The Development Debrief

Hello! It’s great to be back. Season 7 was a whirlwind of landmarks for the Development Debrief. We surpassed 50k downloads and 100 episodes, we are officially an LLC, and along the way, I have been working on a partnership with EverTrue which will last the duration of FY23. I am so excited to be part of EverTrue Studios- aligned with colleagues I respect and trust. My partnership with EverTrue is...

This episode recounts my experience attending AFP’s NYC chapter of Fundraising Day on 6/17. I talk through the questions I was asked on a panel with Adam Doyno, Leigh Reid, and Stan Smith titled "Making The Ask and Demystifying the Process". I share how I do individual giving outreach, work to get a meeting, prepare for a meeting, and important rituals for the day of the ask. At the end, I sh...

Let's Celebrate 100!! We've made it so far. Over the past 100 episodes, we have had over 60,000 downloads. Our listeners are 90% in the US with the most popular states being New York, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Massachusetts. However, people are listening to the Debrief in all 50 states and over 60 countries! In this episode I reflect on what inspired this podcast as well as why it is...

Well, we couldn’t have 100 episodes without having one dedicated to planned giving! So here we are at Episode 99. Rich Goode tells us about how he manages a planned giving portfolio and how he prioritizes his time. I really agree with a lot of his tips and hope you enjoy!  Rich Goode has two degrees from the University of Notre Dame, a bachelor of arts and a law degree.  After practicing in downto...

This week, we hear about the Capital Campaign Toolkit from Amy Eisenstein. Amy created a support system for non profit leaders to empower themselves within their campaign work. Amy talks about why her business model has always been online, and how she supports her clients. Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, has been a development professional and fundraising consultant for more than 20 years. She is also the...

Join us tomorrow—May 26th at 3pm ET for a webinar on the future of Major Gifts. Here is there registration link: https://www.case.org/conferences-training/future-major-giving-schools Welcome to the final episode of our Independent School miniseries. We wrap up with some big questions such as, how does culture inform the strategy? And how do leadership transitions impact teams? Especially during th...

This week, we hear from Jennifer Kaplan Burns, Assistant Head of School, Advancement and External Affairs at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Jenn provides our first parent perspective within the world of independent school fundraising. She tells us about the history of Solebury and about her current campaign which is breaking historic records! Prior to her current position at Solebury,...

This week, Harold Brown, Director of Advancement at Cranbrook Schools, talks to us about the multiple elite institutions he has served and what he has learned along the way. Harold previously served as the Director of Development at Salisbury School, a boys college preparatory boarding school for 325 students in Salisbury, CT. Before joining Salisbury, Harold served for 25 years in various roles i...

Hello listeners! I am thrilled to announce a four-episode mini-series in partnership with CASE. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement professionals—in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services—who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. Th...

This week I talk with Colin Stewart, the former EVP, Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy, and current member of the advisory board at Arjuna Solutions. I learned several new terms from Colin such as the "non-profit starvation cycle", and donor’s "giving elasticity". Arjuna inspires non-profits to work smarter not harder. Colin talks about the algorithm Arjuna uses to determine annual giving...

The Final episode of our Impact and Innovation season is extra long. It may be because I’m just not ready to end these amazing conversations we’ve been having over the past 8 weeks. The good news is, we will have a Webinar next week on March 29th at 11am (ET) to recap these episodes and dig even deeper.  You can learn more via this registration link: https://bwf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lS...

Rob Scott and I talk about his role at MIT that evolved out of an idea. Rob actually wrote the job description for his role and has been able to live out his vision. Rob gives great advice on working with senior leaders and explains how he has executed his ideas and goals. Robert D. Scott, senior advisor to the Chancellor for Academic Advancement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),...

Dr. Ashutosh Nandeshwar is the Assistant Vice President, Relationship Management and Data Sciences at the University of Southern California. He also is a Data Scientist. Consultant. Speaker. And Process Innovation leader. We talk about Ashu’s recommendations for portfolio management as expectations have changed since the pandemic. We discuss the pros and cons of activity comparison amongst gift of...

