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.

On February 2, 2022, Women In Development was thrilled to host a discussion featuring Kristen Robinson, COO of Fidelity Charitable, to share insight and trends in donor giving and donor advised funds (DAFs). Moderated by Giselle Ferro Puigbo, Executive Director of the Brookline Community Foundation, the session was well attended as participants were given information and strategies on how best to navigate DAFs and to utilize donor trends to help shape their fundraising strategies. 

Congratulations to our members who have recently changed positions:
Sarah Harrison formerly Development and Events Manager, Cambridge Center for Adult Education now Fund Officer for Volunteer and Class Management, Mount Holyoke College.
Emily Williams formerly Director, Office of Alumni & Family Engagement, Bentley University now Director, Alumni Engagement and Lifelong Career Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education 

Welcome to our newest members:
Rachel Adjemian Tetrault, Budburst LLC
Karen Brown, Celebrity Series of Boston
Carly Churchill, Cotting School
Natalia Crosby, J. Sherman Studio
Molly Deschenes, Providence College
Quinn Divens, Trustees
Ruth Edens, City Mission, Inc
Emily Fitzsimmons, The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA
Jamie Grant, Genesys Works
Dana Grider, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Karen Gromis, National Alliance on Mental Illness of MA (NAMI MA)
Sylvia Haber, No Empty Bedsides
Jessica Karevicius, Big Brothers Big Sisters Eastern MA
Krissie Kelleher, The Rivers School
Julie Lima, Saint Joseph Prep High School
Maureen Lister, Family ACCESS
Marne Perreault, Dartmouth and D-H Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Maddie Phadke, Anna Jacques Hospital, BILH
Jason Polasek, Judge Baker Children's Center
Ellen Rice, Archdiocese of Boston
Helen Rosenfeld, Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair
Jessica Somol, The Cultural Alliance
Barrie Tysko, Youth Development Organization

Have you been working in nonprofits for many years, searching for the illusive work/life balance? You are not alone. The additional stress from the pandemic has felt like walking on a tightrope. Some folks are balancing parenthood and home responsibilities with work from home jobs, enduring lockdowns and homeschooling, all with the ever-present threat of catching an illness with unknown outcomes. As the empathetic individuals you usually find working for nonprofits, we also tend to take the stress of our mission home with us. Managing budget shortfalls and addressing low staffing  issues on nights and weekends has compounded our stress and anxiety over the past few years. The following articles have attempted to address these issues and help us ease into 2022 with tools to achieve the balance we seek.

Name:  Carmen Chan
Title & Organization: Director of Philanthropy, Just A Start
WID Role: Member
Hometown: Boston, MA (My home country is Hong Kong)
Lives Currently: Boston, MA
Education: BS in Journalism, Suffolk University
Hobbies: Lion dance (see me perform), arts, and outdoor activities, including hiking, biking and skiing.

Congratulations to our member who recently changed positions:
Marybeth Oskowski formerly Director of Annual and Leadership Giving, The Winsor School, now Senior Director of Development, Boston Latin School Association

Welcome to our newest members:
Katie Broach,  Hopkinton Center for the Arts
Arlene Bryer, Strategies for Youth
Caitlyn Burke, Brookline Community Foundation
Christina Capuzzi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Kathleen Clute, Kathleen Clute Communications
Natalie Cote, Crossroads
Kristin Kilbourne O'Day, McLean Hospital
Darline Lalanne, New York Cares
Amy Lee, Middlesex Community College
Natalee Martin, Seacoast Science Center
Bridget Rodriguez, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Pamela Trempe, University of Southern Maine Foundation

As we head into 2022 our reading has been focused on growth, improvement, and hope for a brighter year. Whether your focus is individual giving or electronic communications, we hope you enjoy a tip or trick to help tighten your copywriting or enhance an upcoming campaign.

Name:  Kathleen McCarthy

Hobbies: Spending time with family & friends, reading, and walking

All who attended the WIDGB event on December 14, 2021, were really gifted a gift! What a professional honor, luggage of tips, and simply a treat in Donor Relations and Stewardship as discussed through the lens of diversity and embracing differences that awaited us! 

Thinking about infusing some fresh ideas into your year end communications? Have you been thinking about ways to teach your own children about philanthropy. Look no further! WIDGB has you covered in this month's pulse of fundraising.  

Congratulations to our member who changed positions:
Kathleen Barosky formerly Senior Associate Director, Planned Giving, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & the Jimmy Fund; now Director of Gift Planning, Harvard Medical School

Welcome to our newest members:
Caitlin Bristow, Campbell & Company
Olivia Curreri, Boston Children's Hospital Trust
Anna Gordon, Tufts University - Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Polly Lyman, Sea Education Foundation

The WID Community is so grateful to have had the opportunity to hear from Sara Minkara, MPP in our virtual 2021 Fall Kick-Off: A Conversation Over Coffee with Sara Minkara on Wednesday, November 10. The inspiring, emotional, and informative conversation was moderated by Stacia Sylvia, who has been a WID member since 2014 and on the WID board since 2017. Stacia currently is the Director of Foundation Relations and Development Operations at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Name:  Molly Richter
Title & Organization: Associate Director of Development, Talent Management at Massachusetts General Hospital
WID Role: At-Large Board Member, DEI Committee Member
Education: MBA from Boston University, BA from NYU
Hobbies: To quote Glennon Doyle, “What is fun? I don’t do fun. I am a grown-up. I do family, work, and trash TV. Repeat forever.”

Wondering where to start with end-of-year fundraising? Need a few pointers on QCDs and other tax-efficient ways to give? Look no further! WIDGB has you covered in this month's pulse of fundraising. 

FACES OF WID- November 2021