Case Study Reveals a Commitment to Stewardship at Columbus State University

November 18th, 2010

Dr. Kayron Laska, VP of Institutional Advancement at CSU, partnered with us today in our presentation at the annual Georgia Education Advancement Council conference in St. Simons, Island, GA. Her commitment to upholding their Recognition Program Standards and Guidelines as a process to be followed set a terrific example for those in attendance. Her understanding that thanking is perhaps the most powerful stewardship and cultivation tool at her bidding was palpable. Continue reading »

College of Charleston Cato-Simons Display Christened!

August 13th, 2010

I was so pleased to have been part of a “christening” immediately following our successful installation of the College of Charleston Cato-Simons display. Among those in attendance were the Dean for the School, Valerie Morris, EVP of Business Affairs, Steve Osborne, Director of Operations, Kathryn Norton and EVP of Institutional Advancement, George Watt, who gave a toast to mark the occasion.   The Cato-Simons display marks the juncture of the new Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts and the existing Simon Center for the Arts and follows an initial installation of donor recognition plaques in January 2010  for the grand opening of the Center. Continue reading »

Experiential Stewardship: The “Must Know” Guidelines for Top Tier Donors

August 10th, 2010

Robin Good recently posted a series of questions on the ADRP Listserv, basically asking this: what are you doing for your top tier donors, and have you standardized those activities in any way?  In further conversation with her, I was impressed with her application of a seldom-used term, experiential stewardship, to the work involved in donor relations.  In a nutshell, she used it to refer to the all-important act of providing meaningful experiences for your donors, ones that go beyond the routine checklist of stewardship activities. Continue reading »

Southeast Donor Relations Conference Was Excellent, Yet Again!

July 27th, 2010

Last week Robin and I had to divide and conquer.  I went to the Southeast Donor Relations Conference in Charlotte sponsored by the Association of Donor Relations Professionals while she attended the Georgia Association of Development Professionals annual meeting in St. Simons.  She got the beach . . . but I got the brains (which is all right by me)!  This group is smart and fun-loving.  As is the case every year, they are raising the bar for what donor relations means as a distinct and necessary part of their organizations. Continue reading »

Recognition: Every Viewer is Your Prospect

July 1st, 2010

Every viewer of donor recognition is a prospective donor. It is the single, most powerful marketing tool at a fundraiser’s disposal.

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