“I would not want to have worked in the field of fundraising without having been exposed to the concepts, ideas, and perspectives offered here at your seminar. The workshop was excellent. It was professional, competent, clear, well-ordered. The research-based approach added a great deal. Advancement Resources’ approach stands out from every other training I’ve experienced.”
— Dave Dunlop
Cornell University
“Following the workshop, I called on a major donor who wanted to make an additional gift, but had no idea where to direct it. I reviewed my Art & Science of Donor Development binder just before heading into the meeting. Sparing you the details, I can just summarize it as a very profound experience, especially for the donors. I asked the Passion Question and followed the process and it became quite emotional for them (and for me). It is really cool to see this process work!”
— Nancy J. Hershfield
Vice President
Development and Alumni Relations
Texas Lutheran University
“Your workshop was one of the best workshops I've ever attended on anything in my career! Development has always been a 'scary' thing to me and until I became a department head I really didn't have to worry about it. Your workshop changed the whole way I view development. Thank you so much for delivering a workshop that has some actual 'meat' to it – the evidence the video clips provided, and the organization of a process were excellent! ”
— Dorothy H. Anderson, PhD
Professor and Department Head PRTM
North Carolina State University
“What I love about your training is that the whole approach has integrity. There is no manipulation, just an earnest desire to provide donors with a meaningful experience, while carrying out the organizational mission and vision.”
— Kathryne Oates
Director of Development
Issac Newton Christian Academy
“The session that Advancement Resources did for our volunteers was fabulous! We continue to get wonderful feedback and many of our volunteers went right out to try their newfound skills.”
—Susan Davies Goepp
Vice President for University Relations
and Executive Director of OU Foundation
Oakland University
“You have developed something very special. I can't tell you how tired I am of fundraising workshops that speak in hypothetical terms and provide no guidance on how to accomplish a goal(s). Advancement Resources is the first to provide a process, outlining it step by step. You provide real methods that are applicable to real situations and ultimately result in a positive outcome.”
— Andrianni Vollas Viscariello
Director of Development
Mason Gross School of the Arts
“I think the workshops were phenomenal. Physicians tend not to understand development. What was particularly meaningful to me was coming to realize that people who have amassed wealth have a need to see it used to the betterment of society. By being uncomfortable with development, we prevent those people from being able to accomplish the things that they want to accomplish, with their means and in their lifetime.”
— Dr. Michael Good
Dean of the College of Medicine
University of Florida
“The day after attending your program, I visited a challenging non-donor alumnus. He looked me squarely in the eye and asked what I had to tell him. My response took him by surprise. I asked him the Passion Question. He cocked his head and said, ‘That is a very good question.’ We’re now discussing a $3 million gift.”
— Elizabeth Elkas
Associate Dean for Development
Indiana University School of Medicine
“We used what was taught to us in the workshop—to work more effectively with this donor family and to discover what was truly important to them. The result is the largest gift by far in the history of our college and the largest non-facilities gift in the history of the entire institution. I can’t tell you how exciting it is—and how meaningful it is—to work with donors in this way.”
— Dr. Jane Earley
Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities
Minnesota State University, Mankato
“You did an incredibly good job of utilizing and interpreting the philanthropic research and making it meaningful to a workshop of high-powered professionals. The mix of audio visuals, stories, challenges, and personal discussion really resonated with this group of medical faculty and researchers.”
— Dr. Michael Osterholm
Director
Center for Infectious Disease
Research and Policy
University of Minnesota
“I found the Volunteers workshop to be extremely informative, impressively well put together and eye opening. It was worth my time in traveling to Orlando—definitely worth a morning or afternoon! ”
— Michael S. Rosenthal
University of Florida volunteer
Atlanta, Georgia
“The workshop was straight ahead, full-bore, with no tongue-in-cheek. Fast paced and entertaining without being frivolous.”
— Dr. James Corbett
Chair, Department of Neurology
University of Mississippi Medical Center
“The workshop greatly exceeded my expectations! It was very worthwhile—I only wish I had done it earlier in my career. It really puts the process into perspective. The session helped me overcome my preconceptions and reluctance to approach benefactors.”
— Randy Kardon, MD, PhD
Professor of Ophthalmology, Carver College of Medicine
Director of Neuro-Ophthalmology Service, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
“I just want to thank you again for an absolutely terrific series of workshops. I have been hearing nothing but praise for the experience, on the part of development officers and deans alike, and many people have marveled at how much they learned in the way of new skills and techniques. You will be amused to hear that, within twelve hours after the workshop had ended, three separate development officers applied what they had learned and were astounded by the positive results.”
