My first major gift fundraising role was as a regional gift officer for the east coast, which meant I was on the road every other week, for a week at a time. Often it involved driving around various states because I didn’t go to any of the main metro locations. That drive time lent itself to searching for various forms of content to absorb while I drove (I’m a big podcast and audiobook listener). I was eager for information and content on advancement, but back in 2017, there seemed to be very little of it.
I created a new digital habit, and it stuck, but I know from experience they often don’t.
As my career progressed, I found the normal outlets. I went to conferences (maybe once a year) and tried networking with the other fundraisers in my organization. I started a newer fundraiser group for all those new(ish) people to fundraising and we started gathering monthly in person to talk about what we were learning, hearing, and seeing from the road. That was when I started to realize how much community and accessible content or professional development would be critical to my own growth and engagement with work.
Fast forward to COVID and I’ve stepped into my first talent management and senior leadership role. That eagerness to build community, find support, and access resources more easily than once a year at a CASE conference only grew. Fortunately, I was invited to join a group of talent managers in advancement who connected on Zoom monthly. What started as support to make it through the pandemic turned into a regular connection point to talk shop, share resources, and compare notes about what was working or not working in our institutions. No one was presenting at each other — we posed questions and shared our perspectives or resources.
That group eventually evolved into Advancement Talent Co, which now supports hundreds of talent managers across 60+ institutions with thousands of resources being shared. What I learned from watching it grow is something I probably should have known already: the real growth happens not only by consuming professional development but by engaging in it fully with other humans.
Professional development in advancement has mostly been a solo sport. You go to the conference once a year, if you’re lucky and if your institution has the budget. But since 2020, we’ve seen a host of new opportunities crop up that are digital-first, hybrid, and combinations of synchronous and asynchronous learning.
I said yes to Speaking Engagement because I’ve seen what’s possible when advancement professionals find each other and start showing up consistently. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about it too.
Building ATC was easier in one unexpected way - COVID forced the habit. Everyone was already on Zoom, already looking for connection, already willing to try something new digitally. Speaking Engagement doesn’t have that same tailwind.
We’re asking a new group of people to come together and form a new habit from scratch, and new digital habits are genuinely hard to build. There’s been some impressive growth already - 330+ members across 25 institutions over four months is impressive growth. And yet, the comments are quiet and the synchronous events are still finding their footing. But, this is where the rubber meets the road for community building - to transition from content to community will require intentional engagement from both SE contributors as well as readers.
And, as any good fundraiser would say: I’d be remiss if I didn’t invite you to join us. Make a comment, pose a question or come to our next Agora.
