Grace and Grit

2008 was an amazing roller-coaster of a year on so many levels, filled with soaring highs and abysmal lows. A couple of the highlights: The Phillies won the World Series — hey, we’re in Philadelphia; it was a big deal (but whether it made the Eagles’ smashed Super Bowl dreams any less painful is debatable); and, oh yeah, history was made in the political arena when the American people gave Barack Obama the presidency.

And we had close to 80 nominations for the 2009 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards. No … I’m not comparing that to the presidential election (or even to the World Series), but it sure made us feel pretty good.

At the same time, it made the selection process even harder than it’s been in the past because, of course, we couldn’t give everyone an award. But every one of the people nominated, both by readers and FS staff, deserve to be recognized. Each and every one of them is, indeed, a fundraising star in his or her own right. Each and every one has shown the grace and grit that sit at the heart of fundraising for nonprofit organizations, whether it be over the course of a year, a decade, a career or a lifetime.

Here, we present 16 awards in the Lifetime Achievement, Fundraising Professional of the Year, Fundraising Stars, Rising Stars and Special Awards categories. Choosing them was easy; not choosing the others was extremely difficult. But as difficult as the process was, it also was uplifting because it reminded us, once again, how much passion, compassion, creativity, dedication and dogged determination is out there in the fundraising world.

We want to thank the people who took the time to make the nominations and, of course, all of those folks who were nominated (whether they made the final cut or not). Really … any one of you, our readers, could have been a winner. So thank you for everything you do. What you do matters, and the world is a better place for it.

Todd Hendricks
Vice president of development
ASPCA

We were wholeheartedly impressed with the glowing nominations we received for Todd Hendricks as Fundraising Professional of the Year — but still a little unsure because the category is specifically for an accomplishment in 2008.

Then came a nomination that ended with this (from ASPCA co-worker Steve Froehlich, senior director of direct response): “Todd’s department raised $66 million in 2008. That’s a 57 percent growth over the $42 million we raised last year.”

That — coupled with the fact that, under Todd’s watch, ASPCA’s revenues tripled from 2005 to 2008 — clinched it.

According to Froehlich, Todd “knew he had successful monthly donor acquisition programs (through DRTV, online and by phone) coming into 2008, but only through his strategic vision did these channels stay fresh while he aggressively increased monthly donor acquisition by working with board members to show them the ultimate payoff.

“He also led his growing fundraising team to integrate Web and member communications with direct-response fundraising, while keeping his focus on … the best long-term value for the organization,” Froehlich writes. “He knew how to push the Web team to develop innovative warm-lead capture techniques in order to dramatically increase online prospect registration.”

In Froehlich’s and other nominations, Todd is cited for amazing vision and courage, “cool professionalism,” the ability to create a comfortable work environment for his staff, and unshakable respect for peers and industry leaders.

From Gretchen Littlefield, president of Triplex, a data-services company serving the nonprofit sector: “I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with Todd several times over the last 10 years. Todd taught me the importance of solid analytics and what I like to call ‘the care factor.’ Todd always stressed that ‘we weren’t just sending junk mail,’ but that we had the opportunity to truly make a difference.”

“His vision for a truly integrated fundraising program has made the ASPCA a model for other nonprofits. I can also say as a vendor to the ASPCA, Todd always treats his staff and vendor partners with respect and appreciation — which, of course, reaps handsome rewards for the organization,” writes Littlefield.

Other nominations also noted Todd’s positive relationships with both fellow staffers and ASPCA’s partners.

From Paul Martin, president of Atlantic List Co., a full-service list brokerage, management and consulting service: “Atlantic List Co. has been working with ASPCA since the fall of 2002. Most of the time, Atlantic, as the list company, is held at arm’s length from the client by agencies, consultants or lower-level development staff. Todd is that rare bird who wants every vendor to know how valued they are.”

To that end, Todd convenes an annual vendor meeting where ASPCA’s partner companies are thanked, and get a chance to talk about the relationship and ASPCA’s goals for the coming year.

