Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Tiffany Nobles
Tiffany Nobles Advancement Officer OhioGuidestone
Q: Tell us a little about your organization. Mission. Population you serve. What do you like most about working there?
A: Throughout its 156-year history, OhioGuidestone has evolved to meet the changing needs of the vulnerable individuals, families, and neighborhoods in our community, helping them reset their path, reclaim their autonomy and restore their purpose. Today, OhioGuidestone provides transformative behavioral health solutions to meet the complex challenges people face. I work in our Central Ohio office which opened in 2007 and is headquartered in Columbus. We also have physical offices in Lancaster, Marion, and Marysville. Our programs focus on both prevention and treatment, and in the past several years our services have expanded to better reach individuals struggling with drug and alcohol use disorders.
There are several things I like most about working at OhioGuidestone, from our faith-based beginnings to our strong sense of adaptability and duty to meet the needs of our neighbors across the 32 counties where we provide services.
Q: How long have you been an AFP member, and what has your involvement been?
A: I joined AFP in December 2018 about a few weeks after starting with OhioGuidestone. I currently serve on the National Philanthropy Day Nominations Committee and the Technology Committee and am a mentee in the 2020 AFP Chapter Mentoring Program. I also participated in 2020 AFP ICON Virtual after the in-person event was changed.
Q: What do you consider the most valuable part of your AFP membership?
A: The availability of effective and consistent professional development opportunities is the best thing about AFP membership. From the monthly chapter luncheons to the webinars to the resources and articles, it is all about helping members succeed in our field and life.
Q: How long have you been in fundraising, and how did you get into it?
A: Prior to joining OhioGuidestone, I worked on the grants side of fundraising for several different nonprofit organizations in Columbus focused on housing and homelessness. My current role was my introduction to individual and major gifts fundraising. This role affords me the opportunity to both build relationships and continue to write grant proposals.
Q: What has been your biggest success in your career?
A: Although I am still in my fundraising career infancy, I would say so far my biggest success has been building a relationship with a small group of women interested in supporting a specific subset of our client population from one phone call and turning it in to a successful fundraiser. The money raised established a small fund to assist clients in our population meeting that criteria. It was a first fundraiser for the group as well as me.
Q: What has been your biggest learning opportunity in your career?
A: Learning should never stop. When it does, we set ourselves for failure.
Q: Tell us a fun fact about you that other AFP members wouldn’t know.
A: I left my high school in Pittsburgh after junior year and went to the United World College USA in Montezuma, New Mexico to complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program with 200 other students from 75 different countries.
Q: What is your favorite part about living/working in Columbus? Favorite place to go?
A: I am not originally from Columbus but I have developed a true appreciation of the giving nature of the people and companies based here. I enjoy people-watching at Marcella’s in the Short North and brunch at Valter’s at the Maennerchor in German Village.
Q: What advice would you give to a new member of AFP?
A: There are plenty opportunities to learn as a member of AFP, which is great but go at your pace to avoid being overwhelmed. Allow yourself time to process information and make a plan to put the practices that work best for you and your organization in to practice. If a strategy isn’t best for where you are right now, put it in your toolbox for the future.
Q: Do you have a favorite book/blog/podcast/etc. that has been very helpful in your career that you’d recommend?
A: I am currently reading Engagement Fundraising by Gregory Warner and receive the newsletter from his company MarketSmart (https://imarketsmart.com/). They offer great templates, strategies, webinars, and insights for fundraisers at no cost.
Member Spotlight: Jerad Wood, CFRE
Name: Jerad Wood, CFRE
Current Title: Campaign Manager
Organization Name: Mid-Ohio Food Collective
Q: Tell us a little about your organization. Mission. Population you serve. What do you like most about working there?
A: Mid-Ohio Food Collective has been battling hunger in our community for 40 years. We provide food and other items of need for over half a million individuals each year. We provide support for 20 counties in Central and Eastern Ohio, providing 140,000 meals each day for hungry neighbors. My favorite part of working for the Collective is my colleagues and the direct impact our work has on helping feed so many. It isn’t just about the food, but about the root causes of poverty – good healthcare, a good paying job, etc. I love the direction we are headed.
Q: How long have you been an AFP member, and what has your involvement been?
A: I have been involved with AFP for the better part of 13 years. I have participated in the Mentorship Program, chaired the program, and I currently serve as Chair Elect for Education. I also have served on the AFP Board for just over a year now.
Q: What do you consider the most valuable part of your AFP membership?
A: The most valuable part of AFP for me are the connections I have made with such talented and amazing professionals. They are all simply amazing people and everyone is doing great work – impacting the communities in which we live and work in such positive ways.
Q: How long have you been in fundraising, and how did you get into it?
A: I have been in fundraising officially for 15 years, but it started even earlier than that, helping my Dad run charity golf events to benefit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. My Dad instilled giving back as something that was meaningful in more ways than just a standard job with a salary. It was a way that I could give back to the world in a positive way. When I graduated college, I was offered a job at my local hospital foundation and I just went with it. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else the remainder of my career.
Q: What has been your biggest success in your career?
A: I have found a lot of value in earning the CFRE certification in 2018, but the successes have every day in my job is finding the best fit between a donor and something they truly care about. I have sat across from donors and watched tears roll down their faces after telling them how many meals they’ve provided to those hungry in our own community. There is no better measure of impact than that.
Q: What has been your biggest learning opportunity in your career?
