Year-End Fundraising Strategies: Are you, like many other development professionals, wondering why it is hard to meet your forecasted targets? With the exponential rise of costs in goods, services and travel, does it leave our benevolent donors with less to give? As we inch closer to fall, here are some fundamentals for year-end appeal story-telling and the importance of developing deeper relationships with donors through volunteerism. 

Name:  Caitlyn Burke, CFRE
Title & Organization: Associate Director of Donor Engagement, Brookline Community Foundation
WID Role: Member
Hometown:  Shrewsbury, MA
Lives Currently: Quincy, MA
Education: BA History and English- Saint Michael’s College, MBA in Nonprofit Management- Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, Certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership-Institute for Nonprofit Practice, in affiliation with Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life
Hobbies: Running, reading, traveling, knitting

Congratulations to our members who've recently changed positions:
Nicole Beede, formerly Development Associate, Disability Policy Consortium, now, Development Specialist, Jewish Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Boston
Lindsey Cimochowski, formerly Director of Operations and Management, Development and Alumni Relations, Harvard Graduate School of Design, now Managing Director, Administration and Finance, Alumni Affairs & Development, Harvard University
Welcome to our newest members:
Bethany Blake, Harborlight Community Partners
Amy Burke, Wellesley College
Amy Carrier, Boston College
Minori Cohan, City Mission Boston
Tori Costa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts
Molly Eberle, Thoreau Farm Trust
Joanna Furgiuele, EforAll
Dawn Gula, Wheaton College
Irene Hammer McLaughlin, Emory Healthcare
Chayda Harding, Boston Center for the Arts
Gloria Hersom, Tufts University
Nancy Kilburn, Massachusetts General Hospital
Betsy Marantz, Temple Isaiah
Alyssa Mazzarella, YouthBuild USA
Grace McDonald, Youth Villages
Makeysha Montgomery, Emmanuel Music
Eileen Pollack, May Institute
Ceejay Powell Francis, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Ariana Sweany, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Diara Torres, Custom House Maritime Museum
Katherine Wallace, Health Equity International

Name: Erica Leung Lawless
Title & Organization: Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts | Harvard University
WID Role: Programs Committee Co-Chair, Scholarship Task Force member
Hometown: Trenton, TN (originally from Hong Kong)
Lives Currently: Brookline, MA (soon to be Holly Springs, NC)
Education: BS in Piano Performance - Lee University, MS in Arts Administration & Graduate Fundraising Certificate - Boston University
Hobbies/Interests: Baking, reading, going to museums, traveling, organizing data, and being a dog mom

We all need it, but, despite our best intentions, don’t always get it: truly, completely unplugged time away from work. Whether it’s an unmovable deadline, colleagues who ignore our OOO message, or the undeniably strong urge to take just a quick peek at our work email, it’s hard to disconnect. With summer now in full swing, we’ve compiled a few articles about how to better unplug and unwind—and why it’s so important.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS:
Elizabeth Brauer, Museum of Fine Art
Jennifer Carey, Worcester Education Collaborative
Sarah Christopher, Mass General Brigham
Megan Clancy, IFEW
Luiza deCamargo, Junior Achievement of Greater Boston
Rebecca Geragosian, Combined Jewish Philanthropies
Samantha Greenfield, Tenacre Country Day School
Mary Heath, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Melissa Hodgdon, Strive - How You Lead Matters
Pamela Leins, Boston Education Fund (BEDF)
Moire Loftus, Conservation Law Foundation
Melissa Mirick, Wildflower
Christine Santoro, Children's Museum Easton
Melinda Sweany, Maui Health Foundation
Sydney Tate, CCS Fundraising
Zoe Zhao, MIT Sloan Office of External Relations

At the WIDGB Annual Meeting Natanja Craig-Oquendo, Executive Director of the Boston Women’s Fund, shared stories of the times she “looked over the edge” in her personal and professional journey. For Natanja, looking over the edge means taking a risk, and those “over the edge” moments have been pivotal in her life and her career.

Ensuring that your nonprofit has a robust donor relations program is paramount for overall engagement of your donor base and increased support at your organization.  With so many competing priorities of a fundraiser’s time, stewardship can often be furthest from our minds. However, these articles will help you find ways to carve out time, demonstrate impact and provide helpful suggestions on how donor relations can be incorporated in all that you do.

