Kathy Drucquer Duff Releases New Book to Help Development Officers Strengthen Philanthropic Relationships

Kathy Drucquer Duff, CFRE has been on the frontlines of fundraising for more than 23 years. She served as Associate Vice Chancellor of University Development at University of California San Diego where she led a team accountable for an annual goal of over $70 million. As Vice President of Philanthropy for the Sharp HealthCare Foundation, she designed and implemented a system-wide campaign approach and team structure for the Inspire Campaign.

Now in her expanded role as Fundraising Coach, Consultant and Optimizer, Drucquer Duff is working with non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education to help them transform the way they practice philanthropy, grow talent, and approach the future growth of their organizations. She recently published her first book, Productive Conversations with Donors: A Handbook for Frontline Fundraisers, which is designed to give frontline fundraisers new tools to have more productive conversations.

The decision to write this monograph came out of Drucquer Duff's observations that today's fundraising environment is placing less importance on building and growing authentic donor and prospect relationships. Instead, the emphasis is skewed toward transactional interactions. The problem with this approach is that over time, development officers will become less successful in raising the critical funds that institutions rely upon to do their good work.

"Some of the greatest tools we have for building authentic relationships are storytelling and the use of probing questions that will simultaneously inspire our donors and educate us," said Duff.

In Productive Conversations with Donors: A Handbook for Frontline Fundraisers, Drucquer Duff teaches readers how to use probing questions to thank donors, engage prospects and young alumni, and expand their network of connections. The book includes specific strategies for guiding donor conversations to inspire major gifts, planned gifts, and gifts from parents.

"Successful gift officers are curious, inquisitive, and able to ask probing questions in an authentic way that discovers the donor's motivations and dreams, building a deeper relationship with them over time," said Drucquer Duff.

Productive Conversations with Donors: A Handbook for Frontline Fundraisers is published by Academic Impressions. It's available to purchase online for $75: http://www.academicimpressions.com/productive-conversations-donors-handbook-frontline-fundraisers

Praise for Productive Conversations with Donors: A Handbook for Frontline Fundraisers:

"Kathy Drucquer Duff has zeroed in on the key to fundraising success - asking potential donors the right questions, in the right way, at the right time - and produced an invaluable handbook that equips frontline fundraisers with specific questions to ask on virtually every occasion, using every kind of medium, and to negotiate every kind of gift. Newcomers would be wise to absorb every word and use this book as a daily guide to ensure they optimize every opportunity with every prospective donor. And even the most accomplished veterans will find in its contents many useful tips for harnessing their greatest asset - endless curiosity - to secure the confidence of more donors and to frame more successful and sustainable philanthropic compacts." - James M. Langley, President, Langley Innovations

About Kathy Drucquer Duff:
Kathy Drucquer Duff, CFRE has led teams to create transformative development strategies within higher education at San Diego State University and UC San Diego, and nonprofit organizations such as Sharp HealthCare. She cares deeply about philanthropy and development as a career opportunity, and believes the best investment a development leader can make is in talent - because nurturing and leading people creates lasting philanthropic relationships.

It is for these reasons that she launched KDD Philanthropy. In her expanded role as Fundraising Coach, Consultant and Optimizer, Duff has worked with non-profit organizations (including American Heart Association, New England Aquarium, City of Hope, and San Diego Humane Society) to help them transform the way they practice philanthropy, grow talent, and approach the future growth of their organizations.

She is a sought-after consultant and speaker for industry associations including CASE and ADRP, and teaches a variety of fundraising essentials courses and webinars for Academic Impressions.

More information: http://kddphilanthropy.com/productive-conversations-with-donors-a-handbook-for-frontline-fundraisers/