Women Philanthropists Rise
The face of philanthropy is changing. Women give and give generously, but only to those organizations that earn their support.
We hope you find these articles – on a wide variety of topics, from development to leadership, diversity to managing – helpful. Want to be notified when we post a new Perspective? Sign up for our email newsletter.
Hire the Right Boss for You
by Cynthia Woolbright People leave their boss, not the institution. Be prepared to hire the right boss. Based upon his research in leadership, Michael Watkins, associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, cautions, “the root cause of transition failure always lies in a pernicious interaction between the situation, with its opportunities and pitfalls, and the…
Diversity & Inclusion with Your Board of Trustees
by Cynthia Woolbright While incremental changes on boards are occurring at our colleges and universities, we are still woefully short from true diversity on our boards. The Association of Governing Board, in its Report on Consequential Boards (2014), recommended that “boards must improve their own capacity and functionality through increased attention to the qualifications and recruitment of…
Five Traits of World-Cup-Worthy Teams
by Cynthia Woolbright Imagine the incredible things your team can accomplish when they demonstrate World Cup worthy values. Here are five values that might just inspire your team. The USA Women’s Soccer Team kicked the summer off by igniting record-breaking levels of enthusiasm and interest in the World Cup 2019 games. As I followed their award-winning journey, I was taken with the attributes…
Best Practices: Working with Board Advancement Committees - Interview with James Husson
James Husson (Boston College) spoke with us about best practices for working with Board advancement committees.
Organizational Success: Managing Your Human Talent
by Cynthia Woolbright In the article entitled, Turning Potential into Success: The Missing Link in Leadership Development, (Harvard Business Review, November-December 2017) senior leadership at the global executive search firm Egon Zehnder cites research conducted by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) that found, “Sixty-six percent of companies invest in programs that aim to identify…
5 Minutes with Lynne Wester on “Stewardship and Donor Relations”
The homepage of Lynne Wester’s website cites an alarming statistic: “…the current first-time donor retention rate is 22%.” That statement should strike fear in the hearts of fundraisers everywhere. She goes on to point out that the cost of recruiting a new donor is seven times more than the cost to retain one. Lynne Wester: "Fundraisers are faced with a major problem regarding the…
5 Minutes with Pat Campolieta on the Keys to Raising Major Gifts
Perhaps the quintessential characteristic of a fundraising professional is the conviction that he or she has the great fortune to be able to offer donors a surfeit of wonderful opportunities for investment in an outstanding mission. This attribute certainly applies to Pat Campolieta, one of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s talented principal gift officers. “One of the many benefits of…
Conference Presentations AFP Boston, MA: Governance in Building an Effective Board of Trustees
Presented by Cynthia WoolbrightFounder & President, The Woolbright Group Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Session Overview: In the role of a responsible fiduciary, a Board of Trustees is trusted to faithfully advance the mission and goals of the institution, steward institutional resources, participate constructively in the work of the Board and its committees, represent the institution in word and…
5 Minutes with Tracy Barlok
When you are in the middle of a $400-million-dollar comprehensive campaign, as is Tracy Barlok at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, you don’t have a lot of spare time. So we were grateful when Tracy granted us a few moments to answer our questions about what is trending among donors right now, the competition for donors’ dollars, diversity in the donor pool, and other…
Women’s Philanthropy at Spelman College
Interview with Jessie L. Brooks, CFRE, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia Spelman College has long earned the admiration and support of female philanthropists inspired by the remarkable women who attend this historic school. Women philanthropists do of course give generously to other colleges and universities, but if ever there was a shining example of…
Your Colleagues on Workplace Culture
Conversation with Josh Wyatt, University of Arizona; Amy Bronson, Boston University; Holly Wolk, University of Rochester; Amy Lavi, The University of Michigan Amy Bronson (Boston University): “Active engagement across the team: people care about outcomes and find ways to work together towards a common goal, fostering collaboration, mutual respect and willingness to not only be their best selves,…
Christopher Biehn on Board Governance
Ithaca College’s “ring” model is designed to set students on a path to volunteerism that takes some all the way to the Board of Trustees.
Women and Philanthropy - An Interview with Matthew T. Lambert
Interview with Matthew T. Lambert | Vice President for University Advancement at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia With women controlling an ever-larger slice of the financial pie, university advancement teams across the country are taking a hard look at how to tailor fundraising strategies to meet the priorities and interests of women donors. When Matthew Lambert returned to his alma…
Annual Fund: It’s All About Relationships
Interview with Sylvia Racca | Executive Director, Dartmouth College Fund at Dartmouth College Kathy Howrigan | Senior Consultant & Principal, Analytical Solutions, Marts & Lundy As consultants in development and fundraising, we know that when it comes to the area of annual giving, best practices are continually changing and the way that a potential donor is approached varies. Therefore we wanted…
Keys to Success in Major Gifts
Interview with Jen Hall, Director, Regional Development, The Wharton School Transparency. Accountability. Impact. These are the three primary requirements major donors expect in return for their giving, according to Jennifer Hall, Director, Regional Development at The Wharton School. “It’s not enough now to say, ‘You’re supporting the mission of the school,’” Hall explains. Donors…