— Carol P. Herring
President
Rutgers University Foundation
“In my 24 years in the profession, I’ve not experienced a better primer on what motivates and inspires donors and staff alike to achieve their best.”
— Rhea Turteltaub
Vice Chancellor of External Affairs
UCLA
“I had a prospect that everyone considered to be an impossible prospect. From Advancement Resources I learned a new strategy that allowed me to close a $900,000 gift immediately.”
— Ann Braun
Executive Director of Development
and Senior Associate Dean for Resource Development
USC, Keck School of Medicine
“I was very reluctant to ask our seasoned professionals to attend another training workshop thinking there was nothing new for them to learn. I could not have been more wrong. The training provided by Advancement Resources takes a fresh approach and challenges us to rethink the way we approach donor asks. I give the workshop an A+.”
— Pamela Christman
Sr. Director of Recruitment and Training
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“I am certain that the processes presented by Advancement Resources are ones that will help our staff here at Purdue to be more effective and successful fundraisers.”
— Robin Bellinger
Associate Vice President for Development
Purdue University
“I wanted to thank you for the workshop you gave to us on Saturday. The content was wonderful and I think transforming for most of us. I think what impressed me most was sensing your sincerity and passion for what you do.”
— James A. Lemons, M.D.
Hugh McK Landon Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
“After the Advancement Resources Insight Into Medical Philanthropy workshop, physicians and deans spontaneously shared their positive impressions and stated how appreciative they were to have participated in the training session. Since then, colleagues of the participants and deans have requested that we bring Advancement Resources back for an encore.”
— Stephen Warner
Associate Vice President for Health Sciences Development and Alumni Affairs
University of Utah
“I learned more about medical philanthropy in four hours than I had in the previous 20 years! I can’t count the number of misconceptions I had about medical philanthropy that were dispelled by this workshop. I wish I had known this information 10 or 15 years ago.”
— John M. Miller, MD
Professor of Medicine
Kranner Institute of Cardiology
Indiana University School of Medicine
“In my 18 years as a development officer, this is undoubtedly the best training I have ever experienced! It was also fascinating to watch the doctors get enthusiastic about development and their role in fundraising.”
— Elizabeth R. Bedell
Director of Major Gifts Health Science Center
University of Florida
“I am a 12 year veteran in development and I thought I’d been to every conference and heard the same thing presented in different ways. The Advancement Resources experience was different and gave me a whole new outlook on development and the major gift process. I truly had a life-changing changing experience!”
— Janette Vega
Associate Director of Development
University of Florida
“We’ve appreciated our partnership with Advancement Resources because they provide a comprehensive training program that can be tailored to meet our specific needs. Rather than randomly sending staff to different seminars and conferences, we’re able to move toward building a culture of philanthropy that exposes our staff, deans, and faculty to the same philosophy and gets everyone speaking the same language.”
— Dave Lieb
Associate Vice President for University Development
Pennsylvania State University
“We at the University of Florida found the Advancement Resources workshops to be unique in their approach and extremely helpful to our deans and development staff. We are utilizing the techniques they taught us and have found them to be highly effective in our approaches to prospects and donors.”
— Paul Robell
Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs
University of Florida
“It is valuable that so many of our team had the same experience and now share some common language and understanding of method.”
— Carol Koller
Director of Development, OCI
Oregon Health & Science University
“I wish I had this workshop 30 years ago—it would have made my job a lot easier. I definitely recommend this workshop to others.”
— David Dierks
Assistant Vice President, Principal Gifts
University of Iowa
“Advancement Resources workshops provide the tools, format, detailed processes, tested phrases, and practice activities to help gift officers systematically work through the cultivation process, the critical step toward successful fundraising. Advancement Resources so impressed us that we plan to send all our gift officers for staff development to your workshops in 2007.”
— George H. Schenetzke
Executive Associate Director, Major and Planned Gifts
Indiana University School of Medicine
“Our development staff, University vice presidents, and deans participated in Advancement Resources workshops and we received outstanding comments from all of them. They were thrilled with the content and usefulness of the workshops. They thought it was an excellent investment of time and so did I!”
— Brad Choate
Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
University of Arkansas
“It is a consensus that this was the most worthwhile fundraising seminar we've ever attended—and we are not an easily impressed group!”
— Mary Sue Cheeseman
Assistant Senior Vice President
University of Cincinnati
“Using the Process for Locating Philanthropic Passion™ with this donor brought about a deep listening mode and changed the tenor of the conversation. It became more intimate, more serious, more focused on impact and, frankly, more about money. Our relationship was palpably deepened and cemented by that conversation.”
