MaryEllen Dickey, CFRE, On Balancing Donor Acquisition & Retention

MaryEllen Dickey, CFRE, joins the Responsive Fundraising Podcast to share what she's learned by leading donor development teams for the last two decades across social service, education, and healthcare nonprofits.

We also discuss the balance between donor retention and acquisition, the importance of channel-donor fit and multi-channel fundraising, and how to lead a donor development team well to prevent burnout.

MaryEllen, is Senior Vice President of Advancement for Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries. As such, she oversees a range of giving programs, including grants, major gifts, planned giving, corporate giving, endowments, and special capital projects, to support Diakon’s mission to serve those in need.

Before joining Diakon the beginning of 2007, MaryEllen was Vice President for Development at Good Shepherd Hospital and Rehabilitation Network, Allentown. In addition to completing a successful $40 million capital campaign that resulted in $52 million in giving, her department focused on creating its first chair, expanding numerous program endowments, and supporting the development of a health and technology center. She also has held planned giving and executive director positions with Lafayette College, Easton, and Lehigh University, Bethlehem.