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Program Recap - Caring & Nurturing Volunteers to Fundraising Success

"Anyone can be a volunteer, so be creative and ensure you are connecting with as many volunteers as possible." - Nibal Awad, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships                                                                                                                                On May 9, 2023, more than 40 WIDGB members gathered at the first in-person Lunch-and-Learn since February 2020! The event featured an excellent panel discussion featuring Nibal Awad, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Donor Impact at Positive Tracks, Carly Churchill, Associate Director of Advancement at Cotting School, and Ginny Fuller Marinaro, Senior Director of Development at Brigham & Women's Hospital.

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Program Recap - Symbiotic Relationship Between Frontline Fundraisers and Development Operation Roles

"The way to prepare for a successful future—whether you know what it is or not—is to keep acquiring skills, so you are ready when luck, opportunity, or clarity about your future strikes.” ­­­Anne T. Melvin, JD, principal of Dynamic Fundraising Training                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          On Thursday, March 30, an impressive group of development professionals gathered virtually to share their expertise during the Symbiotic Relationship Between Frontline Fundraisers and Development Operation Roles. The program kicked off with a keynote by Anne T. Melvin, JD, principal of Dynamic Fundraising Training, and was followed by a panel discussion moderated by senior talent acquisition consultant Maureen Pena. Panelists included fundraising and communications consultant Johane Alexis-Phanor of Beyond Wordz; Emily Donohue, senior director of prospect management and research at UMass Boston; Rosie Martel-Foley, vice president of development strategies and governance at United Way; and Sarah Robinson, executive director of advancement at the Van Wezel Foundation.

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Program Recap - Refresh Your Planned Giving Approach: Trends and Notes from the Field in 2023

 
“In order for a planned giving initiative to be sustainable, it has to be integrated into an organization's culture." 
                  - Arlene Schiff, Senior Advisor, Life & Legacy
 
 
On February 7th at 12 noon, Women In Development of Greater Boston hosted Lori Kranczer; Founder and CEO, Link Elevating Philanthropy; Jill Ng; Director, Planned Giving, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and Arlene Schiff; Senior Advisor, Life & Legacy for an informative discussion about planned giving trends this year, how to steward your planned giving donors and ways to approach the conversation with donors of all ages.

 

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Program Recap: 2022 Fall Kick Off Breakfast

More than 250 people gathered in-person for WID’s 2022 Fall Breakfast Kick-off held on Thursday, November 3, at the Westin Copley Place. Fundraising professionals from Boston and beyond caught up with peers across the industry and make new connections during a lively networking session before settling in for an engaging and insightful talk from guest speaker Dr. Makeeba McCreary, president of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF).

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Program Recap - Then & Now in Development Hiring: Emerging trends in hiring for a more inclusive future

“The only constant in life is change.” This adage feels truer now than ever­—particularly in the professional world, where our work lives are largely unrecognizable from just three years ago, and movements like the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting dominate headlines.

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Event Recap: WIDBG Annual Meeting

Natanja Craig-Oquendo at podiumAt the WIDGB Annual Meeting Natanja Craig-Oquendo, Executive Director of the Boston Women’s Fund, shared stories of the times she “looked over the edge” in her personal and professional journey. For Natanja, looking over the edge means taking a risk, and those “over the edge” moments have been pivotal in her life and her career.

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Program Recap: Middle Tier and Major Giving Pipeline Development

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.

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Program Recap: Managing Your Career in This New Normal

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.

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Program Recap: Exploring the Latest Trends in Philanthropy

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. 

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Program Recap: Practicing Inclusivity in Donor Relations and Stewardship

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! 

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Program Recap: Coffee with Sara Minkara

Headshot of Sara MinkaraThe 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.

