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In this issue.
. .
 Message from the
President
Dear Members:
As our colleagues gather this week in Denver for the APRA
International Conference, I invite you to learn more about
APRA-Southwest and our upcoming plans. If you you are attending the
APRA Conference, please join us at the
Chapter Meeting on Wednesday
afternoon (more information below).
We will be launching our mentorship program soon. This will be a great
opportunity for members to share their expertise with each other in
order to further our profession and our institutions' missions and
goals. An overview of the
mentor program is in this newsletter and we will talk about
it at the chapter meeting in Denver.
Members of the chapter board met earlier this summer for our annual
strategic planning retreat and we are working towards the goals set
there. Among our plans is a membership drive. While we work on ways to
recruit new members from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana, we
invite you to encourage your colleagues in research and prospect
management to join us.
Our chapter held a successful one-day conference this past April at
Children's Medical Center in Dallas and plans are underway for next
spring's conference, which will be a two-day event.
Also in the works are events to be held regionally within our chapter
area. Look for more information on these from our regional chairs
later this fall.
Feel free
to
contact me or any of the APRA-SW Board members if you have
questions or suggestions for how the group can serve your needs
better.
Hope to see you all in Denver,
Will Elliott
APRA-SW President
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
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APRA-SW Chapter Meeting in Denver
 A
chapter meeting will be held in conjunction with the APRA
International Annual Conference in Denver. We will have an informal
gathering in the Granite Room at the Hyatt Regency Denver on
Wednesday, August 20th from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. to discuss upcoming
plans for the chapter. Join us for networking and updates as we get
ready to hit the mile-high city for a week of information overload.
Area Speakers at APRA International Conference
 Some
of our area colleagues will be featured speakers at the
upcoming APRA International Conference in Denver. They are
sure to represent us well.
Jennifer Shimp-Bowerman
(Southern Methodist University, and APRA-SW Board Member)
Session 404, Saturday 8:30-10:00 a.m. - Prospect
Management: From Visioin to Implementation
Diane Crane (University
of North Texas, and former APRA-Texas President)
Session 206, Thursday 8:30-10:00 a.m. - A Prescription
for Success - Making Philanthropy a Priority at Your
Healthcare Institution
Amy New (University of
North Texas)
Session 413, Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. -
Research Beyond Major Gifts
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Strategic Planning
The APRA-SW Board of Directors held a strategic planning retreat on
June 27, 2008 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The one-day retreat
was a follow-up to last year's retreat and focused on moving forward
with those plans, assessing our progress and determining new goals and
tasks for the coming year.
Some of
the recommendations/outcomes of the retreat included:
-
Create a membership
recruitment plan, including a new membership brochure.
-
Draft plans for a new
Mentor Program, as
recommended in the results of the recent membership survey.
-
Begin plans for a two-day
Conference in Spring 2009 in the Dallas area.
-
Firm up plans for regional meetings.
-
Look into offering
Webinars/Podcasts this year.
-
Create a
marketing/sponsorship plan for conferences and other services.
-
Migrate to a new chapter
Website with a fully-functional member directory and other online
processing features.
-
Establish a schedule of
broadcast e-mails to increase communication to members.
-
Continue with quarterly
electronic chapter newsletters.
-
Draft more specific position descriptions in preparation for the
November chapter Board nominations process.
We will continue to update you throughout the year on our progress
towards these new goals. Please contact any of the
APRA-SW Board members if you have any
feedback or questions on our strategic plan.
 Mentor
Program
Thanks to the input from the recent membership survey, a new Mentor
Program is being established.
Our redesigned Mentor
Program will allow us to grow as a community by sharing techniques and
experiences with each other. Headed by program chair
Andrea Heitz of Texas Christian
University and Communications Chair
Michel Hudson, CFRE, of
501(c)onsulting, the program will initially be divided into two
segments to address our members’ needs.
The first segment is designed for long-term, broad-based mentoring
between new researchers and more experienced professionals.
Individual matches will be made by the program liaison, based on a
number of factors including geography and preferred form of contact. A
sign-up form for this Direct Match mentoring is
now available on the
APRA-SW Website. (Word
version)
The second segment aims to help those who need short-term mentoring
within a particular area of expertise. The mentee will use the
online APRA-SW Directory to find other members who are experts in
various fields and are willing to help others in those areas. Until
the Directory is launched, members may contact Andrea for such
short-term matches.
