Established in 2007 to honor the memory of former ADRP board member Sheryl Blair, the Sheryl A. Blair Scholarship provides up to ten stipends of $1,000 to newcomers and experienced professionals in the donor relations/stewardship field to cover ADRP International Conference expenses. Meet our newcomer and experienced professional Blair Scholarship recipients!

Newcomers:

Maureen Aylward, University of Mary Washington
Krista Jenkins, Foodlink, Inc.
Tara Kreider, WOSU Public Media
Adrienne Moak, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
Shelley Swett, Northern Light Health Foundation

Now in its fifth year, the ADRP Mentor Program at the 2019 International Conference will connect veteran donor relations professionals and newcomers with a unique twist on traditional mentoring. We believe that conference attendees of all experience levels have something to share, whether from a previous industry or from many years in donor relations. When registering for the conference, please indicate if you would like to participate in the program, serve as a mentor or mentee, or be matched with another attendee who has a certain skill set you hope to learn from.

If you have already registered and would like to participate, please reach out to [email protected] to sign up.

By Julie Mahoney, Associate Director of Stewardship, Washington University in St. Louis

During the ADRP conference held in St. Louis last October, my daughter and I introduced attendees to The Little Bit Foundation, an organization near and dear to our hearts. Their belief that everybody can do their “little bit” to help remove barriers to education for St. Louis city school children inspires me to look for opportunities to do my part wherever needs arise.

Meet Velma Knowles

Q&A Interview with 2019 Keynote Speaker Velma Knowles

Velma Knowles, MBA is a Bahamian-American Author, Speaker and Trainer. Born and raised in the city of Nassau, Bahamas, she came to the United States after launching a successful $100,000 personal college fundraising campaign. She spoke with ADRP about her experiences with philanthropy in the Bahamas, and the high energy she will bring to kick off the first day of the conference.

Meet Velma!

Tell me about yourself. What do you do and, more importantly, why are you passionate about what you do?

Right now, what I do and what I've dedicated my life to going forward is being an author. I've got my first book published and I have two books coming this year. Outside of my writing, I'm also a speaker. I spend quite a bit of time sharing with audiences. I've spoken around the world—as far as Australia—and I really enjoy that. I enjoy helping people to grow and develop and remove blind spots and have fun in a learning environment. And finally, I also consult. For associations like ADRP, I provide membership consulting services. I offer a number of strategies and work with teams to engage them with membership acquisition, retention, and engagement.

Meet Robert C. Osborne, Jr.

Q&A Interview with 2019 Conference Keynote Speaker Robert C. Osborne, Jr.

Robert Osborne will close out the conference on Friday morning with a keynote on the topic of Radical Transparency and Stewardship. He was taught the power of philanthropy by his parents, starting at an early age. Now, with almost 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, he believes that civil society has a critical role to play in making the world a better place. He answered our Q&A via email, sharing more about his background and passion for philanthropy.

Tell me about yourself. What do you do and, more importantly, why are you passionate about what you do?

Mostly I am a consultant for nonprofits as Principal of The Osborne Group. We do a lot of different things but I would say we are known for our major gift work, our strong belief in stewardship, and our training. I am personally passionate about the not-for-profit sector because there are a lot of problems in the world and I am constantly falling in love with the great work that nonprofits are out there doing to make people’s lives better. More and more I am interested in the intersection between the nonprofit and for-profit space in the form of social impact businesses. I mentor and advise a number of startups in this space in the U.S. and Eastern Europe and I am growing increasingly passionate about it.

by Amanda Barbeau

I attended my first ADRP conference four years ago in Memphis. I was fairly new to my position at the time and didn’t have a lot of knowledge about donor relations.

By Kathryn Munro, Executive Director of Recognition and Stewardship, Dartmouth College

When I was growing up, the neighborhood kids and my siblings would while away the hot summer days at the pool in our backyard. I have vivid memories of us playing an awesome game we called “Cannonball City.” The rules: do as many cannonballs (with the requisite “CANNONBALL!!” screamed with every leap, obviously), one after another from all sides of the pool, so that the pool gets super wavy. We loved it and laughed our heads off. In retrospect, I’m certain my parents did not love it as we innocently drained the pool every time and nearly killed each other with some scary-close cannonball calls. Ahhh, the carefree 80s.

By Mary Weingartner, Conference Chair, and Noël Schiber, Conference Co-Chair

Last year, more than 600 of you, our sisters and brothers in the art and science of donor relations and stewardship, put the 15th Annual ADRP International Conference on the map. That map point, of course, was St. Louis, Missouri. And in St. Louis, with its majestic Gateway Arch on the horizon, we were inspired together to take new paths and explore fresh ideas. We truly passed through “A Gateway to Good,” and we hope that everyone departed with renewed passion for trail blazing and a heartfelt belief that our work is making the world a better place.

We are so excited about the 16th Annual ADRP International Conference. From sights to sessions, this event will have it all! Bring your burning questions, meet and network with colleagues, and enjoy beautiful and lively Miami, Florida, when you join us at the conference. 

Make sure to check back on our website regularly for updates about the conference schedule, keynote speakers, and additional conference activities, and use hashtag #ADRP2019 to share your excitement on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn!