People in Fundraising season 3, ep. 15: Meredith LaPierre, Phillips Exeter Academy

Volunteer management gets its topic time in the spotlight thanks to Meredith LaPierre, a terrific fundraiser whom I first met when we worked together at Harvard Business School. Meredith suggested this topic after viewing prior "People in Fundraising" episodes and seeing this as an area that viewers and listeners would be interested to learn more about.

In our conversation, Meredith discusses:

* The foundational fundraising aspects of class giving and class affinity in higher education, which was Meredith's first role in development

* Her exposure to development shops of various sizes (HBS, Southern New Hampshire University, and Phillips Exeter Academy)

* Her focus on recruiting, managing, training, and retaining alumni volunteers to give back and encourage their alumni classmates to support Phillips Exeter Academy - including a focus on how to be successful with meeting dollars raised and participation goals

* The importance of understanding and meeting volunteers where they are, as Meredith's focus is on alumni who are now young professionals embarking on grad school, careers, and starting families - all of which impact one's time, energy, and resources

* Generational differences across her alumni volunteer cohorts and how they generally wish to be engaged and informed about the impact of their giving and their time

* Her involvement with the CASE Leadership Academy, which includes a monthly video call with philanthropic leaders from around the world

 

Thank you Meredith for a terrific conversation! I really enjoyed reconnecting with you.