Starting Point

Tyrell Warren-Burnett, Senior Director of Annual Giving at the Oregon State University Foundation, talks about being a sponge, knowing what you don’t know, building a personal board of advisors, applying lessons learned in other fields, and allocating an hour of each day to doing research on the trends in your industry.

Amanda Lazarus, Co-Executive Director, Annual Giving at Brown University, talks about copiloting a program, teamwork, using technology to facilitate broader alumni connections, being intentional about prospect visits, the significance of giving days, and more.

Greg Knedler, Associate Vice Chancellor for Development at Troy University, talks about questioning the pastor, making time to learn and think, using big data, staffing around AI, hiring people who use both sides of their brain, and more!

Gloria Goosby, Director of Annual Giving at Furman University, talks about the importance of having a mentor, being a player-coach, establishing workflows, using technology to build relationships, the future of phonathons, and more.

Amy Burke , Senior Director of Annual Giving Programs at Wellesley College, talks about loving your work, drinking from the firehose, taking risks, learning from failure, adapting to change, and more.

Meredith Johnston , VP of Philanthropy at Scripps Research, talks about finding true north, the difference between leaders and managers, leaving a place you love, annual vs. major gift strategy, dumb luck, and more.

Colin Hennessy , VP for Alumni & Donor Engagement at the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, talks about opening the door to possibility, feeling stuck in annual giving, technology, teaching, consulting, and more.

Amy Bronson, AVP for Advancement Resources and Strategic Talent Management at Boston University talks about thinking beyond salary, recruiting and retaining great employees, stay interviews, adapting to change, having mentors, and more.

Nky McGinnis , Executive Director of Annual Giving Programs at the University of Rochester, talks about believing in yourself, being a student caller, the differences between public and private institutions, managing large teams, the first 30 days on a job, and more.

Scott Nichols, Consultant and Former Senior Vice President for Advancement at Boston University, talks about picking your boss, polishing the silver, being nice, asking for big numbers, sleeping well at night, and more.

Fritz Schroeder , VP for Development & Alumni Relations at Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, talks about setting the stage for his own career, starting out in annual giving, learning through osmosis, the job he didn’t take, holding himself accountable, and more.