Our December ILD session focused on demystifying strategic planning and turning it into an actionable, measurable development plan that drives fundraising success. Jen Darling and Christy Clay walked participants through the essential building blocks of a strong development program—from clarifying organizational vision to defining the staffing, metrics, and systems needed to bring that vision to life.

The session opened with a grounding reminder to “do less, better,” emphasizing that strategic clarity—not more activity—is what unlocks meaningful revenue growth. We explored best practices for organizational visioning, how to align fundraising priorities with long-term goals, and why transparent, regularly reviewed plans support both accountability and momentum.

Participants then examined the core components of a development plan, including goals, ownership, budget, messaging, a detailed action timeline, and clear KPIs to track both leading and lagging indicators of success. A helpful framework on page 16 showed how to reverse-engineer milestones by starting with what success should look like at year-end and working backward.

We also introduced tools to assess your organization’s readiness for fundraising, including the Framework for Fundraising Success—a comprehensive self-audit covering mission clarity, strategic planning, board engagement, systems, donor cultivation, and infrastructure. It provides an excellent checklist to identify strengths and areas needing increased focus.

 It was another energizing session that offered a practical, energizing look at how to transform vision into action and create development plans that truly move organizations forward.

Resources From This Session

• Framework for Fundraising Success (Assessment Checklist)

• ILD Teaching Deck: Defining & Implementing Your Development Plan

• Development Planning Group Scenario

• Strategic Planning Process Guide

Community-Centric Fundraising Led by Nia Wassink, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Rocky Mountain Equality Key Takeaways/Highlights  Everyone is philanthropic  Think about who you are silencing/not empowering in your communications  Consider how AI might be discriminatory when using for diverse content/photo generation Lead from where you are by assessing your own sphere of influence and how you can implement changes  Ways to host community-based/inclusive events: (1) Drop mandatory giving levels and/or use open invitations (2) Offer ability to donate or release seats (3) Switch to smaller event formats (but how do we engage corporate partners in these?) CCF principles can be implemented gradually. How can you create more inclusive end-of-year appeals?  Data and Program Evaluations for Nonprofit Fundraisers Led by Paul Collier, Director, Corona Insights  This session is new to the ILD schedule in its second year. We were pleased to offer it in the fall to help inform participant's Capstone project research plans. The cohort's familiarity with data and program evaluation varied from basic to more advanced with a few folks having a pretty deep background from work in marketing. Many have other staff in their organizations who focus on data and evaluation.  Highlights  Ethics and data collection: historically, data collection has focused on the interests and questions of more powerful groups. Data has the power to advance good or perpetuate harm. It is rarely neutral.  A simple process for designing your data collection process: 1. Begin intentionally 2. Draft questions 3. Order questions 4. Test 5. Provide context  When crafting questions, avoid Yes/No answers. Ask for specific stories and examples. Please the most critical questions to the beginning or middle. Visualizing your Data: There are many ways to do this but keep in mind that it doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes a simple text table is very effective.  Book recommendations: The Functional Art, by Alberto Cairo; Storytelling with Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic; Envisioning Information, by Edward Tufte. November Course Highlights Managing Up and Soft Power Skills Led By: Hillary Harding, ILD’19 Vice President of Development and Communications, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Discovery Visits Led By: Shawna English (ILD '21),  Philanthropy Director, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, & Lauren Wise (ILD ' 20), Managing Director of Development, CU Anschutz Faculty focused on tactics for effectively getting the first visit with the donor and how to prepare to meet with a donor prospect for the first time. Then, details on what to do and say when you get a visit scheduled. Proper discovery and qualification work can save time and accelerate our best donor relationships. Highlights: Improve your ability to evaluate and strengthen your donor portfolio from the starting line Acquire techniques for effectively setting and preparing for discovery visits Gain insights on what to look and listen for during discovery visits Hear outcomes of real-life discovery visits Key phrases and qualifying questions for discovery visits A five-step process to qualify/disqualify prospects Learn when to disqualify using the disqualification checklist

Ethics in Philanthropy - A Panel Discussion 

Led by Erin Osborn (pictured upper right), Director, Prospect Research, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation; Amy Stewart, (pictured lower right) ILD '12, Vice President of Development, Mental Health Colorado; and Marcia Romero, Vice President, Community Affairs, US Bank (lower left) 

Key Takeaways

• It's important to have conversations about ethics regularly and to update your policies to ensure that they are legally compliant, but also in keeping with your mission and values. 
• You will sometimes be put in a position where you are educating a donor, boss, or community member. Talk about the likelihood of this situation ahead of time so that you are prepared. Having strong policies and great resources at the ready will be helpful. 
• AI brings new ethical considerations including whether your organization will used open tools where your data/information become part of the main data/tool or closed tools where your data remains within your local drive/network/cloud. 
• How to mitigate ethical risk 
• Be aware of the impact of bias on ethics

All the Resources! 
These speakers shared numerous resources with the class. Add these links to your bookmarks--stat!

AFP Code of Ethical Standards | AFP Donor Bill of Rights | Colorado Nonprofit Association's Principles & Practices in Nonprofit Excellence (membership required)| APRA's DEI Data Guide | 
AHP Professional Standards of Conduct |  Association of Donor Relations Professionals Ethics Statement | Apra Due Diligence Toolkit | Apra Ethics and Compliance Toolkit (membership required)|
Association of Advancement Services Statement of Ethics | CASE Statement of Ethics | Independent Sector's Principles for Good Governance | National Council for Nonprofits

Career Navigation & Leadership 

Elycia Cook, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters joined the class for their final session of the retreat. She shared her story of growing up in Detroit, Michigan, meeting mentors, saying yes to opportunities along the way, all the way to her current role and life in Colorado. An inspiring speaker, her themes of mentorship, discernment, embracing your role as fundraiser, hope, and resilience were a fitting way to wrap up two full days together. 

Legacy/History of Philanthropy in America

Vickie Wilson, Ph.D., Adjunct Faculty, University of Denver University College [pictured right], led the morning session, which provided an understanding of how the third sector came to be and how the history of charitable giving in the U.S. created the environment we have today.

From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth

Author Darren Walker writes of a new gilded age -- defined by levels of inequality that far surpasses the 19th century. 26 billionaires control as much wealth as millions of the poorest. 

Our traditional interpretations of charity--one that emphasizes generosity toward the downtrodden is simply insufficient in today's workld and neglects the root causes of our socio-economic equality.

Consider the Role of the Government in Forming/Balancing the Nonprofit Sector
(1) Regulation of influence (laws allowing and prohibiting lobbying); (2) Taxation (early tax laws spurred the creation of major foundations); (3) Involvement in addressing social issues: Hoover’s “low-cost governance” vs. Roosevelt’s “New Deal"

Philanthropy isn’t just for the wealthy
Early examples of mass philanthropy include campaigns to support the Red Cross and other public health campaigns. 

Narratives of philanthropy are diverse and inspiring, a few groups to know:
Black Resilience of Colorado | Latino Community Foundation of Colorado
Native Americans in Philanthropy

Clifton Strengths & Strengths-Based Leadership 

Dr. Ellen Winiarczyk, Director, Nonprofit Studies Program, University of Denver University College 
[pictured right]

• A strengths-based approach is really impactful for teams. A much-loved example is Lessons from Geese, including the importance of standing by each other when one is weak and when one is strong.
• Operating in your "strengths zone," you may find improved: confidence, direction, hope, kindness, and a greater chance of good health outcomes in life. 
• Using this tool can increase employee and team satisfaction.
  • Effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and build on each person’s strengths
  • Diversifying team members' strengths activates innovation, adaptation, and ability to deal with changes
  • Broader groupings of a team’s strengths contribute to overall success

What's next? The cohort will receive a chart of everyone's strengths so that they're able to connect with and use one another as resources throughout the year.

Recent Research - Nonprofit philanthropy

Independent sector | Public trust is the currency of the nonprofit sector.

"Without the public’s trust, everything we do to advance our collective missions becomes harder, if not impossible.

The public’s belief that nonprofits will “do the right thing” is one of the central reasons the sector exists. Communities have relied upon nonprofits to provide education, culture, life-sustaining services, environmental stewardship, and places of refuge for centuries. In today’s highly polarized environment, understanding and managing trust have never been more important for organizations to own their license to operate, lead, and succeed.

For the last six years, Independent Sector has partnered with Edelman Data & Intelligence to survey the American public, exploring the nuances of trust in American nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. These are the largest nationally representative surveys of their kind, surveying over 3,000 adults. We also conduct online focus groups to provide richer context for our findings. Given the outsized importance of trust to our sector, it is imperative to regularly assess the status of trust so, ultimately, we can fashion the policy and practice changes needed to build this critical asset." From Independent Sector

Download Report

The 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy 

"A collaboration between Bank of America and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

This study is a continuation of the 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy, the 2014, 2016, and 2018 U.S. Trust® Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy, and the 2021 and 2023 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy: Charitable Giving by Affluent Households research series."

