The Annual Fellows Program introduces development professionals to the landscape of the philanthropic community by sitting down with senior professionals who represent the variety of views included in philanthropy and its professions such as:

• Private and public foundations

• Executive search
  Board-level volunteers
  Senior fundraising professionals who work both independently and with institutions

• Nonprofit marketing firms

• Corporate philanthropy

Each class of approximately 15 -18 fellows is led by an established convener, with significant experience in fundraising and non-profit management who mentors the group to create a support network of professional peers. The program meets for ten sessions, September through June.

Sessions

Each two-part session is hosted by one of these professionals, usually at their home institution. The first part of the session features an informal presentation by a host who introduces their institution, their approach and goals in philanthropy (whether as a funder, volunteer or institutional advancement professional), as well as how they came to serve in their current role.

A question and answer period follows from the participating fellows, after which the host departs. For the final portion of each session, the group engages in a discussion of topics relating to their own careers, and trends in the non-profit community. Fellows are expected to be active participants in both parts of each session.

Diversity Commitment

The Development Leadership Consortium advocates for and nurtures a community of philanthropy that is representative of the world in which we live and serve, and is committed to diversity as it relates to race, gender identity, class, age, ethnicity, religion, LGBTQ+ status, and/or disability.

In alignment with this value, we seek to secure an inclusive programming pool and are interested in receiving a broad spectrum of candidates with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, experiences, and philanthropic passions from a wide representation of organizations.

Eligibility

Important Dates & Details

Program Facilitator

Amy Funk
Vice President at Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt

Amy brings over two decades of high energy, results-driven leadership in the nonprofit sector to her work with one of the strongest development consulting firms in Chicago. Her background includes extensive board development, recruitment, and capital campaign experience. She has a passion for reinventing processes and has worked in organizations with budgets ranging from $1.2 to $40 million in the performing arts, healthcare and human services fields. Amy began her nonprofit career at Sarasota Opera, serving as Campaign Manager for the public phase of their $20 million capital campaign. Amy also helped oversee a $12 million capital campaign at Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter (now JourneyCare) while running their annual giving program. As the Senior Associate Director of Annual Giving for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, she crafted the initial roll out of a $4 million capital campaign for the Sage Y. Amy eventually returned to the performing arts sector at Florida Grand Opera, where she was recruited to build a development team from the ground up. Before joining TWB, she served as the Chief Development Director at Have Dreams, an autism resource organization. Amy has facilitated the Annual Fellows program since 2017, and is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2021-2022 Annual Fellows class are now closed. Applications will open again in April 2022 for the 2022-2023 class. Please direct any questions to DLC Annual Fellows liaisons:
Melissa Anson, melissa.anson3@gmail.com
Sonia Jones, sjones@learncharter.org