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Recap Program November 2021

Roundtable Discussion: Come workshop your questions!
Sharing fundraising ideas and comparing strategies with peers have been extremely helpful tools for fundraisers in today’s ever-changing landscape. On Wednesday, October 27th, WIDGB hosted its first ever Virtual Roundtable Discussion in which attendees could pick three out of five breakout room topics. The topics of discussion included Recruiting & Onboarding in a Virtual World, Small Shop Fundraising, Planned Giving, Communications, and Foundation & Corporate Grant Fundraising. Takeaways included to how a small shop can schedule and prioritize stewardship in a packed Development calendar, essential planned giving language to include on your organization’s website, the most effective way to communicate your nonprofit's impact through success stories, and more!
 
Thank you to the facilitators of this Roundtable Discussion: Molly Richter (Assistant Director of Development, Mass General Brigham), Carmen Chan (Director of Philanthropy, Just a Start), Liz Cahn (President, Gift Planning and Fund Raising Services); Coralys Negretti (Director of Marketing and Communications, YW Boston), and Risa Shames (Principal, RS Consulting).

Event Recap - Annual Spring Meeting

Event flier for WID's Annual Spring MeetingOn Thursday, June 10th Women in Development of Greater Boston hosted our Annual Spring Meeting over Zoom to an impassioned audience. After a moving opening from outgoing WID President Kellen Epstein, during which she thanked the legacy of women who came before her, she introduced the incoming WID President, Katie Quackenbush Spiegel. Katie charted the direction for WID, with a focus on growth, movement, and accessibility.

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Program Recap: Attracting, Retaining and Advancing Diverse Talent

Attracting, Retaining, and Advancing Diverse Talent

Systemic racism continues to impede progress for people of color in every profession, including fundraising. Recent studies show that just 19% of employees at nonprofits identify as people of color while 30% of the US identifies as people of color – and only 13% of the Association of Fundraising Professionals members identified as non-white.

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Event Recap - Community Centric Storytelling

"Why Do We Shape Our Stories from a Donor-Centric Perspective? Shifting Our Lens to Community-Centric Storytelling and Fundraising"

When we think about best practices in philanthropy, we often focus on how external stakeholders will receive our messages -- including donor appeals, grant proposals, and event programs. But why is this the appropriate approach and do these practices honor the stories of the communities we serve? To further advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the funding space, nonprofit organizations and philanthropic institutions must re-examine how we communicate. Here are a few easy-to-implement changes that you can make in your organization today:

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Event Recap: Pay Inequity

WID Asks Why? Series: Pay Inequity

On April 14, 2021, a panel of non-profit professionals came together on the virtual stage to engage in a discussion on the important topic of pay inequity.

Faith Eutsay, Senior Consultant at Lindauer Global, thoughtfully moderated the discussion and asked the panel—Patricia D. Keenan, Vice President of Advancement, Community and Equity at Ellis, Ahmed Mohammed, Director of Talent Acquisition at Harvard Medical School, Andrea Silbert, President at Eos Foundation, and Sharon J. Stanczak, CFRE, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at the Whitehead Institute—tough questions on the matter to shed light on the systemic problem of pay inequity.



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Event Recap: Ethics in Fundraising

Ethics in Fundraising

On April 27, 2021, a panel gathered to discuss best practices for developing gift and donor acceptance policies, making ethical decisions on how to work with donors, and how to graciously decline gifts from controversial funders. This program was generously sponsored by CCS Fundraising.

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Program Recap: “Virtual Events 2.0″

Event Details and Headshots
On January 28, 2021, a panel gathered to discuss tips on best practices for achieving virtual event goals, how to maximize results, and ideas for post-event cultivation. This program was generously sponsored by CCS Fundraising.  

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Program Recap: “Building a Pipeline of Institutional Funders: A deep dive into grant programs”

Stacia Silvia Headshot
On February 11, 2021, Stacia Silvia, Director of Foundation Relations and Development Operations at MAB Community Services, shared a crash course on grants, and answered participant questions. This lunch and learn was sponsored by CCS Fundraising.

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Program Recap: “Maximizing Life Science Partnerships”

Details of virtual event date-time with images of speakers
On December 3, 2020, WID asked a very basic, yet complicated question: How does a fundraiser make inroads with Corporate Social Responsibility programs in the Life Sciences?

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