Download Report

CCS Fundraising 2025 Philanthropy Landscape, 14th Edition

"This report provides a comprehensive look at the current state of US philanthropy, compiling and analyzing annual data from Giving USA and other prominent research to ensure your organization stays up-to-date on the most significant industry trends."

Download Report

Celebrations

Welcome our ILD Alumni who’ve recently joined the ILD Steering Committee

• Theresa Garcia, ILD '23 will serve as Selection Vice Chair
• Sam Lincoln, ILD '23 will serve as Communications Chair

Congratulations RMPI and Committee Members and Speakers on a Fantastic Conference! 

• Amy Stewart, CFRE, ILD '12
• Iris Abraham, ILD '24
• Heather Orr, ILD '25
• Brittany Vital, ILD '24
• Hillary Harding, ILD '19
• Lauren Wise, ILD '20
• Marianna DiVietro, ILD '18

Congratulations AFP Colorado Chapter Board Members

Blake Nauman, CFRE, ILD '21 Denver Rescue Mission
Brittany Vital, CNP, ILD '24 Coal Creek Meals on Wheels
Carson Maczuzak, CFRE, ILD '19 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Hillary Harding, ILD '19 Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Celebrations Cont.

• MaryBeth Lawson, ILD ‘16 is part of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Cohort
• Sue Samaniego, CFRE, ILD '20 spoke at the CASE Conference for Community Colleges in New Orleans 

ALUMNI ON THE MOVE + PROMOTIONS

• Natalie Barrientos, ILD '25 is now Director, Annual Giving at YMCA of Metro Denver
• Rachel Rooney, ILD '17 is promoted to Interim Chief Development Officer at Boys and Girls Clubs 
• 
  

Community-Centric Fundraising Led by Nia Wassink, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Rocky Mountain Equality Key Takeaways/Highlights  Everyone is philanthropic  Think about who you are silencing/not empowering in your communications  Consider how AI might be discriminatory when using for diverse content/photo generation Lead from where you are by assessing your own sphere of influence and how you can implement changes  Ways to host community-based/inclusive events: (1) Drop mandatory giving levels and/or use open invitations (2) Offer ability to donate or release seats (3) Switch to smaller event formats (but how do we engage corporate partners in these?) CCF principles can be implemented gradually. How can you create more inclusive end-of-year appeals?  Data and Program Evaluations for Nonprofit Fundraisers Led by Paul Collier, Director, Corona Insights  This session is new to the ILD schedule in its second year. We were pleased to offer it in the fall to help inform participant's Capstone project research plans. The cohort's familiarity with data and program evaluation varied from basic to more advanced with a few folks having a pretty deep background from work in marketing. Many have other staff in their organizations who focus on data and evaluation.  Highlights  Ethics and data collection: historically, data collection has focused on the interests and questions of more powerful groups. Data has the power to advance good or perpetuate harm. It is rarely neutral.  A simple process for designing your data collection process: 1. Begin intentionally 2. Draft questions 3. Order questions 4. Test 5. Provide context  When crafting questions, avoid Yes/No answers. Ask for specific stories and examples. Please the most critical questions to the beginning or middle. Visualizing your Data: There are many ways to do this but keep in mind that it doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes a simple text table is very effective.  Book recommendations: The Functional Art, by Alberto Cairo; Storytelling with Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic; Envisioning Information, by Edward Tufte. November Course Highlights Managing Up and Soft Power Skills Hillary Harding, ILD’19 Vice President of Development and Communications, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Discovery Visits Shawna English (ILD '21),  Philanthropy Director, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, & Lauren Wise (ILD ' 20), Managing Director of Development, CU Anschutz

Community-Centric Fundraising

Led by Nia Wassink, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Rocky Mountain Equality

Key Takeaways/Highlights 

• Everyone is philanthropic 
• Think about who you are silencing/not empowering in your communications 
• Consider how AI might be discriminatory when using for diverse content/photo generation
• Lead from where you are by assessing your own sphere of influence and how you can implement changes 
• Ways to host community-based/inclusive events: (1) Drop mandatory giving levels and/or use open invitations (2) Offer ability to donate or release seats (3) Switch to smaller event formats (but how do we engage corporate partners in these?)
• CCF principles can be implemented gradually. How can you create more inclusive end-of-year appeals? 

