Week 6 - Fundraising and Development

Andy Geiger = awesome. We had a ton of big names walk through our classroom doors this week. I thoroughly enjoyed our guest speakers this week. We got some good insight as to how things vary a bit between different kinds of institutions within the fundraising umbrella. Hearing the experiences of these guest speakers and being able to ask questions and get advice has been priceless to my education as a future employee of college athletics.

Having Jen and O.D. speak with us on Friday and break down the organizational differences of their department was beneficial. It allowed us to see the different branches of fundraising and development while also realizing just how influential these people are within the university. They hold a ton of power, and have a ton of decisions to make daily. It was also so great to see such a strong and impressive female presence within college athletics.

Speaking with the UW donors was also a great experience. It was nice, especially looking into stewardship, to be able to hear their opinions on being a donor. It allowed us to get insight into why they were doing it, what they liked, disliked, and how to improve in the future.

Fundraising all in all was better than I expected. The project was stressful at times but I feel like I now have something I'm proud to show potential employers in the future, and it may just land me the job.

America's team...over and out.

Shelby