Contributors to Supporting Advancement

Eric Saarvala, Associate Director, Donations Management, University of Toronto

Eric Saarvala is the Manager of Donations Management at the University of Toronto. He has over 7 years experience in gift processing at UofT. He manages a department of ten staff responsible for the gift processing, tax receipting and acknowledgement and pledge management for the university. Donations Management is also the main contact for donor and campus enquiries regarding donations. He graduated with a BA from the University of Western Ontario.

Presenteeism: The latest attack on economic and human productivity.
Talent Management. Presentation with definitions, framework, challenges and other aspects of talent management.

10 Key Points for Accurate Processing of Gifts

Sargeant Associates Ltd

Sargeant Associates is an independent fundraising consultancy that provides a range of services to UK charities and pressure groups. Adrian Sargeant is the UK's only Professor of Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising, and the firm offers a unique approach, combining academic rigor and marketing knowledge with a very practical understanding of the needs of charity fundraisers and the nonprofit marketplace.

Critical Issues in Fundraising Research
Nonprofit Website Effectiveness: The Role of Donor Relationships

Rob Saunders, Director of Development Information Services at Oakland University

Rob Saunders has been the Director of Development Information Services at Oakland University since 1999. Previously he has worked in healthcare and other not-for-profit finance related positions.

Alumni Survey
Sample Forms - Data Request Form

Ted Schaefer, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

E-mail Tracking Reports - Dashboard Tracking, Distribution of Campaign to PDA, Tracking E-mail Signers.

Jennifer Schimmel, Associate for Development Operations and Donor Relations, Hartford Seminary

I am currently the Associate for Development Operations and Donor Relations at Hartford Seminary. My responsibilities include oversight of the annual fund, prospect research and evaluation, alumni/ae relations, donor relations, and institutional advancement office management. I am currently pursuing at MS in Management and Marketing at RPI with an expected graduation in August 2006. Once my MS is completed I will be working toward acceptance to the The Center on Philanthropy at the University of Indiana's Doctoral Program.

Paper or Plastic? Solicitation Piece

Deborah L. Schroeder, Assistant Director of Telefund, Office of Annual Giving, The University of Dayton

The University of Dayton is a private, Catholic, Marianist institution. The Office of Annual Giving Telefund Program calls year-round, 6 days a week. In FY04, they eclipsed $1 Million dollars in the door and completed 60,000 calls.

Deborah Schroeder has been a staff member in the Office of Annual Giving for two-and-a half years, and worked as a student in the Telefund Program for four years previously.

Caller Evaluation Form

Sabine Schuller, Research Specialist. The Rotary Foundation

Sample Forms - Prospect Research Request

Catherine Seebald, Consultant

Catherine Seebald served as Director of Advancement Services at Houghton College for more than eight years. Her tenure at Houghton began with the construction of their Advancement Services department, which was ultimately awarded a CASE Circle of Excellence gold medal in Gift and Bio Administration. She continues to provide consulting in the field of Advancement Services.

Example of Advancement Services Departmental Functions

Terri Selby, Director for Parent Programs at Saint Michael’s College

Sample Letters - Parent Appeal, 2, 3, 4.

Terri Selby is the Director for Parent Programs at Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, VT. Prior to taking this newly created position four years ago she was Director for Annual Giving at the same institution. Before arriving at St. Michael’s, she was the director of development at North Country Animal League in Morrisville, VT. She also has over 13 years of print advertising experience. She received her B.A. in journalism from Northeastern University and her M.A. in English Literature from the University of Rhode Island.

Holly Sereni

Annual Fund Appeal

Ursula Shail, Manager of Document Systems, University of Toronto

Ursula is the Manager of Document Systems within the Alumni and Donor Records Department and is responsible for the Central Files and Document Imaging within the Division of University Advancement.

Electronic Imaging - The Series. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Privacy Audit Questionnaire.
Privacy Recommendations.

Dan Shephard, CFRE, Principal, The Shephard Group, www.thefrontlinefundraiser.com

Major & Planned Giving - Action Cultivation Plan, Endow Your Annual Support, Estate Planning Assets Inventory, Gift Acceptance Policies and Procedures, Gift Valuation Standards, Making the Ask, Multi-Part Gift Strategy, Preparing for the Ask, Prospect Referral Form, Reunion Giving Model, Stewardship Plan, Suspect Research Rating.

Christopher A. Short, Director of Annual Giving, Wiley College

Director of Annual Giving at Wiley College. Formerly Director of Annual Giving and Coordinator for Telefunding at the University of Wyoming and Grant Writer for Asbury Theological Seminary.

