Name:  Elizabeth Fitzsimons
Title & Organization: Associate Director of Advancement, The Pike School
WID Role: WIDGB member; Marketing and Communications Committee member
Hometown: Swarthmore, PA
Lives Currently: North Andover, MA
Education: Wellesley College
Hobbies: Hiking, paddling, reading, cooking

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).

Name: Alison LeBlanc
Title & Organization: Executive Director, Child Health Equity Center, UMass Memorial Health
WID Role: Member, Board of Directors; Co-Chair, DEI Committee
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Lives Currently: Boston, Massachusetts  
Education: BA in Sociology and English from Wesleyan University; MS in Communications from SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University
Hobbies: Kayaking and hanging with my dog, Dash

How much of an impact will inflation make on nonprofits this year?
As we look to end-of-year giving as a critically important time for philanthropic gifts, nonprofits everywhere are gauging how inflation will impact the bottom line. Although only time will tell whether the current state of the economy will translate to fewer donations raised, organizations and their leaders are looking at clues from the past to help understand what to expect when they close out this calendar year. Each of these articles gives different perspectives, insights and suggestions on how best to navigate the remaining few weeks of 2022. 

Using Industry Reports to Guide Philanthropy Strategy
Industry reports can inform our fundraising strategy as we go in to a new year by providing a compiled and analyzed industry research that give a snapshot of the current state of philanthropy. This year’s reports assess the “new normal” for philanthropy after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, showing us which philanthropic trends have endured and those new trends nonprofit trends fundraisers will want to track. These 2022 reports give special focus to gift planning, grant distribution, and new digital fundraising trends.

 

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS:
Molly Akin, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Sara Demeter, ARCK
Ellen Doonan, Kingsley Montessori School
Alissa Duffey, Mass General Brigham
Maureen Flores, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Kate Friedman, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Alison Gray, Pear Associates
Jessica Halton, Berklee School of Music
Fiona Hannafin, Stone House
Jacqueline Helle, Boston Medical Center
Kathy Howrigan, Kathy Howrigan Consulting
Sheila Hruby, Cape Ann Museum
Kristen Lynch, International OCD Foundation
Katie Misuraca, Cape Ann Museum
Leah Mulrenan, SCI Social Capital Inc.
Jennifer Palan, Bloomerang
Michelle Prange, Forth
Meredith Quinn
Sara Zastoupil, Mechanics Hall

“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.

Name: Raeann Whalen
Title & Organization: Chief Operating Officer (previously Director of Development) | Housing Families Inc. in Malden, MA
WID Role: Programs Committee Member
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Lives Currently: Burlington, MA
Education: BS Business Administration – Providence College in Providence, RI (GO FRIARS!)
Hobbies/Interests: Enjoying quality time with family and friends by cooking and hosting gatherings.

 

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS:
Liza Brantley, UAspire
Sarah Chaffee, Merrrimack College
Becky Crawford, Pine Street Inn
Julia Del Muro, Massachusetts General Hospital
Jaclyn Dentino, Emmanuel Music
Amanda Fisher, Simmons University
Angela Johnson, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Keiosha Kennedy, Union of Concerned Scientists
Emma Kenney, The Carroll Center for the Blind
Nancy Kilburn, Massachusetts General Hospital
Olivia Lehman, Boston Women's Fund
Carissa Milliman, Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
Angela Phinney, Bikes Not Bombs
Kirsten Walley, CCS Fundraising
Alanna Woodlock, Project Bread

Year-End Fundraising Strategies: Are you, like many other development professionals, wondering why it is hard to meet your forecasted targets? With the exponential rise of costs in goods, services and travel, does it leave our benevolent donors with less to give? As we inch closer to fall, here are some fundamentals for year-end appeal story-telling and the importance of developing deeper relationships with donors through volunteerism. 

