We are pleased to present to you the CHC News Quarterly. CHC is happy to share with you the new members of our team, a new and exciting service line that completes our spectrum of client services and some material to stimulate your thinking about the challenges and opportunities you may be facing. Your feedback and inquiries are most welcome.

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” -William Arthur Ward

Team Copley Harris

Larry G. Raff, MPH President
Betty Ann Copley, FAHP Chairman

Karen Cadbury Senior Associate
Nelson Checkoway* Senior Consultant
Tom Colligan* Senior Associate
Jane DiGangi, CFRE VP Client Services
Elizabeth Fermano Senior Associate
Carroll Follas Senior Associate
Ron Guerriero* Senior Associate
Sue Kinney Senior Associate
Liz Lombard VP Executive Recruitment
Cari Palmer Senior Associate
Carolyn Rolfe* Manager Consulting Services
Nancy Simpson-Banker, FAHP Senior Consultant
Mary Wetherbee Director of Operations
*Newest members of the team

The Development Assessment and
Board Retreat…a powerful combination
By Larry G. Raff, President, Copley Harris Company

As a leader of your organization’s development program, you have the responsibility of thoroughly knowing your organization’s development program and case for support, as well as the many complexities of today's not for profit marketplace.  With slimmer and slimmer operating margins being experienced by most organizations, the net revenue generated by development offices in large and small institutional settings often account for any net operating results of the organization.  Philanthropy, therefore, is playing an increasingly important role in board considerations about future financing, growth and expansion.

Since fundraising provides many board members with a high level of discomfort, it is vitally important for volunteers to understand the many facets of your development program and how he or she may be able to comfortably contribute to its success.  The combination of a development office assessment and a follow-up board retreat and training is a most effective combination to enable all development related staff and volunteers to be successful.

Conducting a Development Assessment
A development assessment is typically conducted by an outside consultant.  It entails an internal scrutinization and critique of the development office’s operations, procedures, policies, staffing and past performance. It also includes confidential interviews with volunteer leadership, development staff and senior administration of the organization.  It is only through candid discussions with an impartial consultant, with the backdrop of an understanding of the office's operation, that useful and effective recommendations can be crafted.

Material that contributes to the assessment includes:

These items will provide the necessary information on which to base comparisons of your development operation to best practices of other like organizations, broken down by key development categories.  For instance, the gift revenue from your annual fund or foundation grants program, and the return on investment of the program, can be compared to the results of similar organizations to provide you with an understanding of  how your program compares and what the fund raising potential may be.

Board Retreat and Training
Once the assessment is completed, a formal written report is created that outlines key observations and recommendations by categories ranging from leadership to operations to donor constituency strategies.  The written report is then distilled down to eight to ten presentation slides which serve as the focal point for a board presentation of the key findings and recommendations. 

The assessment presentation provides an invaluable opportunity to give volunteers an understanding about their role in various elements of the development operation and plan.  The breadth and complexity of the development office is laid bare.  This typically provides volunteers with a new understanding and appreciation for what it takes to raise money for your organization.

For the best presenters, this is also a rare opportunity to speak directly to board members regarding their responsibility to the development process as an organizational leader.  Examples can be given of how individuals in the room have, with little effort, facilitated enormous philanthropic benefits to the organization.  The presentation must also include two or three simple things that each board member can do to contribute to the success of the development operation.  At the same time, the findings of the assessment provide the basis for future budgetary expenditures and planning emphasis, and the return on investment that should be expected.

Development…I Didn’t Know That
Find the answers below

1. The amount that Louisiana State University has raised since 2001 to care for its live tiger mascot:

A. $500,000
B. $2,100,000
C. $3,750,000                        
D. $5,500,000

2. The average number of $1 million stock gifts made each year by U.S. CEOs and chairmen to foundation they control:

A. 10
B. 60                                               
C. 110
D. 275

3. The average change in the company's stock price in the month after the CEO gifts $1 million or more in company stock:

A. +5 %
B. +1%
C. -3%
D. -5%

New CHC Direct Mail/Marketing Services
Copley Harris Company President Larry Raff is pleased to announce an exclusive affiliation between CHC and Checkoway Consulting that brings the services of premier direct response strategist and copywriter Nelson Checkoway to the CHC team.  We believe that direct marketing for non-profits in the 21st century demands incisive strategy, integration of traditional media with emerging online and electronic technologies, well-positioned and crafted copy and design, and sophisticated analysis.  This perspective and Checkoway’s two decades of successful direct marketing enable him to bring a customized level and range of creative, strategic and production services to CHC clients to help create, grow, and enhance their fundraising activities.

Copley Harris and Checkoway Consulting are jointly committed to the premise that direct mail and direct marketing efforts are an indispensable element of a fully integrated development office and major gifts enterprise.  Raff welcomes the potent synergy that this affiliation will bring, noting that “Nelson’s award-winning expertise can be combined with the strategic development services of Copley Harris to provide an effective and a comprehensive array of services and talent to CHC clients to help ensure their success.”Checkoway’s creative work has won multiple industry awards including the Direct Mail Fundraisers Association “Package of the Year” and a number of prestigious “MAXI” awards from the Direct Marketing Association of Washington.  Past and present clients include the:  National Audubon Society, Capital Area Food Bank, American Farmland Trust, Environmental Defense Fund, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, National Wildlife Federation and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  For more information, contact Nelson Checkoway at nelson@copleyharris.com or Larry Raff at larry@copleyharris.com.

New CHC Associates

Thomas M. Colligan CFRE
Tom has worked in the non-profit sector since 1976 with a wide range of community-based organizations including community centers, settlement houses, YMCAs, camping and environmental groups, youth and family counseling, national health agencies and museums.  His experience spans national affiliate organizations to founder led organizations, President/CEO leadership to interim development director, social services to tourist/visitor based museums.  Tom brings a diverse skill set to the Copley Harris team and leads initiatives and projects in annual, capital and major gift fundraising, endowment campaigns and programs, facilitation of mergers, crisis and turnaround management, interim leadership and board development.

Ron Guerriero                        
Ron brings more than 35 years of accomplished leadership and entrepreneurial contributions to corporate and development organizations in healthcare, research, technology and higher education.  His breadth of experience as a senior executive of for-profit institutions and senior development officer of established and start-up non-profit organizations, enables him to address organizational challenges from many perspectives, and to interact constructively with senior executives and leadership volunteers. His lengthy corporate experience enables him to function extremely well at the intersection of the non-profit and corporate worlds.

Ron’s special blend of strategy, marketing and business development in the corporate world has made him a valuable asset to both start-up and mature non-profit organizations that need to develop or reshape strategy, initiate or increase relations with corporate America, improve marketing communications for the digital age, and, most importantly, need to become more competitive. In addition, Ron’s breadth of marketing and business development skills give him a special ability to identify and build new constituencies for non-profit organizations.  Ron has served on the boards of numerous community and professional organizations and has extensive experience with public speaking and media relations. 

Recently Completed Placements

Boston College
Patrick Sylvester, Director of Annual Giving, Gasson Society & Special Gifts from St. Paul School

Earth Watch
Denise Trapani, Director of Major Gifts, from Historic New England

Lakes Region General Healthcare Laconia, NH
Bill Parkinson,  Vice President For Development from Frisbie Memorial Hospital

Tufts Medical Center
Rob Harris, Major Gifts Officer

Career Growth Opportunities

VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT:

FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Manchester, NH

For more than 18 years, FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) has been designing accessible and innovative programs for middle and high-school age students that stimulate and build science and technology knowledge as well as self-confidence, innovation and leadership skills in America’s next generation of engineers and scientists.  Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, President, DEKA Research & Development Corporation and chaired by John Abele, Founder Chairman, Retired, Boston Scientific Corporation, FIRST’s vision is “To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.” 
Contact Larry G. Raff, President at larry@copleyharris.com

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR MAJOR GIFTS & DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT (2): 

Shands HealthCare, Gainesville, FL

Shands HealthCare is one of the most prominent and well-respected academic health systems in the entire Southeast US, and is affiliated with the University of Florida (UF) and its Health Science Center campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville. The system includes eight Shands hospitals and two home-health agencies, with a total of 1950 licensed beds.  Shands boasts Magnet-status nursing, Level I Trauma, Children’s Miracle Network Children’s Hospital, 100 specialty and sub-specialty medical services from primary care to highly complex care including cancer, cardiovascular, neurosurgery and transplantation services.
Nancy Simpson-Banker, FAHP, Senior Consultant at nancy@copleyharris.com

VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT:

Newton Community Service Center,  Newton, MA

Newton Community Service Center (NCSC) is a nonprofit, multi-service organization that strengthens individual, family, and community life through a network of support services and educational programs.  Founded in 1907, NCSC has become an integral part of the several communities and is a safety net for thousands of families each year from Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Brookline, Needham, Norwood and Wellesley.  NCSC promotes social, emotional, physical wellness and continuity of care for all ages. The agency serves more than 6,000 people annually (from babies to seniors) representing a racially, ethnically and culturally diverse population regardless of economic circumstances.  NCSC programs are provided in two West Newton facilities, as well as in Newton public schools, in client homes in the greater Metro West community, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, MA (summer day camp) and in East Brookfield, MA (Higher Ground overnight camp.)
Contact Liz Lombard, VP Executive Recruitment at liz@copleyharris.com

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI

Founded in 1863, Rhode Island Hospital (www.rhodeislandhospital.org) is a private, not-for-profit 719 bed hospital and is the largest teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A major trauma center for southeastern New England, the hospital is dedicated to being on the cutting edge of medicine and research. Rhode Island Hospital ranks among the country’s leading independent hospitals that receive funding from the National Institutes of Health, with research awards of nearly $27 million annually. Many of its physicians are recognized as leaders in their respective fields of cancer, cardiology, diabetes, emergency medicine and trauma, neuroscience, orthopedics and surgery. The hospital’s pediatrics division, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, has pioneered numerous procedures and is at the forefront of fetal surgery and orthopedics and offers the state’s only pediatric emergency department and center for pediatric imaging. Rhode Island Hospital is a founding member of the Lifespan health system.
Contact Liz Lombard, VP Executive Recruitment at liz@copleyharris.com

VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT:

New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, Boston

The Mission of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans is to extend a helping hand to homeless men and women veterans who are addressing the challenges of: addiction; trauma;  severe and persistent mental illness; and/or unemployment and who will commit themselves to sobriety, non-violence, and working for personal change. The Shelter is recognized as one of the most effective private veteran's transition programs in the country.
Contact Liz Lombard, VP Executive Recruitment at liz@copleyharris.com

Events and Presentations

Upcoming Events

Association for Healthcare Philanthropy
Chicago, September 25 - 27, 2008
CHC Senior Consultant Nancy Simpson-Banker FAHP along with Pamela Puleo of Concord Hospital, will be presenting “The Best Boards Win – The Key to Maximizing Fundraising Potential” on Thursday, September 25th from 4 – 5:15 p.m.

CHC Chairman Betty Ann Copley Harris FAHP will be presenting with Rusty Brink of Martin Memorial Hospital on “Positioning for Principal Gifts: Are You Ready?” from 11:15 am – 12:30 pm on Saturday September 27.

Cape Cod Philanthropy Day
Hyannis, Massachusetts, November 5, 2008
Moving Your Prospects From Cold To Hot
CHC Senior Consultant Nancy Simpson-Banker FAHP presenting

Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Northern New England Chapter, Annual Conference
Balsams Resort, New Hampshire, November 6 & 7, 2008
Maximizing Relations With Leadership
CHC President Larry Raff presenting
Come visit us at the CHC booth!

New England Museum Association Annual Conference
Warwick, Rhode Island
November 12 – 14, 2008
Please stop by the CHC booth

Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Massachusetts Chapter, 25th Annual Conference on Philanthropy
Boston, December 2, 2008
Major Gift Prospect Management
CHC President Larry Raff and Simmons College Associate Vice President for Advancement, Deb Taft presenting

Citizen's Bank Education Leadership Series
Manchester, New Hampshire, February 5, 2009
"Donor Identification, Qualification and Engagement"
CHC President Larry Raff presenting, 8:00-11:30 am

Development…I Didn’t Know That answers:
1-C, 2-B, 3-C
Source:  Harpers Review