“Todd projects a cool professionalism in meetings and is always receptive to new ideas. He has a keen business sense, yet always keeps the mission of the nonprofit first,” Martin writes. “He has a rare ability, in the nonprofit world, to recognize business opportunities that can aid in the overall fundraising efforts of the organization.” FS

Bill Harrison
Development director
Chandler Center for the Arts

Bill Harrison began his fundraising career in 1973, when he helped raise money for a Missouri school serving mentally challenged adults. Since then, it has taken him to numerous positions among Southwest-based organizations, mainly in the health care arena.

He served for eight years as the executive director of the John C. Lincoln Hospital Foundation (now the John C. Lincoln Health Foundation), where he secured the largest individual gift in the hospital’s history ($2 million); conducted the Cowden Center capital campaign, raising $3.5 million; and established a planned-giving program.

From there, he became executive director of the Lutheran Hospitals Foundation, where he established a planned-giving program, generating more than $3 million; raised $6 million for hospital expansion; established the Gold Key Club, a legacy society for major donors; and coordinated a $3 million major-gift campaign to fund a mammography suite.

For 12 years, Bill served as the corporate director of fund development for Blood Systems Inc., one of the largest blood-provider organizations in the world, where he helped raise more than $20 million at blood centers nationwide; created the Living Legacy Society, a donor club that has raised more than $1 million; coordinated a $2 million major-gift campaign in El Paso, Texas; raised more than $1 million for the Blood Lab capital campaign; completed a $1.5 million building campaign in San Angelo, Texas; coordinated and maintained a national direct-mail campaign; and provided fundraising training to more than 2,000 Blood Systems Inc. employees nationwide.

In 1994, Bill founded the Fund Development Round Table for Independent Blood Centers to help educate fundraisers in that arena and promote ethical fundraising practices. He currently is development director at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Chandler, Ariz.

These specific accomplishments, on their own merits, maintained across more than 30 years of fundraising, make for a strong enough candidate for our Lifetime Achievement award. But beyond them, Bill has dedicated his life to the advancement of fundraising as a career and the education of his peers. He’s worked as a consultant and trainer with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Arizona Hemophilia Association, Catholic Campus Ministry Association, Goodwill Industries International, the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Southwest Cancer Foundation and the National Kidney Foundation.

He also has taken leadership roles in organizations that exist specifically to guide fundraisers. He’s been an active member of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, was the founding president of the Arizona Association for Hospital Develop-ment in 1986, and has been involved in the leadership of the AFP Greater Arizona Chapter for 16 years.

Bill is an award-winning writer of books, workbooks and articles on fundraising topics; a fundraising instructor; and a speaker on the national and local conference circuits.

Finally, Bill practices what he preaches by remaining active as a board member, adviser, mentor and donor with a variety of causes, including the New Song Center for Grieving Children and Those Who Love Them, an Arizona organization that helps children who have lost a parent or guardian; the Arizona Animal Welfare League; the National Eagle Scout Association; and the National Writers Association. He also recently reached the five-gallon level in another kind of donation — blood.

Choosing our Lifetime Achievement honoree is never easy. And this year was no exception. But in the end, our committee had to agree with Bill’s wife, Donna Harrison, who nominated her husband, when she wrote, “With unbridled enthusiasm and dedication to the profession, [Bill] remains a modest leader who exemplifies the kind of individual who should be recognized for his lifetime of achievement in philanthropic activities.” FS

Barry Crossno
Fundraising manager, Pendle Hill

Barry Crossno was nominated by Eleanor Harris, director of development and outreach at Pendle Hill, a Quaker retreat in Wallingford, Pa., specifically for his work on the organization’s 2008 annual campaign. We were impressed by Barry’s creativity in using a unique format — a flip book — as a medium for demonstrating Pendle Hill’s mission to transform its visitors and their lives. The book uses the organization’s tree logo, which sprouts leaves that in turn transform into butterflies before readers’ eyes. The campaign is getting lots of positive response and is on par with last year’s campaign in terms of donations — remarkable in this very different economic climate. We think this campaign is pretty clever and that Barry, its creator, has the creativity and motivation that are at the heart of what it means to be a true fundraising star.

