Spotlighting Melanie Lachs

Melanie Lachs

I tracked down Melanie Lachs, Grants Manager at The Florida Aquarium at the August 17, 2010 AFP Suncoast chapter luncheon. Why was I stalking an innocent member of our chapter? Because she is a NEW member of course! Read on to learn more about Melanie.

Why did you join AFP Suncoast?

Melanie has been grants manager for years now. But she has attended a number of the AFP Suncoast chapter meetings and it has helped to expand her interests in fundraising. She thought it was time to join officially.

What was your favorite vacation ever?

She took a vacation to New York City with her sons, ages 15 and 18 years. Her family is from New York and she wanted to share some of their heritage with them. They stayed in the theatre district and one of her most memorable moments was when they visited the John Lennon Memorial.

What do you like best about your work?

Melanie loves her job! Through her grant writing she gets to learn about many different areas of the Aquarium such as the coral ecosystem, conservation and children’s programs.

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New Member Spotlight in July

Bob Krouse and Cheryl Hedrick

Your roving reporter tracked down three new AFP Suncoast members at the July meeting and gave them a BIG welcome! Now I’d like to introduce them to you so that you can do the same when you see them at the next event.

Cheryl Hedrick and Bob Krouse are both Associate Directors of Development at the Hillsborough Education Foundation.

Linda Jo McDonald is Grants Manager at the Suncoast Hospice Foundation.

Linda Jo McDonald

I had the privilege of interviewing Linda and am happy to share with you.

Why did you join AFP Suncoast?
Linda was previously a consultant helping nonprofits with strategic planning, grants and board development. When she stepped on board at the Suncoast Hospice Foundation she felt like it was time to rejoin AFP and her local chapter.

What was your favorite vacation ever?
One year Linda traveled to England just after Christmas with her son and daughter-in-law. They visited friends in a small village and celebrated the millennium!

What do you like best about your work?
Linda enjoys developing new programs – especially for worthy organizations like the Suncoast Hospice.

10+ New Members & Visitors – WOW

New member & visitors introduce themselves

Okay, so what if Linda Eisenhart had a hot topic with how to use voodoo magic to make special events work within your development program. I’m not sure that explains how we had more than ten new members and visitors at the July 20, 2010 AFP Suncoast chapter luncheon. I mean WOW. It is July in Florida, right?

All I know is that our chapter is constantly in motion with education, fellowship, advocacy, diversity and so much more. I believe that explains the interest. And if you are interested and haven’t volunteered yet, we need you! Call one of our officers and find out where you fit in. Why not sign-up for the e-newsletter? But whatever you do or don’t do, keep coming to the meetings – we like you!

Moving members

This month we really do have some members moving. Brett Hagerman is moving in and I am moving about. If you’ve changed jobs or been promoted, send me an email! Here’s what we know is happening:

I had the pleasure of talking with Brett Hagerman, Regional Director of Development with the Indiana State Foundation. I asked him the big three questions:

Brett Hagerman

What is your reason for joining?
Brett is already an AFP member and is transferring to the Suncoast chapter. Indiana State is working with Brett to see if it makes more sense to have him resident in Florida to cultivate alums. It sounds like a good plan to me!

Describe an ideal day in your life.
A beach, a sunset and a cigar.

What was your favorite vacation ever and what made it so good?
Brett and his wife and two children spent 10 years living in Spain. Just before they came back to the U.S. they took a vacation on the beautiful beaches of Portugal and Spain. It was a great way to make the transition.

Jen Filla (yes, that’s me!) is happy to announce that she has been elected as president-elect of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement  (APRA) – Florida chapter in 2009-2010. In this position I am working to bring more prospect research continuing education to Tampa Bay. Save the date October 16^th and visit www.aprafl.org for more info!

These new members are all wet!

I missed the July chapter meeting, but you couldn’t keep me away from sunny Florida in August! And I learned how some new AFP Suncoast chapter members are keeping their cool. They are staying wet at The Florida Aquarium. They were so enthusiastic they brought colleagues and nearly dominated an entire table at the meeting!

Mark Haney

What is your reason for joining the chapter?
Mark G. Haney is Vice President of Advancement at the Florida Aquarium. He recently relocated to the Tampa Bay from Miami. Mark joined AFP when it was called NSFRE and he didn’t think twice about joining the Suncoast chapter after moving here.

Describe an ideal day in your life.
A good day for Mark is one spent with donors, but any day of the week he enjoys getting to know people.

What was your favorite vacation ever?
Without hesitation, Mark told me his favorite vacation was to the Ozarks in Missouri. He called it hill-billy country with such affection that I might have to check it out for the future.

