Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP) Sixth International Conference Draws Nearly 200 Attendees to Baltimore

The 2009 International Conference of the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP) drew nearly 200 attendees from throughout the United States and Canada to Baltimore, Maryland for a three-day conference on today’s most important issues in the field of donor relations and stewardship.

One of the largest meetings of donor relations and stewardship professionals in the world allowing participants to share best practices and discuss the latest trends in the field, the conference kicked off with a keynote session by Bruce W. Flessner of Bentz Whaley Flessner fundraising consulting firm. Flessner discussed the topic Preparing for 2010: Fundraising and Donor Relations in the New Economy and, as an expert on new wealth philanthropy, Flessner’s presentation focused on philanthropy in the current economy and what to expect in during the next year.

Bentz Whaley Flessner’s Janet Hedrick, CFRE, a senior associate at the firm, also presented Pleasure or Pain: What Makes a Donor Cry? The session focused on the ways that development professionals respond to donors and how powerful Donor TouchPoints can be in bringing donors closer to their charities. In addition to Hedrick’s second session, You've Come a Long a Long Way Baby: Past, Present, and Future of Donor Relations, a presentation discussing how the professional field of donor relations has emerged in the last two decades and continues to grow, Hedrick also offered a book signing session at the conference for her book “Effective Donor Relations.”

To learn more about these sessions or Hedrick’s book, contact Bentz Whaley Flessner at bwf@bwf.com.

The Problem of Too Many Potential Donors

Wealth-screening services can leave fund raisers with a welcome but still challenging task of how to prioritize a list of too many potential donors, speakers told participants in Boston at APRA’s annual conference.

Full text article by Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 7.31.09.