Elizabeth Dale
Senior vice president for institutional advancement, Drexel University

Ken Goldman, associate vice president, major gifts, at Drexel, says that in the two years Elizabeth Dale has been there, “she has transformed the tone, style and structure of fundraising” for the Philadelphia university. In that time, the department has grown 60 percent in personnel and increased its focus on essentials such as donor relations and communications. This growth has enabled the university to launch a comprehensive campaign with a working goal of $500 million (the largest ever for the school), achieve a 50 percent increase in funds raised from FY07 to FY08, and resulted in the largest single commitment ever made to Drexel ($25 million). “Dr. Dale talks a lot about transformation in terms of ‘transformational gifts,’ but she also accomplished it in terms of dramatically changing the way Drexel conducts its fundraising business,” Goldman writes. “The change has been breathtaking.”

Tabetha Leinweber
Manager of direct marketing, Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Tabetha Leinweber was nominated by Ron Bell, founder and president of Target MarkeTeam, for her “passion for building a donor-centric program, communicating with donors efficiently and effectively, attention to detail, and overall knowledge of the industry.” She joined Komen in 2007, and since then, Komen has experienced a 6 percent increase in its active donors — a trend that has continued through 2008. In an article in the Oct. 16, 2008, issue of The NonProfit Times, Tabetha was quoted as saying, “Donors know what customer service means. They know what it means to be treated with respect and expect a certain level of service when they deal with businesses. That carries over to the nonprofit world. They want to be treated fairly and treated right. It’s the transparency they want, and they should get it.” We think that awareness is a pretty good indication of a true fundraising star.

Heather Mansfield
Owner, DIOSA | Communications

We love what Heather Mansfield is doing in terms of helping nonprofit organizations communicate with donors, potential donors and other supporters online. Most importantly, it’s her commitment to helping nonprofits speak to the Gen X and Gen Y (and younger) sets on social-networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Change.org that got our attention. Let’s face it, organizations don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to these vibrant communities, but they have to join the conversation or they risk bypassing important opportunities to connect with the next generation of donors and volunteers. Aside from her consulting work, Heather’s profiles on these sites are chock-full of no-nonsense strategies that help organizations establish a presence and make the most of the time their staffers spend there. Her DIOSA Web site also is a treasure trove of information, there for the taking. She is a true champion of the work of the nonprofit sector.

Pam Palumbo
Director of development, Homeless Solutions Inc.

In 1999, the Morris Shelter “brand” was somewhat weak. Many people thought it was a county-run shelter for animals, when in truth it was a nonprofit organization serving the homeless (human) population in Morris County, N.J. According to the organization’s president, Elizabeth Hall, the first challenge its new director of development faced was “reintroducing the organization to the public.” Pam Palumbo organized a series of focus groups to brainstorm a name change, and then networked until she found a professional ad agency to donate time and talent to help select a name. Armed with the organization’s new name — Homeless Solutions Inc. — Pam set out to build a development program. Her accomplishments since then include increasing annual-fund giving from $276,000 in 1999 to $1.3 million in 2007; completing two capital campaigns that brought in a combined $6 million; attracting individual major gifts in the $5,000 to $500,000 range; introducing two major events; and increasing holiday-appeal giving from $60,000 in 1999 to roughly $350,000 in 2008.

Barron Segar
Director, Southeast Region, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

In a year of nationwide scale-backs in corporate giving, Barron Segar successfully led the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s cultivation of relationships with numerous corporate entities — partnerships that reached new heights in 2008, according to Robert Thompson, senior vice president for development for the U.S. Fund. The UPS Foundation’s annual gift to the organization increased by 20 percent to $250,000; Delta Air Lines made a record-breaking in-kind contribution of more than $500,000, and Delta SkyMiles members donated more than 11 million charity miles; and corporate philanthropic funds from Turner Broadcasting Systems enabled the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to launch one of its largest grassroots volunteer-mobilization initiatives around access to clean water. Barron also secured an invitation for UNICEF supporters to attend a live taping of a telecast focused on issues facing survival of the world’s children. In 2008, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF also got the largest single gift in the Southeast Region’s history and the second largest gift by any living person to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “Barron is a consummate professional who uses his charm, good humor and strategic thinking to raise resources and awareness,” Thompson writes. FS

