Perspectives

Cynthia addresses the challenge faced by virtually every institution who must learn how to best transition a generation of “Millennials” into positions of leadership.

Cynthia addresses the challenge faced by virtually every institution who must learn how to best transition a generation of “Millennials” into positions of leadership.

  In October, Cynthia Woolbright sat down with Craig Smith, Associate Vice President for Development, Rochester Institute of Technology, to talk about major gifts fundraising. Craig shared candid opinions on topics ranging from the "trouble" with cash gifts, seeking job candidates who meet his “hunter/farmer” theorem, and the practice of role-playing to determine if a development officer has…

In Part I of The Woolbright Group’s interview with Craig Smith regarding major gifts fundraising, he shared candid opinions on the “trouble” with cash gifts, his “hunter/farmer” theorem, and the practice of role-playing to as a skills-assessment tool. If you missed part one, you can access it here. In Part II, Craig covers several more pertinent topics including preparing trustees to…

Three alumni leaders share their perspectives on the role of alumni as ambassadors, liaisons, role models, advisors, and more.

Interview with Lisa Grider, Director, Institutional Advancement, Newark Academy According to Lisa Grider, one of the key characteristics of an effective leader is knowing what you are not good at. That may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about leadership qualities, but indeed studies on leadership reveal that the most effective leaders are, after all human and all humans…

Cynthia Woolbright is a seminar speaker on board development that considers the nine-step cycle. She also addresses governance as key for a board and identifies trends in this area.  Such a committee, by function, is very critical in developing a pipeline for Board members.  Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the organizational leader and board chair to develop a constructive partnership…

Cynthia Woolbright speaks on ethics in the field of advancement using anecdotes and examples to illustrate the sometimes tricky territory of ethical decision making when it comes to serving an organization and its donors in the most ethical way possible.

Cynthia Woolbright discusses what attributes to look for when hiring human talent.

  New York Times “Corner Office” columnist and best-selling author Adam Bryant has interviewed hundreds of CEOs for his books on leadership.  His first book, The Corner Office; Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed, explores the essential qualities shared by many CEOs that ultimately landed them in the corner office.  Here, my take on three of those…

  Picking up where we left off with Adam Bryant’s interviews with CEOs and the qualities he identified in some 70 leaders, here are the D.  Simple Mind-Set: Be concise, get to the point and make it simple. Be practical. Be succinct. Drop the power point or keep it so very, very short. Give information ahead for others to read and then be prepared to enter the meeting and ready to answer key…

Interview with Carrie Collins, Chief Advancement Officer, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Book ending the conversation with Carrie on working with boards is the advice that it is of the utmost importance to forge good working relationships with each board member individually.

Amy, who oversees the talent management program for a staff of 200 including seventeen schools and colleges at Boston University, shares her insights into identifying the best candidates for a job, retaining talented staff, and how talent management strategies are changing.

Having started her career in Advancement Services in 1987, Deb Cunningham is well qualified to observe how AS has evolved over the years. When we spoke to her in 2014, she emphasized that data and the tools to interpret data had become major drivers of change in the profession.

A Conversation with Patricia (Trish) Jackson Vice President for Development, Brown University In early May, we reached out to longtime colleague Trish Jackson to talk about leadership. We started the conversation by asking her to describe any special attributes an aspiring leader in advancement should cultivate. As we talked, a theme that emerged was the concept of “fluency” and how that…

Cynthia Woolbright discusses the importance of board assessment and evaluation and offers tips for when and how it should be done