These redesigned programs will benefit everyone involved, giving
experienced members a chance to share what they’ve learned with newer
professionals who, in turn, will bring their own ideas and experiences
to the table.
Before participating, mentors and mentees should be familiar with
guidelines and requirements for the programs. Both groups, for
example, require membership in APRA-SW and adherence to the APRA
International Code of Ethics. A detailed
set of guidelines for Direct
Match participants is available on the APRA-SW Website. (Word
version)
For Direct Match mentoring, participants must also be willing to
commit 6-12 months to the program.
Other expressions of the Mentor Program are in the works, and we are
open to new ideas and new members of the committee. If you have an
idea or want to help on the committee, please contact either
Andrea or
Michel. If you’d like to participate
in the programs, check the Website for sign-up forms and guidelines.
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Helpful Resource - FINRA BrokerCheck
 If
you're looking for information on stock brokers, this site may be a
big help. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) was
created in July 2007 through the consolidation of NASD and the New
York Stock Exchange. It is the largest non-governmental regulator
for all securities firms doing business in the United States. The
FINRA BrokerCheck is a free online tool to help investors
check the professional background of current and former
FINRA-registered securities firms and brokers.
http://www.finra.org/InvestorInformation/
InvestorProtection/ChecktheBackgroundofYourInvestmentProfessional/index.htm
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Job Announcements
For job announcements, please visit our Website at
www.APRASW.org/job.html.
 People Updates
If you have news to share - new jobs, new hires, or just news - send it to the
APRA-SW Communications Chair.
APRA-SW
Board member Michel Hudson, CFRE, of 501(c)onsulting, just had
the 3rd Edition of her highly popular Prospect Research
Fundamentals published by
Stevenson, Inc. Available in both
online (PDF) and hard copy versions, the manual includes proven
methods and research strategies, and the latest trends in research and
technology to help make major gift fundraising efforts more
successful. She will also be presenting a Webinar in November for
Stevenson, Inc. on "How to Make Your Website More Donor Friendly."
 Save the Dates
APRA-SW Chapter Meeting:
Granite
Room at the Hyatt Regency Denver on Wednesday, August 20 from 4:45 to
5:45 p.m.
APRA New Researchers Symposium:
August 20-21, 2008
in
Denver,
Colorado
http://www.aprahome.org/tabid/648/Default.aspx
21st Annual APRA International Conference:
August 20-23,
2008 in
Denver,
Colorado http://www.aprahome.org/tabid/515/Default.aspx
APRA Advanced Relationship Management Symposium:
October 2–3, 2008
Houston, Texas
http://www.aprahome.org/tabid/686/Default.aspx
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APRA-SW Board of Directors
President:
Will Elliott, Museum of
Fine Arts, Houston
Vice President/President-Elect:
Dr. Bruce
Willson, Jr., United Way of Northwest Louisiana
Secretary/Treasurer:
Paulette Butterworth,
Southwestern University
Regional Directors:
New Mexico/West TX:
James Bixler, St. Johns College
Louisiana:
Pinki Diwan, LSU Foundation
Austin/San Antonio:
Jada
Garrison, University of Texas at Austin
Mentoring:
Andrea Heitz, Texas Christian University
Communications:
Michel Hudson, CFRE, 501(c)onsulting
Oklahoma:
Beverly Lyles, Southern Nazarene
University
Sponsorships/Marketing:
Jennifer Shimp-Bowerman, Southern Methodist University
Programming:
Alexandra Sizemore,
Children's Medical Center Dallas
Dallas/Ft. Worth:
Colleen St. Clair, All Saints Health Foundation
Past
Presidents:
Sheri Lazare
Ali McLane, Kintera, Inc.
David VanLone, American Heart
Association, National Center
Left to right: Ali McLane,
David VanLone, Alexandra Sizemore, Paulette Butterworth, Beverly
Lyles, Will Elliott,
Jennifer Shimp-Bowerman, Andrea Heitz, Colleen St. Clair, Michel
Hudson, and Jada Garrison.
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