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Women in Development of Greater Boston

Rescheduled program from February 11, 2010

The Program Committee Presents:

"The Gift That Got Away: Closing Major Gifts"

Read the summary from this program

Speakers: Margaret Keller Dimock, MIT and Patricia Keenan, YWCA

It's every major gifts officer's nightmare: The courtship proceeds flawlessly, the ask is made fearlessly, the donation is pledged generously, all the pieces are in place, and then – poof! – the deal goes up in smoke. Thankfully this happens more in our nightmares than in real life; but every fundraiser has at least one story about "the gift that got away." These experiences can paralyze us, making us reluctant to get back out there and ask again.

In an interactive session, Margaret Keller Dimock and Patricia Keenan will swap war stories about their own gifts that got away, analyzing what went wrong and the techniques they used to address it. Bring your own stories for sharing and diagnosis. You will learn what it takes to prepare yourself to be a successful closer of major gifts; and you will come to understand why veteran fundraisers say that in reality, the gift that got away is the one they didn't ask for.

Margaret Keller Dimock, Regional Director in the Office of Leadership Giving at MIT, has 24 years of development work, focusing the last 12 on major and principal gifts at MIT and MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to joining the MIT team, she served in a variety of nonprofit organizations, including Miami Children's Hospital Foundation, Vassar College (her alma mater), St. Alban's School and WBUR. Having been a part of both large and small organizations, Margaret can share ideas from different development perspectives, and many war stories from the road.

Patricia Keenan, Chief Development Officer, joined YWCA Boston in May 2008, and has 25 years of fundraising and not-for-profit management experience. A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Patti previously served as the United Way of Massachusetts Bay's Vice President, Principal Gifts where she directed major gift strategy and managed a portfolio of 6 and 7 figure donors. She has worked in a wide variety of development offices including City Year, WGBH, the American Cancer Society and Brown University.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
City Year
287 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116

Registration and Networking: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Program: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Please Note Our New Location – Bring Your Own Lunch - No Food is Available on Site

Registration Deadline: May 3, 2010

Remember, it's a WID networking tradition to swap business cards – bring yours.

Cost: $15 for WID members; $25 for non-members, late registration (after 05/03/10)

Rescheduled program from February 11, 2010

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