration from Michigan State University. In her role at Exeter, Ford creates and executes programs for stewarding and reporting to nine categories of 1,500 endowed funds and hundreds of current restricted use funds. She is an active volunteer in her community and is grateful to work for an organization that values Non Sibi, the philosophy that wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself.

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Session 5F: Compliance Fundamentals Every Donor Relations Professional Should Know

Jessica Veitch and Mary Weingartner

To provide the best care for donors, a little policy review and compliance know-how can be a big help. This session will provide a lively overview of government rules, (IRS and CRA), important policies and what to include in them, gift acceptance best practices, endowment management, and compliance resources. Attendees can expect to leave the session more versed in compliance and more confident in their ability to care for donors on their journey.!

You will hear about

• Considerations for policy creation and or revision
• The changing landscape of gift-giving and of recognition expectation
• Sample policy structures—e.g., gift acceptance, naming recognition, comprehensive fundraising policy

Jessica Veitch, Donor Relations and Recognition Strategist, Jessica Veitch Consulting

Specializing in strategic planning and execution of complex donor recognition programs, Jessica Veitch is a respected donor relations and recognition strategist with over 15 years’ experience. Working with all shop sizes in a range of sectors, Jessica draws on her skills and knowledge to approach donor relations in a holistic way, striving to create stewardship that is effective and meaningful with an emphasis on drawing connections between the donor, the organization, and the community. A long-time member and past ADRP board member, Jessica cites her service to ADRP as one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career.

Mary Weingartner, Managing Director of Stewardship, UNICEF USA

 Mary Weingartner has worked in stewardship and donor relations for over 16 years, beginning at the University of Illinois Foundation in 2006. Her love of donor relations has taken her to Loyola University Chicago, YMCA of the USA, and the University of Chicago, where she served as director of donor relations from 2017 to 2022. Mary joined UNICEF USA as managing director of stewardship in 2022. In this role, she is building a best-in-class stewardship program that brings donors closer to UNICEF’s transformative work. Mary chairs ADRP’s education committee and serves as an ex officio member of the board of directors.

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Session 5G: From Tradition to Transformation: CSU's Journey to Equitable, Student-Focused Scholarship Stewardship

Madison Munn and Katie Brayden

Do you want to be the hero your scholarship recipients deserve? Discover how Colorado State University put students first, realigned donor engagement with the university's core values, and transformed its scholarship stewardship program in time for the 2023-24 academic year.

You will

• Learn how to align your scholarship stewardship program with your organization's values and mission, and benefits that alignment can bring to students and the organization as a whole
• Gain insight into the importance of collaboration across various levels and departments within an organization to bring about successful change
• Understand challenges that may arise when implementing scholarship stewardship changes, and strategies to employ to overcome these obstacles

Madison Munn, Stewardship Strategist, Colorado State University

 Madison Munn's (she/her) work focuses on scholarships, endowments, and impact reporting. She is passionate about developing creative ways to celebrate donors and the spirit of philanthropy, while simultaneously analyzing and improving business processes. Prior to her time at CSU, Madison served as program manager for strategy and stewardship at CU Boulder's College of Music throughout its $50 million music+ campaign. Outside of work, you can find Madison backpacking and snowshoeing with her husband, or napping with her pets.

Katie Brayden, Director of Stewardship, Colorado State University

 Katie Brayden (she/her) has served at CSU since 2008, previously as a scholarship administrator, major gift fundraiser, and development coordinator. Living in a state of gratitude, Katie enjoys the industry’s left brain and right brain needs, with a passion for where data, process, and strategy meet whole-hearted storytelling and connection. Katie has served in two comprehensive campaigns, built a robust centralized stewardship program, migrated endowment reporting into the digital space, and centralized scholarship stewardship while helping to evolve the university’s philosophies in scholarship students participating in stewardship. When not connecting donors to the difference they make, she enjoys Colorado outdoors with her family and dog, live music, and new food.

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