Samples - Direct Mail Appeal

Training - Call Center Manual

Andrea Shirey, Associate Director, Development & Alumni Affairs, University of Florida Levin College of Law

Andrea Shirey, Associate Director, Development & Alumni Affairs Shirey came to the Levin College of Law in November 2004 from the West Virginia University Foundation. In her current role she manages the annual giving program for the College, supports the Law Alumni Council, and coordinates gift acknowledgement processes and stewardship efforts. She has a B.S. in business and marketing from West Virginia University.

Job Descriptions - Alumni Council with Giving Expectations

Policies - Alumni Association Bylaws

Postcard - Contacting the "Do Not Contacts"

Natalie Silva, Associate Director of the Annual Giving, Polytechnic Institute of NYU

Natalie Silva is the Associate Director of the Annual Giving Program at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. She has been with NYU-Poly for over two years where she began working in the Alumni Relations department. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2007 with a degree in Sociology and a double minor in non-profit leadership and general education.

E-Solicitation - Season's Greetings. A holiday greeting from Brooklyn, NY and a look at all of the exciting work at NYU-Poly.

Krista Slade

Krista Slade was appointed to the newly created position of executive director of CASE Asia-Pacific in May 2007. In this position, Krista is responsible for professional development programs, conferences and other services to meet the evolving needs of the growing advancement profession throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Krista has spent more than a decade working in the Asia-Pacific region as an alumni relations and fundraising professional. A Canadian citizen, she moved to Hong Kong in 1994 to establish the University of Toronto (Canada) Foundation and to serve as its executive director. In this position, she facilitated the university’s alumni, fundraising and student recruitment activities in Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and elsewhere. In 2003, she returned to Canada to serve as the University of Toronto’s associate director of international advancement. Most recently, she served as senior strategic adviser for advancement at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Before joining CASE, Krista was a member of CASE and a speaker at various conferences. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Toronto and has studied international Asian studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Krista Slade worked for the Division of University Advancement at the University of Toronto for eight years, based in Hong Kong, Melbourne (Australia) and also on campus. Her responsibilities included regional alumni programming, special development initiatives and administering the University of Toronto (Hong Kong) Foundation. A UofT graduate (B.A. and M.A., History), Krista has also studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the United Nations University in Amman, Jordan.

Annual Fund Appeal

Asian Prospecting - Expanding Horizons - Prospect Identification in Asia.

Capital Campaigns and Major Gifts - Case Study - University of Toronto.

Etiquette Guide for Asia - Overview to help you with international relations.
Passport Asia-Pacific. Presentation on some of the cultural do's and don't when working in the Asia Pacific region.

Philanthropy Australia Conference Report.

Planned giving brochure funded by a bequest.

Adam E. Smith, Manager, Annual Fund, University of Toronto

I have been working in fundraising for my entire professional life. Like so many, I started working as a student caller for my alma mater, Brock University, and never looked back. From Brock I moved to the west coast to work with the development team at UVic, after which I moved back to Ontario and spent a brief stint at a health foundation. Now I work at the University of Toronto as Manager Annual Programs (Interim).

Telefund - Training Video All the benefits of call monitoring.

Telefund - Training Video (PG-13) Hip Hop Style.

Telefund - Another video. Telefund supervisor explodes because of aggravation caused by various interruptions at the start
of the evening's calling session. Part 1, Part 2 (Part 2 contains explosion).

David J. Smith, Manager, BYU Telefund/Donor Liaison, LDS Foundation at Brigham Young University

David J. Smith of Provo, UT graduated from BYU in August 2002 as a triple major in English, Japanese, and Humanities. He has worked with the LDS Foundation @ BYU for 4 1/2 years, spending the last two managing the university's call center. He greatly enjoys working with his 70 student employees and BYU's alumni and friends.

Hiring and Evaluation
Attendance Policy and Procedures, Exit Interview, Interview Sheet, Leadership Application, Leadership Interview
Code of Ethical Conduct, Confidentiality and Conduct Policy
Email Confirmation
Phone Application Packet, Student Leadership Weekly Evaluation
Sample Forms - Phone Call Quality Assurance Form, Phone Interview Form

Scripts - Lapsed Donor, Parents, Thank You

Dori Sonntag, Associate Director, Annual Giving, Gonzaga University

Dori Sonntag graduated from Gonzaga University in 1997 with a BA in psychology and minor in business administration. She has worked at GU since 1998 and manages the Telefund, Reunion Giving program, Young Alumni program and Matching Gift Corporate Representative program. Dori also has a MA in Counseling Psychology from GU.