This week we revisit the on-going conversation about working for one’s alma mater and building momentum for campaigns. Karl Clauss, the Vice President for Advancement at Colgate University and I talked about what it has been like for him to return and lead the Development team at his alma mater, and the exciting new plans they have for their upcoming campaign. Karl is currently partnering with Pre...

Jason Briggs and I have a wonderful conversation this week about everything from Tibetan Buddhism to entrepreneurship. He tells us how he decided to make specialist knowledge more accessible through Pyro Talks. Jason Briggs is Co-Founder of PyroTalks CIC, as well as Consulting Partner for BWF Europe. and Fellow for Halpin Partnership. Previously, Jason was Director of Development at Cavendish Canc...

This week, Leti Light takes the mic. She continues the conversation we had last week with Matt Hutter about strategic initiatives and principal gifts. The conversation moves from east coast to west coast as we go from Durham North Carolina to Berkeley, California. Leti emphasizes that giving at the highest levels is not about the dollars but about the idea itself. She also reminds us that partners...

This week, we hear from Matt Hutter, Assistant Vice President of Development for Duke Science and Technology at Duke University. He is a strategic initiatives fundraiser who is an expert in raising money for the sciences. Roles like his are primarily found in large research universities and drive large scale giving. We talk about how these kinds of gifts make ripples not just through their dollars...

BWF is the proud sponsor of Season 6, Innovation and Impact. I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Sue Cunningham, the CEO of CASE. Sue’s long relationship with CASE as well as her international experience really set her apart as a leader and visionary. We talk about her career to date, and then drill into CASE’s most recent strategic plan. Sue tells us how she facilitates joining the dots...

I can’t believe this episode will wrap up two years of the Development Debrief! I talk with Stephanie Posen about how she has recruited, trained, and grown a team of front line officers doing leadership gift work. She has worked with her team to build a great culture of work in a remote environment. Stephanie Posen is the Director of Leadership Giving at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK...

I talk with Dave Kayiatos, Assistant Director Leadership Giving (and fellow alum of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut) who received both a BA and an MA in history at Trinity, in 2002 and 2006 respectively. We discuss the value of working at your alma mater and how exciting it is to be working at Trinity today! This conversation prompts me to share some great opportunities at Trinity. Trinit...

Several months ago, a listener of the Debrief reached out and asked if I would please feature today's guest-- Daren Batke. She said, "Daren leans into his individuality and uniqueness more than anyone. He shares of himself first, before asking that of others. He sets the example that you don't need to be a blank slate or adopt a flat, robotic affect to be deeply donor-centric." So it feels fitting...

Today I interview Rich Berlin, Co-CEO of DREAM. I ask him about his origin story at the organization, leadership structure, board management, and his views on fundraising. There are lots of things that make DREAM stand out in New York City and an impactful place to work. This episode is special because DREAM is currently searching for their next Chief Advancement Officer.  Originally founded...

This week I talk with Sarah Krasin (Executive Vice President at CCS fundraising) about her career journey. She made a big move right before the pandemic and found herself in a new city across the country, leading a team of people many of whom she had never met in person. Sarah describes fundraising as a “contact sport” and she explains how she was able to make contact virtually. She tells us how s...

In this week’s episode is reconnect with a college classmate who is doing exciting work in the world of sales. CeCe Aparo shares some great hacks with us as we think about emailing and communications with our constituencies. Later in the episode, she puts on her donor and trustee hat and lets us know what excites her on the receiving end of development strategy. CeCe has dedicated her career to bu...

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is enjoying family and good food. This Thanksgiving, are you looking to up your stewardship game? We learn from today's guest that sometimes it really is a simple as picking up the phone. I am reporting to you from Ithaca, New York today. I am spending the holiday with my family upstate. I want to feature some great work being done in this region. Mary Jane Bray...