Fundraising Professional of the Year
Vice President of Development,
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
As a fundraiser for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Sue Woodward leads the DRTV, online fundraising, telemarketing, data analysis and donor-services programs for the organization.
Peggy Kennedy, director of interactive fundraising for IFCJ; and Irene Szturo, director of the office of philanthropy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare and a former colleague of Sue's, nominated her for her leadership, as well as her exemplary results in 2011.
"Sue's leadership has produced outstanding results in every area of her responsibility at the Fellowship," Kennedy writes. "In these times of economic uncertainty, IFCJ, which raises more than $100 million annually for Jewish humanitarian causes, has seen double-digit increases in revenue of 11 percent and a 23 percent increase in active donors. This growth has occurred as a result of extensive multichannel donor renewal and reactivation efforts, and a focused and strategic online fundraising strategy that grew the online file of first-time donors by 69 percent, resulting in an increase of 37 percent for online revenue."
Under Sue's leadership, Kennedy writes, IFCJ's e-mail file size grew in 2011 with a 74 percent increase. First-time online donors grew in 2011 with an increase of more than 49 percent.
Also, IFCJ's online fundraising showed significant growth in dollars raised throughout 2011, realizing an increase of 34 percent — the largest percentage income growth area for 2011 of all fundraising channels, Kennedy writes, adding that total dollars raised to date are $10,323,510 in 2011 vs. $7,709,309 in 2010. Some other accomplishments in 2011, according to Kennedy: "More than 156,297 names with full mailing addresses were acquired. Cultivation of these names resulted in 4,610 new donors and $417,647 in subsequent income. And we have seen a significant jump in DRTV gifts — 172,586 in 2011 vs. 122,813 in 2010. [DRTV] income has also increased from $8,258,261 in 2010 to $10,380,968."
Kennedy also mentions that 2011 was a year of great personal challenges for Sue that required "tremendous courage, commitment and compassion."
In 2006, Sue was chosen as one of this magazine's Top Women in Fundraising for her dynamic, engaging personality and positive attitude, as well as her knowledge of the fundraising industry and expertise in strategy and analytics. Her influence in the sector just continues to grow. Because of her continued dedication to fundraising and, in particular, her unwavering commitment, steadfast work ethic and excellent fundraising results for IFCJ in 2011, we agree that Sue deserves the title 2012 Fundraising Professional of the Year. FS
