Rocked by the deaths of its founders and namesakes, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation set out to rebuild its brand and infrastructure — and a renewed, more empowered organization emerged.
It also has given him a solid foundation in asking for money, something not all leaders have.
“As development officers we are trained to ask for money and know that the process and act is actually a way that positions strength for the institution, not weakness,” Wilderotter says. “I have seen some great leaders and visionaries who turn to jelly when it comes to asking for money, and their organizations suffer because of that. Because we in development inherently know that the way an organization asks for money often defines their public persona, we start out in our positions with a greater chance of hitting the ground running.”
Going Forward
It also has given him a solid foundation in asking for money, something not all leaders have.
“As development officers we are trained to ask for money and know that the process and act is actually a way that positions strength for the institution, not weakness,” Wilderotter says. “I have seen some great leaders and visionaries who turn to jelly when it comes to asking for money, and their organizations suffer because of that. Because we in development inherently know that the way an organization asks for money often defines their public persona, we start out in our positions with a greater chance of hitting the ground running.”