1. What is the most rewarding thing about being a professional fundraiser? The most rewarding to me is seeing the direct positive impact on building relationships and raising money that benefits our athletes and families in communities all around our great state.
2. How did you first become involved in development? I have been involved with Special Olympics since 2001 and played many different roles but always drawn towards development work because of the challenge and the thrill associated with raising money.
3. What keeps you in development? I think the endless possibilities, the opportunity to embrace my entrepreneurial spirit and the challenge associated to raising funds so we can reach and serve more athletes.
4. How is fundraising different compared to when you started in the profession? The one thing I see changing right in front of my eyes is the availability of quantitative data that supports our profession. Email marketing, social media and digital marketing are all changing at lightning speed, but the increase of relevant data at our fingertips is turning what once might have been thought of as an art into a science.
5. What advice would you give anyone starting out in the profession? Be hungry, humble and build relationships. You have to have a real drive and passion if you want to be a successful fundraising professional; fundraising isn’t a 9-5 job. You have to have thirst for knowledge, never stop learning your trade and from your experiences. Finally, when you boil it down fundraising is essentially about building great relationships. Whether it’s your corporate partners, community partners, donors or customers of your special events, cultivation and stewardship of relationships is everything in my opinion.
6. What was the best training you attended as a fundraiser and why? I do love the AFP resources and I’m a big fan of the IEG Sponsorship resources and webinar series.
7. What do you think is the best way for someone to get involved in development either as a volunteer or as a professional? If someone is on the fence I would recommend volunteering on a planning committee for a fundraiser. The skills you will learn will serve you well whatever your future endeavors might be.
8. What is the best piece of advice you received? I think the best advice I’ve received so far is be disciplined to the activities of a successful fundraiser. Always be identifying prospects, writing proposals, thanking donors, and making your moves.
9. Why are you a member of AFP? The resources and the community of fundraisers. While I could do a better job of networking with fellow AFP members I’m probably on the AFP site once a day.
10. What do you think is unique to professional fundraising in Maryland? Maryland is most unique by its small size but very diverse geographies, populations and not to mention wealth. To have the opportunity to raise funds in diverse towns like Ocean City, Easton, Annapolis, Columbia, Baltimore, Potomac, Frederick and Deep Creek and do that in a state you can navigate pretty easily makes Maryland pretty special.
11. Where do you see the future of fundraising? I’m particularly interested to see how digital marketing will transform cultivating and stewarding relationships. I’m also really impressed by the advances in automation and segmentation to targeted audiences and the ability to customize your message to match the profile of a donor or someone’s specific interests. I think this could be a real game changer.