Gabrielle Carlin
Campaign executive, Jewish National Fund

Keeping the front end of the donor pipeline full is crucial. And any fundraiser who can do that while also breaking a 107-year-old barrier certainly is deserving of some accolades. Enter Gabrielle Carlin, who, according to JNF Director of Communications Jodi Bodner, has for the first time in the organization’s history managed to attract the attention of young professionals. The new demographic is the result of Gabrielle’s work in the creation of the JNFuture program. “Since coming to JNF two years ago, Gabrielle has focused her efforts on individuals in their 20s and 30s through programming, missions to Israel, and forums with young Jewish leaders to engage and increase support for JNF’s initiatives.”

Jenny L. Feinberg
Senior consultant, Common Knowledge

Jenny L. Feinberg’s ability to “understand where a nonprofit is at and where they want to be” was the comment in her nominating form that really got our attention. Rachel Weidinger, marketing manager and senior consultant at online-fundraising agency Common Knowledge, writes that Jenny “maps out paths and patiently brings nonprofits through issues that challenge the existing organizational culture with grace. Jenny is an extremely thoughtful, intelligent person. She has repeatedly demonstrated an outstanding, wise-beyond-her-years ability to listen and communicate, to research and analyze problems, and to provide creative solutions.”

Basil J. Lyberg
Director of development, Push America

In just three years, Basil Lyberg has transformed Push America’s development program from one that relied solely on corporate gifts to a diversified program that relies on support from individuals — an effort that shows true vision. According to Adam Lentz, director of logistics for Push America, Basil began the transition by creating a fundraising strategy that included comprehensive donor-communication and -recognition programs and a national donor-visit strategy, and followed up with a phone-a-thon that brought in an additional $30,000 in gifts. Through Basil’s efforts, revenues from individuals increased 42 percent by the second year and tripled by the third. According to Lentz, “the accomplishments Basil has attained in his three years as director of development have been critical to [the strategic goals Push America has slated to achieve] by 2010.”

Allison Sanders
Director of development, Western Pennsylvania Humane Society

“Open-minded” and “enthusiastic” are just about the two best words we can think of to describe the consummate nonprofit fundraiser. And according to Joanna Guziewicz, director of training for the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, they fit Allison Sanders to a T: “Allison is a dedicated and accomplished professional with a strong work ethic. [She] joined the Western PA Humane Society almost two years ago, and she brings with her an open-minded and enthusiastic approach when taking on new challenges.” Allison’s willingness to mentor co-workers to help them achieve their professional goals, and an overall positive attitude that reflects throughout her department round out the picture.

Erin Smith
Development and marketing manager, Bring Me A Book

The nominating form for Erin Smith shows her myriad efforts in both fundraising and public relations/marketing for the literacy organization Bring Me A Book. Dedication, versatility and enthusiasm seem to be the key words that describe this powerhouse who “goes above and beyond [and] works nonstop,” according to Kevin Cheng, an associate with Eastwick Communications, Bring Me A Book’s public-relations agency. Some of Erin’s efforts and accomplishments include improving and managing the organization’s donor database; assisting in the creation and branding of numerous initiatives; and coordination of numerous partnerships — all elements that have contributed greatly to BMAB’s recent growth.

Courtney Spellacy
Development associate, ActionAid USA

Courtney Spellacy has been with anti-poverty group ActionAid USA for just a little more than a year, yet according to nominator Brenna Kupferman, the organization’s senior foundations adviser, she already has demonstrated the versatility, creativity and dedication vital to a successful fundraiser. Courtney has taken the lead on a number of projects, including the institution of a new data-management system, online and e-mail marketing efforts, outreach to student and youth groups, and development of the organization’s redesigned Web site. “Courtney is always interested in finding new ways to engage with our supporters and is happy to help out on new initiatives,” Kupferman says. FS