Label Mailing - Letter, Envelope

Young Alumni - President's Council Card, President's Council Letter

Mandy Speaker, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, University of New England

Athletic Appeals - Lacrosse, Varsity
Reunion Appeals and Letters - Fall Appeal, Reunion Ask, Additional Ask, Appeal Letter, Thank You Letter

Jim Spencer, Coordinator of the Annual Fund at Rowan University

Jim Spencer has been the Coordinator of the Annual Fund at Rowan University since August, 1999. Jim “Spence” Spencer has been working in the non-profit field since 1981. A graduate of Clarion University and Villanova University, Spence is the Coordinator of the Annual Fund at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. He has over 20 years of fundraising experience.

Scripts - Pledge Reminder, Spring Thank You, Fall Thank You

Kelly Spencer, Associate Director of Advancement Services, University of Alberta

Kelly Spencer recently joined the Advancement Services team at the University of Alberta as Associate Director.

Kelly is responsible for leading the Advancement Information Services team to ensure effectiveness in the areas of network administration, information production and reporting, and designing and providing technical solutions to the advancement community.

Catherine Spickard

Catherine Spickard was Executive Director of Development Services at the University of Michigan. She oversaw the intake, recording, distribution and reporting of all gifts to the University of Michigan including securities, which usually number more than 180,000 transactions amounting to about $260-$300 million per year and was also responsible for managing Alumni and Donor records. Catherine served as a faculty member at the 2006 CASE Annual Conference for Senior Advancement Services Professionals and as Chair of the 2006 and 2007 CASE Gift Processing and Alumni Records Workshops. Cathy passed away on January 11, 2013.

A Well Run Shop. Presentation on best practices in gift and records administration.
Crisis Planning. Presentation on crisis planning and business continuity for Advancement Services.

Ethics - Ethics and Accountability in Advancement

Gift Processing - Best Practices in Gift Processing

Gift Processing Workshop Presentation

IRS Rules and Regulations. Part 1, Part 2.
Security. Presentation on practical approaches to securing constituent information.

Kathy Spring, Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations Jackson Community College

Kathy Spring has served as the Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations at Jackson Community College, Jackson, Michigan, since 2004. Previously, she worked in Marketing and Development at Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, where she directed the annual fund and completed two successful, capital campaigns. She has over 13 years of fund development experience.

Policies - Awards Nomination Process

Jennifer Spuehler, Director of Development at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA)

Jennifer Spuehler is currently the Director of Development at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora, Illinois. IMSA is residential college preparatory program that enrolls academically talented Illinois students, tuition free, and is funded by the State of Illinois. She has held previous positions at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, the University of Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Sample Forms - Generic Gift Card

Kate Stano, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, Office of College Advancement, Connecticut College

Games People Play - Summary Compiled from Fundlist Posting on Telemarketing Games

Jolanne Stanton

Jolanne Stanton, a Principal with the consulting consortium eAdvancement.org, works with both non profit institutions and companies to build their constituent/customer communities through strategic planning, project and product development and integrated communications programs.

Beyond the Affinity Portal. The future of advancement online.
Creating a Strategic Online Plan. Considerations in creating a strategic online plan.

Laurie Staton, Director, Foundation Relations, Westminster College

Sample Forms
Foundation Prospect Research Checklist - Office of Foundation Relations at Westminster College
Foundation Strategy Worksheet - Office of Foundation Relations at Westminster College
Foundation Web Research Checklist - Office of Foundation Relations at Westminster College

John Starritt, Director of Advancement Services, Colorado School of Mines

John has been the Director of Advancement Services since 1992 and previously worked in the Annual Fund.

Favorite reports. Contributor of some of the favorite reports.
Sub-Reports. Saving yourself time and effort in report development by using sub-reports.
Working with Annual Fund

Lauren Steinberg Assistant Director, Annual Giving, The Pennsylvania State University

Lauren Steinberg is the assistant director of annual giving at the Pennsylvania State University. She coordinates programs that focus on recent graduate giving, student awareness, and e-communications. Prior to her current position, Lauren spent four years as a fundraiser for the American Lung Association.

Creating a Culture of Philanthropy on Your Campus

Encouraging Recent Graduates to Maximize Their Giving

Exploring eOpportunities for Annual Giving Success

Carrie Stephens, Assistant to the Alumni Director, Evergreen State College

Carrie has been with the Office of College Advancement at TESC since 2001. During that time she has worked in gift processing, prospect research and alumni relations, at one time being the sole interim support for the Alumni Office (FY03).

Releasing Alumni Information. Sample policy on releasing alumni information.

Mark Stewart, Development Assistant, Northwest Missouri State University

Mark Stewart has been working with the Northwest Foundation Inc. since August of 2004. He works primarily with coordination and implementation of the Annual Fund which includes the phonathon, while also taking part in some major gift work.

Sample Forms - Call Report

Jenna Stone, Associate Director of Annual Giving, Lawrence University

Lawrence University is a small, private liberal arts college. The Lawrence phonathon calls October 1 - June 30 each year, employing 25-30 students to contact more than 10,000 alumni, parents, and friends.

