Foundation 2016 Ashley & Joey interview

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04/04/2016 Added

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Interview with NU Foundation staff.

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[00:00:00.203]If you keep going back and forth.
[00:00:01.867]Okay.
[00:00:03.384]Only you.
[00:00:04.586]Ashley, say your first and last name
[00:00:05.921]and spell it so I can get the mics set up for your voice.
[00:00:08.470]Spell it too?
[00:00:09.386]Yeah.
[00:00:10.166]Okay, Ashley Morales.
[00:00:12.587]A-S-H-L-E-Y
[00:00:14.806]M-O-R-A-L-E-S
[00:00:17.311]Okay, and now Joey.
[00:00:18.966]Same thing.
[00:00:19.723]Joey Felici.
[00:00:21.045]No, spell her name.
[00:00:21.931]No, I'm kidding!
[00:00:22.527](laughs)
[00:00:23.787]Joey Felici.
[00:00:24.747]J-O-E-Y
[00:00:26.166]F-E-L-I-C-I
[00:00:28.384]Great.
[00:00:29.046]Rolling.
[00:00:31.029]So, as two people who are in positions
[00:00:34.230]at the foundation
[00:00:34.870]that are newly created positions
[00:00:37.046]tell us a little bit about
[00:00:39.467]what you do
[00:00:41.088]and what you were hired to do.
[00:00:42.603](laughing)
[00:00:43.371]Maybe the same thing.
[00:00:44.843]Yeah.
[00:00:46.283]So we are the Regional Advancement team.
[00:00:49.664]We go to the six major cities
[00:00:52.811]with the most alumni in the area.
[00:00:55.744]And so my territories are Phoenix and Los Angeles.
[00:00:59.947]Carly, our other colleague's is
[00:01:02.251]D.C and Denver
[00:01:04.363]and then Joey.
[00:01:05.323]Yup, and I travel to Kansas City and Dallas.
[00:01:08.352]So essentially, kind of like Ashley said
[00:01:10.432]with the six metropolitan areas
[00:01:12.608]that have the most concentration of alumni
[00:01:14.550]I feel that our position is super unique
[00:01:16.607]in the fact that we not only
[00:01:18.528]we get to represent the whole UN system wide.
[00:01:21.632]So we don't just focus on one college.
[00:01:23.670]When we're going to these territories
[00:01:25.248]we're meeting with people from
[00:01:26.527]either UNK, UNL, UNMC
[00:01:30.592]as well as the Med Center.
[00:01:32.106]So it's very unique
[00:01:33.408]that at one day you could maybe meet with a physician
[00:01:35.723]from a hospital
[00:01:36.447]to maybe a business major
[00:01:37.952]from the college, either UNL or UNK or UNO.
[00:01:43.424]It's a good shift every day.
[00:01:44.992]You can have up to six appointments a day.
[00:01:46.550]Sometimes it's all Lincoln
[00:01:49.226]and sometimes it's all Carney
[00:01:51.851]or you get one of each
[00:01:53.248]and then you circle around again.
[00:01:55.371]Yeah.
[00:01:57.248]Out of the month
[00:01:58.006]how often are you (audio cuts out)
[00:02:00.192]Yeah so--
[00:02:01.002]Three weeks, two weeks?
[00:02:02.325]Well we usually try to go every other week
[00:02:04.032]to hit our major cities.
[00:02:05.686]Being new in our role, kind of like you said
[00:02:06.987]it's been kind of tough in the fact
[00:02:09.749]in the first six months
[00:02:10.464]making sure we're on the road a lot.
[00:02:12.170]So we're gonna kind of switch it up too
[00:02:13.867]to maybe going one month, traveling twice
[00:02:17.067]and then maybe another month
[00:02:17.910]only just traveling one time
[00:02:19.071]and then just switch off
[00:02:20.063]to see how that kind of either changes at all.
[00:02:23.083]So an amazing thing that the foundation has recognized
[00:02:25.750]is that there are so many alumni
[00:02:27.606]within the Omaha/Lincoln area
[00:02:30.389]who have not been contacted in the last two years.
[00:02:33.792]We're going to put a larger focus on that area as well too.
[00:02:39.126]Are there hopes to hire more of you?
[00:02:42.304]Maybe you know that, maybe you don't.
[00:02:43.648]For other areas?
[00:02:46.208](laughing)
[00:02:47.210]That's a good question.
[00:02:48.491]No, that's a really good question.
