Celebrating Collaboration: A Frontline Fundraiser Panel

Celebrating Collaboration: A Frontline Fundraiser Panel

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

1PM- 2:30PM  ET

Online

Great prospect development professionals understand that their work thrives through strategic collaboration with the fundraisers they support. Emily Donohue has been fortunate to work with many phenomenal fundraisers in her nearly 20 years in prospect development. She has gathered three of the best she has worked with over her career to discuss how they do their work, highlights from their interactions with prospect development professionals over their careers, and insights into how they strategically incorporate the work of prospect management and research into cultivating and soliciting prospects.

Key Topics Include:

• How much research is essential before a prospect visit?
  
• What part of a portfolio review is most valuable for fundraisers?
  
• How do gift officers determine the right time for an ask, and how can prospect development support them in this decision?
  
• What support do new gift officers need from prospect development to hit the ground running?

• And much more!

Attendees are encouraged to submit questions before the program through the registration form. 

PANELISTS:

Danielle Damren Lurie is a Leadership Gifts Officer at UMass Boston. Prior to joining UMass Boston in 2021, she spent five years at Boston University, holding several roles in school-based fundraising, including Senior Development Associate, Development Associate, and Senior Program Coordinator. Danielle began her career in fundraising at the Peabody Essex Museum working in Development Events and Leadership Annual Fund. She received a BA in European History from Elon University and an MSc in Visual, Material, and Museum Anthropology from the University of Oxford.

Erika McMahon is Chief Advancement Officer at the Winsor School, an independent school in Boston for girls grades 5-12. She currently leads the advancement team and oversees all elements of advancement work, including the development and public launch of the Winsor Leads Campaign—at $100 million, the most ambitious in the school’s 138-year history. Erika spent her early career as a high school history teacher and then as the founder and principal of an agency specializing in childcare and tutor placement. She then spent several years growing in various advancement roles at Simmons College, beginning with alumnae relations, then donor relations and stewardship, and was ultimately tasked with building transformational donor strategy. From there, she shifted from higher education to secondary when she became Chief Advancement Officer at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham. Erika has presented at the CASE-NAIS Independent Schools Conference. She received a BS in political science from Suffolk University and an MA in Teaching and Secondary History from Simmons University.

Kay Moriarty O’Dwyer is currently the Interim Director of Development and Director of Individual Giving at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). She was previously with the Boston Ballet, where she held the roles of Interim Director of Development, Director of Individual Giving, Director of Major Gifts, and Senior Major Gifts Officer. Prior to joining the Boston Ballet, she served as a Gift Officer and Director of Alumni Relations and the Annual Fund at Emmanuel College. Kay began her advancement career at Boston University and worked in various capacities in both Prospect Research and Development and Alumni Relations. She has been published in CASE Currents magazine and previously served on the Education Committee of AFP Massachusetts. Kay is President of Winthrop Community Access Television and a volunteer at Mi Amore, a food recovery and redistribution non-profit. She is also the past Co-Director of the Winthrop Yacht Club Youth Sailing Program. Kay received a BA in Theater from UMass Amherst and an MS in Arts Administration from Boston University.

MODERATOR:

Emily Donohue has been Senior Director of Prospect Management and Research at UMass Boston since 2019. Previously, she was Director of Prospect Development at Simmons University. Emily has also been Director of Development Research and Prospect Management at Emmanuel College. She began her career in advancement as a Development Officer for Research at Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Emily is a former Vice President of the NEDRA Board of Directors and past co-chair of the Programming Committee. She currently serves on NEDRA’s Advocacy and Professional Development Committee. Emily has presented programs for NEDRA, AFP Massachusetts, Women in Development, and the Northeast Annual Giving Conference. She received a BA in History from Kenyon College and an MLS from Simmons University.

COST:

$50 Members

$100 Non-Members

LOCATION:

This program will be held as a Zoom meeting.  Attendees will receive a Zoom link a day before the event. The program will not be recorded.  

DEADLINES:

Deadline for registration will be March 3 at 3PM.