Name:  Janetta Stringfellow
Title & Organization: Chief Development Officer, PRX
WID Role: Member. Former member of the Membership Committee.
Hometown: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Lives Currently: Marblehead, MA
Education: BA in Classical Studies from Colgate University; ALM in Creative Writing & Literature from Harvard University (Expected May ‘23)
Hobbies: Rowing in a single on the ocean; writing essays & a memoir.

Congratulations to our member who recently changed positions:
Giselle Ferro Puigbo, formerly Executive Director, Brookline Community Foundation, now Chief Development Officer, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Merrimack Valley
Welcome to our newest members:
Marie Odile Hobeika, Northeastern University
Victoria Jonas, Mass Audubon
Beth Kramer, Simmons University
Mary Scott Miller, Daily Table
Stephanie Paine, Stephanie Paine Consulting
Laura Skinner, Breaktime United, Inc.
Karen Solomon, Boston CASA

Name: Jessica McNeill
Title & Organization: Harvard Business School, Assistant Director, Reunion and LeadershipGiving
WID Role: Member
Hometown: Dorchester, MA
Lives Currently: Dorchester, MA
Education: BA Communication Studies, Bridgewater State University; MS Nonprofit Management, Northeastern University
Hobbies: I don’t know if I have many “hobbies,” but some of my interests are: traveling, astrology, watching documentaries, volunteering, and reading (although I used to be much better at this).

Effective leaders are always learning, thinking critically about what we do, why we do it, and how we can do better. No matter where you are in your leadership journey, these articles (and a podcast!) will give you something to think about, new ideas to consider, and tips for taking your leadership to the next level.

Congratulations to our member who recently changed positions:
Tiffany Reed, formerly Vice President, CCS Fundraising, now Vice President, Development, Tufts Medical Center
Welcome to our newest members:
Elise Ashley, The Possible Zone
Maryam Batts, GLAD
Sarah Broudy, LAPA Fundraising
Emerson Cazzani, Boston University
Anne Hager
Fatima Harvey, Freedom House, Inc
Wendi Huestis, Yen Jechow Philanthropic
Daniele Levine, Community Cooks
Andrea Miranda, The Possible Zone
Maggie Norcross Devin, Tufts University
Elizabeth Offen, Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities
Jennifer Pitre, Catholic Medical Center
Julie Polumbo, Polumbo Solutions
Kalya Yannatos, The Putney School
Shambala Zellers, United South End Settlements

This April, we are highlighting Gift Planning. If you've wondered how to talk about or encourage your donors to consider tax-efficient ways to give or making gifts of assets, beyond cash or check, you're not alone! Especially now, as 2021 taxes are being filed, people are thinking about their financial and philanthropic goals for the year ahead, and beyond. Here are some helpful resources to help get you, your organization, and your donors thinking about planned gifts. 

Nicola Anderson, The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN)
Linda Curry, Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Cristina Degaetano, Wellesley College
Lara DelGenio, Northwell Health
Marie-Josee Joubert, Mass Law Reform Institute
Liza McKinnon, Tufts University
Brianna Medas, Boston University
Susan Morin, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Kelsey Pandiani, My Brother's Keeper
Jamie Pimental, Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Stephanie Poggi, GrubStreet
Dianne Powers, RIZE Massachusetts
Caitlin Sawicki, Circle of Hope
Julia Vasquez, MSPCA-Angell

On Thursday, March 31, WIDGB attendees had the opportunity to learn about Middle Tier and Major Giving Pipeline Development through a presentation from Nanette Fridman, Founder of Fridman Strategies. Nanette has over 25 years of experience with nonprofits as a professional, lay leader, consultant, and coach, and partners with organizations of all sizes. As attendees introduced themselves in the chat, it was clear that fundraising employees of large, small, and mid-sized organizations were all present.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the articles below highlight the increasing impact that women donors have on the philanthropic landscape.  From in-depth research on gender giving tendencies, the generational differences of donors and the best ways to engage women with your nonprofit, these resources will provide development professionals with tangible tactics to engage their donors in a more strategic and thoughtful way.

On March 1, 2022, attendees from the WIDGB community had the opportunity to learn from three executives about how to best navigate your career in this new normal. All three panelists navigated a career shift during the pandemic. The panelists included: Nicole Dumas, Director of Advancement Talent, Boston College; Sarah Krasin, Executive Vice President, CCS Fundraising; and Molly Richter, Associate Director of Development, Talent Management, Massachusetts General Hospital. The moderator was Wendy Wilsker, Managing Partner, Boyden. The advice was aimed toward fundraising professionals at all levels of their career.