Data and Program Evaluations for Nonprofit Fundraisers

Led by Paul Collier, Director, Corona Insights 

This session is new to the ILD schedule in its second year. We were pleased to offer it in the fall to help inform participant's Capstone project research plans. The cohort's familiarity with data and program evaluation varied from basic to more advanced with a few folks having a pretty deep background from work in marketing. Many have other staff in their organizations who focus on data and evaluation. 

Highlights 

• Ethics and data collection: historically, data collection has focused on the interests and questions of more powerful groups. Data has the power to advance good or perpetuate harm. It is rarely neutral. 
• A simple process for designing your data collection process: 1. Begin intentionally 2. Draft questions 3. Order questions 4. Test 5. Provide context 
• When crafting questions, avoid Yes/No answers. Ask for specific stories and examples. Please the most critical questions to the beginning or middle.
• Visualizing your Data: There are many ways to do this but keep in mind that it doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes a simple text table is very effective. 
• Book recommendations: The Functional Art, by Alberto Cairo; Storytelling with Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic; Envisioning Information, by Edward Tufte.

November Course Highlights

Managing Up and Soft Power Skills
Hillary Harding, ILD’19 Vice President of Development and Communications, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Discovery Visits
Shawna English (ILD '21),  Philanthropy Director, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, & Lauren Wise (ILD ' 20), Managing Director of Development, CU Anschutz

Alumni on the move

• Sam Lincoln, ‘23 is Director of Gift Planning at Colorado School of Mines 
  
  
• Kellyn Smith, ‘10 is now Director of Development at the Sundance Institute
  
  
• Allson Kerr, ‘24 is now Associate Director of Development, University of Colorado Boulder
  
  
• Gaby Garayar, '23, is now Director of Development at Food Lifeline and based in Seattle, WA
  
  
• Hannah Beltrone, '24, is now Director of Development, Montana Public Radio and based in Missoula, MT 
  
  

• Candice Jones, '22 is now Chief Advancement Officer at the Colorado Ballet

• Tami Vinson, '13 is now Director of Development at the Watershed School

• Kimberly Urish, '12 is now Senior Manager, Leadership Gifts at PATH International

• Theresa Garcia, '24 is now Planning Giving Officer at Colorado Public Radio

• Kacie Merrick, '21 is now Managing Senior Director of Development, UC Davis Children's Hospital and Children's Miracle Network and based in Northern California 

• Ruth Seiler, '20 is promoted to Senior Director of Development, University of Georgia - Terry School of Business 

• Camille Howells, ' is now National Director of Development for Teach Plus

• Amy Kusek, '14 is now Development Partner at RevUp Growth Partners 

• Natalie Barrientos, ‘25 is now Director, Annual Giving at YMCA of Metro Denver

• Lindsey Hoffman, '25 is promoted to Senior Director of Development at Nourish Colorado

• Denae Duesler, '18, is now Director of Advancement at Hendrick Home of Children, based in Abilene, TX

Celebrations 

• Theresa Garcia, ‘24 is recognized by CPGR with the Paul Jonas Emerging Leadership Award

• Savannah Wippel, '15 is now Chair of the ILD Steering Committee 

• Tonya Kelly, '15 is now Vice Chair/Chair-Elect of the ILD Steering Committee 

• Allie Steg Haskett, ILD '15 celebrates her 20th anniversary at University of Northern Colorado 

• Sarah James, ILD '24 became a 21/64 Certified Advisor 

• Jeremy Jones, ILD '24 graduated from CU Boulder with his Master's in Corporate Communication

On behalf of everyone involved with ILD, we are thrilled to celebrate the Class of 2025 and officially welcome them into the ILD Alumni Community!  These graduates are motivated, dedicated, and full of talent and inspiration. While we continue to navigate the many personal and professional twists and turns that a year can bring, they found space to connect and thrive. We know the benefits of this experience are already at work in the community. Join us in cheering them onwards from here!  Faculty, mentors, steering committee members, community partners, friends, and CEOs of participants, we are truly grateful to all of you. Each of you contributed in meaningful ways to our success this year. Our graduation speaker was Sara Hazel, ILD Class of 2011 and President & CEO of Denver Public Schools Foundation. Sara delivered a message that reminded us all to embrace the power of “Yes.” Saying yes to the ILD experience was just the beginning for these graduates — she encouraged them to continue saying yes: to building connections, staying curious, offering support, collaborating with others, and driving collective impact across Colorado’s nonprofit community. We know that it's our relationships and community that sustain us through whatever the future holds. Cheers to moving forward together.

Did you miss the celebration? Click here to see more photos, quotes from ILD mentors, and the event program.