Judy Anderson

What is your reason for joining the chapter?
Judy M. Anderson is Manager of Annual Giving at the Florida Aquarium. She joined AFP in February. She comes to The Florida Aquarium from the corporate world and is looking forward to getting connected through the Suncoast chapter.

Describe an ideal day in your life.
Judy is just excited to start getting to know the people, places and ideas that are in her new world of philanthropy.

What was your favorite vacation ever?
To say that she went on a “cruise” would be misleading. Judy spent seven days in the Caribbean on a boat whose only occupants were the crew, Judy, her husband and a few of their friends. Perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving!

More than six new members in May!

There were so many new members in May that I went right to the airport and flew to Europe in a panic! Well, I did fly to Europe and missed a month, but I have quite a few to introduce.  Please welcome some of our many our new members:

Ann W. Madsen
What is your name, organization, and reason for joining?
A former journalist, Ann is Director of Development at The Poynter Institute where journalists are born. The organization, located in St. Petersburg, was founded by Nelson Poynter, publisher of the St. Pete Times, who willed the controlling stock of the Times Publishing Company to the Institute. An AFP member since 1992, Ann joined the Suncoast Chapter to get connected and benefit from the sharing of ideas.

Describe an ideal day in your life.
Ann’€™s ideal day starts with coffee, sunshine, working with wonderful people, and fabulous views from her home and office.

What was your favorite vacation ever and what made it so good?
Ann took her son and daughter to southern Ireland. She’€™s Irish and it felt like going home again!

Theo Renaud

Theo Prodromitis Renaud
What is your name, organization, and reason for joining?
Theo is the force behind CTU Events, which stands for Creative Talent Unlimited. CTU Events provides comprehensive and dynamic corporate promotions and events services. With over 25 years of experience in event management, Theo joined the AFP Suncoast chapter to expand her network, but also to keep current in fundraising and learn from the speakers and other members.

What was your favorite vacation ever and what made it so good?
Theo took a golfing vacation in Hawaii that had the best of everything, including the food. She especially liked the spectacular waterfalls.

The University of South Florida had four new members: Emily Ley, Asst. Director of Development; Caz Hodge, Asst. Director of Development; Ruth Bannhard, Sr. Director of Annual Giving; and Elizabeth McNamara, Asst. Director of Development. I didn’t catch up with this crew at the meeting, but Liz jumped right in and introduced herself virtually!

Liz McNamara

Liz McNamara
What is your reason for joining the chapter?
Since I am new to Tampa and fundraising, it is a wonderful opportunity to network with other individuals within the industry and to share tricks of the trade.

Describe an ideal day in your life.
Traveling to any of the places on my Bucket List with my friends and family.

What was your favorite vacation ever and what made it so good?
My trip to Rome last year.  I was able to spend a week abroad with my best friend absorbing the arts, enjoying the history and the culture as well as having a close encounter with the Pope.

New Member Terri Jelks

New Suncoast Chapter Member

At the April chapter meeting I had the delight of meeting Terri Jelks, the new Annual Giving-Events Associate at the Bayfront Health Foundation in St. Petersburg.

She was introduced by fellow colleagues at Bayfront Health Foundation and Suncoast chapter members, Christine Sabo, Major Gifts Manager, and Deborah Williams, Annual Giving Specialist.

It’s great to meet you!

Welcome to the AFP Suncoast Chapter’s blog: Waves!

I’m Jen Filla, the Chapter’s new roving reporter. I joined the AFP Suncoast Chapter in 2009 as a new Tampa-Bay resident and I have been looking for ways to get to know other members. In this blog I’ll be interviewing new members and reporting on the “waves” our established members are making in their organizations, careers, communities – and the world!

Since I am a new member, I thought I’d start by interviewing…I mean introducing…myself. Here are the 3 big hairy questions you can look forward to seeing each month:

What is your name, organization and its purpose, and reason for joining?

My name is Jen Filla and I am president of Aspire Research Group. My company provides professional prospect research services to fundraisers who want to leverage the information edge in their major gift programs. I joined the Suncoast Chapter because networking with my fundraising colleagues has always helped me learn. Also, being new in town I knew the lunches would help me understand the fundraising environment here in Florida.

Describe an ideal day in your life.

In the morning I would walk on the beach and then deliver data screening results to a client showing a previously unidentified segment of major gift prospects and help them design a strategy for tracking this new pipeline. In the afternoon I would finish a profile on a prospect that found significant wealth and then after a dinner at home on the patio and a drink on the dock, I would watch a British murder mystery with my husband and quilt.

What was your favorite vacation ever and what made it so good?

My favorite vacation was a trip to London with my daughter. It was the first time we ever vacationed just the two of us since she left home and it was amazing to get to know her as an adult, even if she’ll always be my baby girl!