[00:02:49.728]I think it's funny
[00:02:50.464]at least when we go out and travel
[00:02:52.192]I know when I talk about my role
[00:02:54.944]and traveling to Kansas City
[00:02:56.064]and this whole regional advancement program
[00:02:57.931]some of the alumni or the donors will say
[00:02:59.584]"Let me guess the six areas"
[00:03:01.131]and a lot of them say
[00:03:02.166]Minneapolis or Chicago.
[00:03:03.766]Those two cities aren't on our list.
[00:03:05.472]I think they were seventh and eighth.
[00:03:07.232]So the potential is there for sure.
[00:03:10.283]Either, I don't know, if we tap these cities out
[00:03:12.352]too much maybe
[00:03:13.386]and then they give us some more cities
[00:03:14.784]or they bring on some more regional advancement officers
[00:03:17.611]as well to kind of facilitate that.
[00:03:20.427]It's all of the others, not my own.
[00:03:24.191]So, you've been doing this for six months.
[00:03:27.882]Joey, tell us about your first experience
[00:03:30.891]with going on an ask.
[00:03:32.085]Yes.
[00:03:32.587]So my first experience
[00:03:34.026]it was a unique experience.
[00:03:35.350]It was on a joint meeting with Carly
[00:03:36.992]our other, our team lead
[00:03:38.752]our regional advancement officer lead.
[00:03:39.968]It was a donor.
[00:03:41.547]Her name was Arlene Styer.
[00:03:43.647]She was a UNL non-traditional student.
[00:03:46.047]Aviation major.
[00:03:47.723]And we went to UNL's campus.
[00:03:49.526]Very first meeting
[00:03:50.432]so you know you go through the training
[00:03:51.647]the plus delta
[00:03:53.088]the advancement resources
[00:03:54.304]and you know I already got my game face on.
[00:03:57.184]Didn't know what to expect
[00:03:58.187]and the meeting kind of started off a little shaky.
[00:04:00.363]She was just kinda
[00:04:02.272]she didn't know really where the direction
[00:04:04.106]of the aviation program was going.
[00:04:05.930]Some of the deans.
[00:04:06.624]She kinda maybe rubbed her the wrong way.
[00:04:09.291]She was very, very passionate
[00:04:10.763]with aviation college.
[00:04:13.750]So it wasn't all glory at first.
[00:04:16.427]Me and Carly talked to her just about
[00:04:19.083]kind of the cool and exciting things
[00:04:20.352]that were happening with the CPAX program
[00:04:22.666]as well as what's going on at UNL
[00:04:24.352]and kind of drew her in to this
[00:04:25.471]"Our students, our future".
[00:04:27.583]I made first ask for that $1000 a year for three years
[00:04:30.891]and she on the spot was just like
[00:04:33.728]"Let's do this, where do I sign?
[00:04:35.147]"I'll write a check."
[00:04:35.883]So it was gratifying in the fact that okay
[00:04:39.968]I can do this.
[00:04:41.088]It was kind of some reconfirmation.
[00:04:42.367]But I knew right as I left there
[00:04:43.947]every meeting's not gonna be that way.
[00:04:46.687]So it was definitely an awesome experience.
[00:04:49.227]Have you had other experiences
[00:04:50.943]where you talked to them about a different area
[00:04:53.643]they want to support
[00:04:54.442]and they know that right off the bat?
[00:04:57.483]The meeting takes a different direction?
[00:05:00.246]Yeah.
[00:05:00.885]We have.
[00:05:01.387]And the biggest thing that we talk to them about
[00:05:03.168]is we want to make sure
[00:05:04.288]our alumni donate to where is most significantly impacted
[00:05:09.024]towards them.
[00:05:10.527]So we've had some who have donated to specific colleges
[00:05:13.131]such as the Teacher College
[00:05:14.528]or Engineering College.
[00:05:15.350]And we've had others that go University-wide.
[00:05:18.869]Because they want to make sure
[00:05:19.990]that their donation impacts all four Universities.
[00:05:23.670]Right.
[00:05:24.150]Or you might meet with someone
[00:05:25.248]that did thier undergraduate at UNL
[00:05:27.190]and did a masters at UNO
[00:05:29.152]and they really like what both programs are doing
[00:05:30.688]so they either want to give University-wide
[00:05:32.704]or someone that's just super specific
[00:05:34.624]in they love their Engineering College
[00:05:36.362]or they love the nursing school at the Med Center
[00:05:38.891]and they want to give towards that.
[00:05:40.523]So I think we all take the conversation
[00:05:42.806]as it kind of develops
[00:05:44.971]and kind of maybe pick off on some of those keys.