— Mary Lynn S. Heininger
University of Michigan–Dearborn
“There was a balance of didactic material, exercises, and active involvement. Excellent tools were presented.”
— Kaye Herth
Dean, College of Allied Health & Nursing
Minnesota State University
“The material and format was very well presented and very well received by the ISU Foundation staff in attendance. I could see from the dialogue that there were a number of “Ah ha moments” for all participants.”
— Daniel Saftig
President
Iowa State University Foundation
“I've been doing this for a hundred years and I've never done anything so methodical that seemed so natural!”
— David W. Day
Senior Development Officer
Cleveland Clinic
“Working with Advancement Resources has given us a chance to think about our work in a more research-oriented, tried-and-true, tested kind of way. It has given us a sense of shared values around our work, a chance to have ongoing conversations from the workshops, donor solicitation, and donor strategy. And more to the point, it’ll make us better people to work with our donors.”
— John Meyer
Vice President for University Advancement
Capital University
“In my six years of development and political fundraising career, I have found this workshop to be the most valuable professional development tool to date. Regardless of how much someone thinks they may know based upon their prior success or years of experience, they will absolutely find this experience well worth their time and come away with tools they can use immediately.”
— David Weiss, J.D
Director of Regional Development
University of Florida
“I have also applied numerous fundraising techniques that I learned and the results are increased productive fundraising.”
— Lucette Wildt
Minnesota State University
“I enjoyed our two days together and came away refreshed and ready to begin assimilating some of the Advancement Resources tools that were very pertinent to my donor relationships.”
— Mary Newman
University of Cincinnati
“Thanks for giving us a change in perspective about donor-focused fundraising. There’s a lot of talk about putting the donor’s needs first, but you gave us a practical way to really do that!”
— Elizabeth Vernick
Director of Development
Hillcrest Hospital
“My staff came back from their first experience with Advancement Resources and said, ‘Wow! This is the best thing we have ever participated in! It is in-depth. It’s strong. It is demanding in what they want from us!’ It has been so wonderfully received by our development professionals––everybody has said it was the best training they have ever received.”
— Mike Richey
Associate Vice President for Development and Chief Development Officer
University of Kentucky
“It gave all of the fundraisers on our staff the ability to have a common vocabulary to discuss donors, volunteers, and prospects. When we are putting strategies for prospective donors together, it’s good to be able to have a common vocabulary of terms regarding how they are to be cultivated or solicited.”
— Matt Isch
Executive Director, Office of Development
University of Mississippi Medical Center
“Your workshop is the best I have ever attended for developing a donor-centered fundraising strategy. The workshop has helped our new staff quickly transition into our culture and become highly productive. But most importantly, our donors are happier with the service we are providing.”
— Debra Engle
Senior Vice President for Development
Oklahoma State University Foundation
“With sound philanthropic research and creative teaching methods, Advancement Resources provides the “why” behind what successful fundraisers instinctively do to raise money. The sessions are energizing and allow staff at all levels to step back, analyze new techniques, and build a plan together to reach new levels of success.”
— Marti K. S. Heil
Senior Vice President for Development
Indiana University Foundation
“I want to thank you for the seminar experience of a lifetime. Your workshop went beyond textbook and theoretical information to get right down to the heart of fundraising. The passion question stands out as a first step in all that we do and even has broad implications for life-enhancement. You all are the last word in development training. I plan to share the good news at every opportunity.”
— Sandra Melching
Director of Development, College of Medicine
University of Florida
“The Art and Science of Donor Development is a very well thought out and insightful presentation of a new process. This concept should be taught to all development professionals.”
— Alisa Bell
Development Officer
Regions Hospital
“The most important element to me is the objective presentation of information. There was no, ‘This is how I do it and it's always worked for me,’ but rather a factual presentation based on tested research.”
— Carol Pace
Manager of Communications and Donor Services
Community Alliance
“The workshop was extremely well done and created spirited and meaningful discussions among our medical professionals. Participants were very enthusiastic and responsive. The reception was so positive that we have scheduled additional Advancement Resources’ workshops for more of our faculty.”
— Deborah Powell, MD
Dean of the Medical School
Assistant Vice President for Clinical Sciences
University of Minnesota
“I continue to be impressed with how you are expanding the scope and depth of your material for so many different audiences. We have had numerous workshops for development professionals, medical faculty, administrators, and healthcare providers. I continue to hear great feedback on every session. You are a treasure for this profession!”
— Patricia Porter
Vice President of Development
Minnesota Medical Foundation
University of Minnesota
