Amanda Barbeau Associate Director of Stewardship Washington University in St. Louis
As Will Smith sang, we really turned up the HEAT at this year’s ADRP conference in Miami! With over 600 attendees from various non-profit organizations across the globe, we had three high-energy days filled with steamy content, hot trends, and a smoking good time.
Our first keynote speaker, Velma Knowles, reminded us that we all have different styles of communicating and not every donor communicates the same way. We need to consider the individual personalities of our donors as we produce top notch content that will grab their attention through the communication channel that best suits them.
"You should treat others the way they want to be treated." Velma Knowles. Love this! #ADRP2019
Our second keynote, Robert Osborne, really brought the heat with his challenging message that we provide our donors with radical transparency. What an incredible reminder that our donors are not merely philanthropic for philanthropy’s sake; they are investors in the various causes we represent. The most important thing we provide for them is a look into the workings of our organizations—both our successes and our failures—and a clear demonstration of the impact they have on the people we serve.
Throughout the week, I was impressed by the number of friendships and mentoring relationships that have formed at our annual gatherings. I noticed so many hugs and overheard a lot of “Hey! It’s great to see you again!” The ADRP bunch is definitely a friendly crowd, which was perhaps most clearly demonstrated by how quickly the dine-arounds filled up.
Miami-based members of ADRP were spot on when they suggested we support Lotus House for our local service opportunity. We met Victoria Varela, Community Outreach Coordinator for Lotus House, and heard about donations from the ADRP community over the past month. Thank you to everyone who donated diapers and other items from the Lotus House wish list.
On Thursday afternoon, 23 conference attendees visited Lotus House and provided grounds clean-up around the perimeter of the property. A tidy property and a clean living environment help guests feel good about the changes they’re working hard to make. It is a constant challenge to keep the area free of trash and debris, and our volunteers helped free staff from their regular cleaning shift. Everyone pitched in and felt good about the service they provided the women and children who live in Lotus House.
Throughout the week, the content provided by all the session presenters covered a range of hot topics, answered many burning questions, sparked great ideas, and fueled a lot of energy and excitement in all the conference participants. Attendees can still access the session materials and handouts in the app to share new ideas and strategies with colleagues at home.
"The riskiest thing we can do is just maintain the status quo" - #ADRP2019
Thanks to everyone who attended, presented, and volunteered to make the ADRP Conference in Miami a blazing sensation. If you’d like to express your interest in volunteering for next year’s conference, feel free to email the ADRP office at [email protected].
We hope to see everyone again next year for ADRP 2020. Mark your calendars for September 23–25, 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