Name:  Caitlyn Burke, CFRE
Title & Organization: Associate Director of Donor Engagement, Brookline Community Foundation
WID Role: Member
Hometown:  Shrewsbury, MA
Lives Currently: Quincy, MA
Education: BA History and English- Saint Michael’s College, MBA in Nonprofit Management- Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, Certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership-Institute for Nonprofit Practice, in affiliation with Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life
Hobbies: Running, reading, traveling, knitting

Congratulations to our members who've recently changed positions:
Nicole Beede, formerly Development Associate, Disability Policy Consortium, now, Development Specialist, Jewish Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Boston
Lindsey Cimochowski, formerly Director of Operations and Management, Development and Alumni Relations, Harvard Graduate School of Design, now Managing Director, Administration and Finance, Alumni Affairs & Development, Harvard University
Welcome to our newest members:
Bethany Blake, Harborlight Community Partners
Amy Burke, Wellesley College
Amy Carrier, Boston College
Minori Cohan, City Mission Boston
Tori Costa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts
Molly Eberle, Thoreau Farm Trust
Joanna Furgiuele, EforAll
Dawn Gula, Wheaton College
Irene Hammer McLaughlin, Emory Healthcare
Chayda Harding, Boston Center for the Arts
Gloria Hersom, Tufts University
Nancy Kilburn, Massachusetts General Hospital
Betsy Marantz, Temple Isaiah
Alyssa Mazzarella, YouthBuild USA
Grace McDonald, Youth Villages
Makeysha Montgomery, Emmanuel Music
Eileen Pollack, May Institute
Ceejay Powell Francis, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Ariana Sweany, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Diara Torres, Custom House Maritime Museum
Katherine Wallace, Health Equity International

Name: Erica Leung Lawless
Title & Organization: Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts | Harvard University
WID Role: Programs Committee Co-Chair, Scholarship Task Force member
Hometown: Trenton, TN (originally from Hong Kong)
Lives Currently: Brookline, MA (soon to be Holly Springs, NC)
Education: BS in Piano Performance - Lee University, MS in Arts Administration & Graduate Fundraising Certificate - Boston University
Hobbies/Interests: Baking, reading, going to museums, traveling, organizing data, and being a dog mom

We all need it, but, despite our best intentions, don’t always get it: truly, completely unplugged time away from work. Whether it’s an unmovable deadline, colleagues who ignore our OOO message, or the undeniably strong urge to take just a quick peek at our work email, it’s hard to disconnect. With summer now in full swing, we’ve compiled a few articles about how to better unplug and unwind—and why it’s so important.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS:
Elizabeth Brauer, Museum of Fine Art
Jennifer Carey, Worcester Education Collaborative
Sarah Christopher, Mass General Brigham
Megan Clancy, IFEW
Luiza deCamargo, Junior Achievement of Greater Boston
Rebecca Geragosian, Combined Jewish Philanthropies
Samantha Greenfield, Tenacre Country Day School
Mary Heath, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Melissa Hodgdon, Strive - How You Lead Matters
Pamela Leins, Boston Education Fund (BEDF)
Moire Loftus, Conservation Law Foundation
Melissa Mirick, Wildflower
Christine Santoro, Children's Museum Easton
Melinda Sweany, Maui Health Foundation
Sydney Tate, CCS Fundraising
Zoe Zhao, MIT Sloan Office of External Relations

At 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.

Ensuring that your nonprofit has a robust donor relations program is paramount for overall engagement of your donor base and increased support at your organization.  With so many competing priorities of a fundraiser’s time, stewardship can often be furthest from our minds. However, these articles will help you find ways to carve out time, demonstrate impact and provide helpful suggestions on how donor relations can be incorporated in all that you do.

Name:  Janetta Stringfellow
Title & Organization: Chief Development Officer, PRX
WID Role: Member. Former member of the Membership Committee.
Hometown: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Lives Currently: Marblehead, MA
Education: BA in Classical Studies from Colgate University; ALM in Creative Writing & Literature from Harvard University (Expected May ‘23)
Hobbies: Rowing in a single on the ocean; writing essays & a memoir.

Congratulations to our member who recently changed positions:
Giselle Ferro Puigbo, formerly Executive Director, Brookline Community Foundation, now Chief Development Officer, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Merrimack Valley
Welcome to our newest members:
Marie Odile Hobeika, Northeastern University
Victoria Jonas, Mass Audubon
Beth Kramer, Simmons University
Mary Scott Miller, Daily Table
Stephanie Paine, Stephanie Paine Consulting
Laura Skinner, Breaktime United, Inc.
Karen Solomon, Boston CASA

Name: Jessica McNeill
Title & Organization: Harvard Business School, Assistant Director, Reunion and LeadershipGiving
WID Role: Member
Hometown: Dorchester, MA
Lives Currently: Dorchester, MA
Education: BA Communication Studies, Bridgewater State University; MS Nonprofit Management, Northeastern University
Hobbies: I don’t know if I have many “hobbies,” but some of my interests are: traveling, astrology, watching documentaries, volunteering, and reading (although I used to be much better at this).