[00:05:46.923]I mean, we always have the, "Our students, our future"
[00:05:49.643]because I think it's an awesome opportunity
[00:05:51.552]for these next two years
[00:05:52.544]but we can also talk about what's going on in their college.
[00:05:57.087]And you were gonna share a story
[00:05:58.123]about maybe someone who hadn't been as engaged.
[00:06:00.768]For a while.
[00:06:02.592]I was.
[00:06:03.392]I met with a donor
[00:06:06.304]out in the California area.
[00:06:08.843]He had not been engaged since the 70s
[00:06:11.552]when he first graduated.
[00:06:13.323]His wife went to one of our schools
[00:06:14.763]and he went to another.
[00:06:16.811]So, the beginning of our meeting
[00:06:18.603]he was a little skeptical.
[00:06:20.106]Wasn't sure what was going on at the meeting.
[00:06:22.688]He wasn't sure how stable
[00:06:24.704]The University of Nebraska was.
[00:06:26.869]And I started to talk to him a little bit
[00:06:28.470]about one of our colleges
[00:06:29.952]and he got excited
[00:06:31.371]but he was still hungry for more.
[00:06:33.664]So then I switched gears
[00:06:35.231]to another one of our Universities
[00:06:37.270]and his eyes lit up.
[00:06:39.350]But he still wanted to know more.
[00:06:41.611]What were we going to do
[00:06:42.710]to really put our name on the map?
[00:06:44.811]So, I told him about UNMC's IXL program.
[00:06:49.024]Although he wasn't a UNMC graduate
[00:06:51.808]he was trying not to jump out of his seat.
[00:06:54.187]He was really excited
[00:06:55.285]to see that this was something we were doing.
[00:06:57.610]So our conversation went from him being very skeptical
[00:07:01.312]to very passionate about the University of Nebraska.
[00:07:04.287]And that 40-ish year gap
[00:07:06.528]just bridged, like that.
[00:07:08.651]So at the end
[00:07:09.984]him and his wife decided they were going to pledge
[00:07:12.202]$1000 for three years towards University-wide
[00:07:16.512]initiative of "Our students, our future."
[00:07:22.827]Any other (audio cuts out)
[00:07:25.610]from visits you've had?
[00:07:29.046]Folks you've really connected with?
[00:07:31.786]Folks who totally surprised you
[00:07:33.494]with what they ended up doing?
[00:07:35.072]Anything like that?
[00:07:36.427]I think the biggest thing
[00:07:37.451]is that no donation
[00:07:39.510]whether it's big or small
[00:07:42.528]should ever be seen as ...
[00:07:45.355]Sorry.
[00:07:46.688]The biggest thing is that
[00:07:48.427]all donations significantly impact us.
[00:07:51.232]We talk to people who are able to give $5 a year
[00:07:54.367]and able to give thousands a year.
[00:07:57.366]And all those conversations start
[00:07:59.551]because of their passion for our University system.
[00:08:02.187]I think that's what matters the most.
[00:08:04.288]Yeah.
[00:08:04.630]I would say what's unique about
[00:08:06.442]our role and our position
[00:08:07.648]is when we go into these cities
[00:08:09.046]and we're traveling a lot
[00:08:10.667]you see a lot of affinity toward the University.
[00:08:12.629]It's something that I never really saw.
[00:08:14.464]I grew up in Omaha, I went to school down here
[00:08:16.267]in Lincoln.
[00:08:17.291]When I started traveling to Dallas
[00:08:18.592]and Kansas City
[00:08:20.470]you saw the pride for their University.
[00:08:23.563]And that's something that you ...
[00:08:25.663]You know sometimes you take for granted for
[00:08:27.808]when you're around it so much
[00:08:30.070]to see how many people out there are so loyal.
[00:08:33.430]And that's been really helpful.
[00:08:35.851]I'm able to speak about what's ...
[00:08:39.350]And it's making them happy `
[00:08:40.726]and one thing I think Ashley alluded to too
[00:08:43.030]is I always say too
[00:08:44.352]I'm trying to engage you back to the University
[00:08:46.304]in a way that's meaningful to you.
[00:08:47.711]Whether that's supporting the University financially
[00:08:49.910]or whether that's getting you on an email list
[00:08:52.064]to keep you intune with what's going on.
[00:08:53.728]Whether that's getting you connected in your area
[00:08:55.510]like in the Dallas area or the Kansas City
[00:08:57.547]or Phoenix area
[00:08:58.922]around more alumni
[00:08:59.851]to get you more involvement for your business.