A: I am been really fortunate to start out in small shops with amazing supervisors who helped mentor me. For anyone interested in getting into the field, I loved having the opportunity to work in small shops because you learn all facets of development. This helps guide you to the specific area of development you want to go into. It also gives you the freedom and flexibility to select a cause you really care about. Do something you love to do for a cause you care about and it won’t feel like work.
Q: Tell us a fun fact about you that other AFP members wouldn’t know.
A: I am Circleville-rooted. I was literally born during the Pumpkin Show (just don’t call it a festival, please).
Q: What is your favorite part about living/working in Columbus? Favorite place to go?
A: Apart from the people here being amazing, we are thriving in a big way. There is always a new business opening – a restaurant, a brewery, etc. There are always a myriad of things to do, no matter the time of year. It is a huge town, but has a small-town feel. You can’t go wrong taking in a game at the Shoe or Nationwide Arena.
Q: What advice would you give to a new member of AFP?
A: Don’t wait to get involved – just jump in. Join a committee, come to education sessions, show up to a happy hour, be a mentor, be a mentee. The more you get involved, the more beneficial you will find it both personally and professionally. You will meet so many amazing people that can serve as connections for the rest of your life.
Q: Do you have a favorite book/blog/podcast/etc. that has been very helpful in your career that you’d recommend?
A: I’m a fan of Jerold Panas: “Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift”. It is a quick and easy read, but there are some key takeaways, especially if you are early on in your career.
Posted March 2020
Mayme Norman Spotlight – February 2020
- Name Mayme Norman
- Current Title Vice President of Philanthropy
- Organization Name Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- Q: Tell us a little about your organization. Mission. Population you serve. What do you like most about working there?
- A: Home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 600 species from around the globe, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads and inspires by connecting people and wildlife. The Zoo complex is a recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Course. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also manages The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a regional attraction with global impact; annually contributing more than $4 million of privately raised funds to support conservation projects worldwide. In 2019 we were honored to serve more than 2.2 million guests. What I like most about working at the Zoo is the honorable opportunity to represent this incredible organization, to connect our donors to their passion of helping wildlife, and for our donors’ to see firsthand their impact and inspiration.
- Q: How long have you been an AFP member, and what has your involvement been?
- A: I have been a member of AFP since 1999. It has been an honor and pleasure to participate in the Mentor/Mentee program for many years. In addition, I served on the Central Ohio AFP Chapter Board as the Be The Cause Chair in 2015; the National Philanthropy Day Nominations Chair in 2016 and 2017; the Mentor/Mentee committee in 2018; and the IHQ Education Courses Chair in 2018 and 2019. This year I am honored to serve as the VP of Membership.
- Q: What do you consider the most valuable part of your AFP membership?
- A: The most valuable parts of my AFP membership include developing rewarding relationships with so many amazing fundraising colleagues in central Ohio. Within this incredible network I know I can reach out for advice or guidance (we all need it at throughout our career!) and to be supportive of others in return. Through the Be The Cause Campaign we are providing scholarships to help provide support and springboard opportunities for fundraisers to learn and grow in this career. And together we are helping donors make life-changing impacts, strengthening central Ohio as a generous and heartfelt community.
- Q: How long have you been in fundraising, and how did you get into it?
- A: I have been in fundraising for 27 years. It all started when I fell in to my first fundraising job with COSI as the Director of Investor/Sponsor Relations in 1993. I learned of the opportunity through networking and had no idea what a fundraising career included. I felt like I hit the jackpot for the opportunity to work for such an incredible institution.
- Q: What has been your biggest success in your career?
- A: All the successes, no matter the size, are inspiring. To help a donor see their impact and to be a part of advancing the mission of the organization is awesome. This career is challenging – there will always be a need to raise more money, to steward in more creative ways, to do more work with less resources – so I consider every success a reason to take a moment to celebrate. One of the biggest successes in my career includes working with incredible leaders like Donna Zuiderweg and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Philanthropy Team to kick off our first-ever comprehensive campaign in 2017 and raising $30 million of our $38 million goal to date. Included in this work is to have earned the trust of incredible donors and organizations who are making generous and heartfelt gifts in support of their passion for wildlife.
- Q: What has been your biggest learning opportunity in your career?
- A: When I worked at the Kobacker House with Hospice at Riverside/ Grant (now called OhioHealth Hospice) I learned firsthand the importance of expressing empathy with the widow or widower, of ensuring timeliness of all acknowledgments and commemorative lists of gifts made in someone’s name, of the accuracy in every detail in acknowledgment letters, in ensuring alignment of these priorities with all team members involved, and of being genuine in all conversations.
- Q: Tell us a fun fact about you that other AFP members wouldn’t know.
- A: A few fun facts about me – I’m the last of eight children, a first-generation college graduate, and I have successfully jumped out of an airplane.
- Q: What is your favorite part about living/working in Columbus? Favorite place to go?
- A: My favorite part of living / working in Columbus (Dublin) is how close in proximity I am to anything our family needs – work, school, groceries, entertainment, libraries, shopping. My favorite place to go is on a walk in the woods behind my house, and anywhere my family goes.
- Q: What advice would you give to a new member of AFP?
- A: Please network and build relationships with peers and AFP Board members through AFP monthly educational events, picking up the phone and coffee invitations. You will gain support, ideas, inspiration and energy!
- Q: Do you have a favorite book/blog/podcast/etc. that has been very helpful in your career that you’d recommend?
- A: Favorite books: Donor-Centered Fundraising by Penelope Burk and for managers Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
Posted February 2020