For additional information, contact Jenna Stone '00, associate director of annual giving, at [email protected].

Class Agent Timeline

Hiring and Evaluation - Caller Evaluation Form, Phonathon Manager Application, Phonathon Staff Policies

Script - September 11 Objections

Michael Stoner, President, mStoner.com

During his 25-year career as a communicator and consultant, Michael has served more than 100 education institutions, nonprofits, and businesses on three continents. He is recognized as an authority on how institutions can use the Internet and the Web to communicate effectively with their constituents and how they can effectively integrate communications across channels.

Michael published his first email newsletter in the late 1980s and since the early 1990s has concentrated on how the Internet and the Web have changed the way people communicate and how institutions can respond to those needs. He has worked with more than 70 colleges, universities, independent schools, and not-for-profit organizations on Web development initiatives, ranging from developing institution-wide Web strategies to leading Web site development projects.

Michael has spoken at hundreds professional conferences (CASE, NACAC, UCDA, and the College Board, plus many others) and leads seminars on developing and using new media in institutional marketing and communications. He is currently writing a book on Web strategy for colleges and universities and has authored book chapters for CASE and Open University Press books. His articles have appeared in CASE Currents, the College Board’s On Target and The College Board Review, and NACAC’s Journal of College Admission, among others.

Michael’s experience as a communicator includes media relations, PR, marketing, and publications. Until October 2001, he led the new media practice at Lipman Hearne. He also served as vice president of Halstead Public Relations in New York; director of communications at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University; director of the office of publications services at the College Board; and associate director of university publications at Lehigh University.

Web Strategies. mStoner's New Rules for Creating and Maintaining a Great Website.

Vicki J. Stouffer, Director of Annual Fund & Constituent Relations, Gilmour Academy

Samples - Pledge Insert 1, Pledge Insert 2

Charlene St. Vil, Director of Annual Giving, St. Francis College

Charlene St.Vil joined St. Francis College in July 2011 as Director of Annual Giving, to oversee and grow the college’s $1 million+ Annual Fund.

Christmas Holiday Appeal. A new approach for bi-monthly appeals in fiscal year 2012-13 included: the use of photos on the outer envelope; vibrant, full-color pictures on the letterhead, consistent branding throughout the appeal, increased segmentation and the inclusion of low-cost premiums. The 2012 SFC Christmas Appeal generated one of the highest responses to date, raising close to $200,000.

Kristin Sullivan, Senior Associate Director of Donor Relations, Carnegie Mellon University

A native Pittsburgher, Kristin has been at Carnegie Mellon for ten years. Starting by stewarding annual fund donor, she later worked with major gift donors creating a robust stewardship program and coordinating special events for cultivation and recognition.

Recently Kristin has taken on the role of stewarding Carnegie Mellon’s largest donors, working closely with senior gift officers to create individual stewardship plans for million dollar donors. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and holds a teaching certification in elementary education.

Stewardship - Million Dollar Donors

K. Harvey Summers, Gift Income Coordinator, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences

Gift Processing - Presentation explaining the basics of gift processing to development staff.

Carissa Sutherland, Assistant Director, College of Charleston Fund, College of Charleston

Carissa Sutherland is the Assistant Director of the College of Charleston Fund and the Director of the 1770 Society at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. She manages the leadership giving society, all direct mail, faculty/staff campaigns, personal solicitations, and reunion/class agent giving. Carissa has more than 4 years of service with the College of Charleston Fund.

Young Alumni Renewal Letter

Jenny Szewiel, Annual Giving Officer (Telethons) at the University of Bristol

Jenny Szewiel is the Annual Giving Officer (Telethons) at the University of Bristol in the UK. She manages all aspects of the Telethon campaign, which employs 45 students, and is passionate about working with young people.

Prior to academic fundraising she worked in face-to-face fundraising for clients such as Friends of the Earth, UNICEF and Amnesty International. She has a BA in English and an MA in Gender Studies from the University of Southampton, and is also a practicing life coach.

Samples - Pledge Reminder
Telemarketing Recruitment Advertisements - 1, 2, 3, Web Advertisement.

Other Contributions

Contributions are also received from anonymous contributors, and sometimes taken from listserv postings. Thanks in advance to everyone for sharing. In accordance with our terms of use, legal and privacy statement, copyright remains and belongs to the originator and can be removed upon request at any time.

Email Subscriptions - Sign up for email newsletters to areas of topical interest.
Favorite Listservs - Useful for advancement professionals and a guide to listserv etiquette.
Like Minded - Sites with similar or related information or resources.
Research Pages - Individuals and organizations with research links on their sites.

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