[00:09:01.802]Any way I can help bridge that or help you
[00:09:04.470]is what I'm there to do.
[00:09:07.467]Great.
[00:09:08.991]I think that's great.
[00:09:10.507]One more thing.
[00:09:11.030]Can you tell Kristin
[00:09:13.429]how it feels when you get a gift?
[00:09:16.608]When you connect with a donor
[00:09:18.485]and you see that you've helped them get to that point?
[00:09:23.147]How does that feel for you guys?
[00:09:25.343]Tell her.
[00:09:26.283]It's exciting.
[00:09:27.030]Again, whether that gift is $5 a year
[00:09:30.070]or that gift is
[00:09:32.672]one day hopefully $100,000 a year.
[00:09:35.082]It's very exciting.
[00:09:36.192]Because what that means is that people really care
[00:09:38.123]about our University
[00:09:39.403]and about our state.
[00:09:40.790]But most of all, they care about students
[00:09:42.848]like Joey and I once were.
[00:09:45.483]And because it's been so recent
[00:09:46.347]we can really thank them right there on the spot
[00:09:49.631]for what they've done.
[00:09:51.243]I feel like it's such a unique experience.
[00:09:53.131]Just, I don't know, maybe
[00:09:55.606]not maybe a sense of not an out-of-body experience
[00:09:58.571]but like the advancement resources used a great analogy
[00:10:01.568]about having a kid.
[00:10:03.403]I've never had any kids yet
[00:10:04.885]but he talked about when you ...
[00:10:07.030]Like you can talk about all this stuff about having a baby
[00:10:08.331]but once you actually have the kid
[00:10:10.411]and it's such an awesome experience when you give a gift
[00:10:14.091]and you're helping other students.
[00:10:16.288]And like Ashley said, us being recent grads
[00:10:18.752]and knowing that with student loans
[00:10:20.352]and just kind of where
[00:10:22.806]where our nation's going in that direction.
[00:10:25.686]Being able to have these people
[00:10:27.147]reach out of their pockets
[00:10:28.192]to give maybe that $1000 to a kid
[00:10:31.147]that wouldn't have had a chance to come to the University
[00:10:33.408]instead of spending it on their own kids
[00:10:34.891]is just a true testement of their character
[00:10:37.270]of their person
[00:10:38.944]and kind of how they are as people
[00:10:40.544]and proud to be able to help facilitate that.
[00:10:44.886]What advice would you give
[00:10:45.931]to someone who was in the foundation
[00:10:48.064]either is a regional advancement officer
[00:10:50.485]or a major gift officer
[00:10:52.406]or even anyone in any area?
[00:10:56.011]You get to celebrate each success the same.
[00:10:58.230]Some call them low successes
[00:11:00.992]but making 60 calls in a day is a good success.
[00:11:04.726]And you have to celebrate that.
[00:11:06.112]And the same way you celebrate getting a gift
[00:11:08.384]right there on the spot.
[00:11:10.390]Yeah, there's times I mean
[00:11:11.830]there's gonna be times.
[00:11:13.183]I remember when we first met with a lot of D.Os
[00:11:14.891]where you just get frustrated.
[00:11:16.032]You're making those 60 calls a day.
[00:11:18.165]You're getting a lot of objections.
[00:11:19.563]You just hear, "You're gonna meet with me
[00:11:22.070]"to ask for money."
[00:11:23.125]So you have things like that
[00:11:25.088]but then you have all these other awesome experiences
[00:11:27.285]where people are giving you money to help other people.
[00:11:29.611]So celebrate those as a success.
[00:11:31.562]I think that the work environment is just awesome.
[00:11:33.771]It's been since we started
[00:11:34.987]everybody's been helpful.
[00:11:36.928]They've been maybe skeptical of our position
[00:11:37.962]as regional advancement officers
[00:11:39.104]because we're just kind of going out.
[00:11:41.248]But everybody's kind of been helpful
[00:11:42.347]to say, "Hey, you guys are new into fundraising."
[00:11:46.123]Just kind of sitting on in meetings
[00:11:48.128]and listening
[00:11:49.183]and just making sure you're gonna get a lot of information.
[00:11:51.446]I know when we first started
[00:11:52.331]I got a ton of information
[00:11:54.048]that's probably still on my desk to this day.
[00:11:57.003]That I maybe haven't read through all of it quite yet
[00:11:58.806]but it's definitely very, very helpful
[00:12:01.392]and people are here to help.
[00:12:05.099]Good.

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Foundation 2016 Ashley & Joey interview

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