March 7, 2002 | Read Time: 6 minutes
When Suzanne Mink received a call from Hollins University, in Roanoke, Va., asking her to join her alma mater’s development department in 1978, she almost replied, “What’s that?”
That phone call came shortly after she had earned a master’s degree in teaching, and led her to change her career plans from teaching to fund raising.
Since taking the Hollins job, she has raised money for the Washington National Cathedral and other nonprofit institutions. In 1997, she joined the Washington office of Campbell & Company, a fund-raising consulting company that has its headquarters in Chicago.
Ms. Mink’s consulting work led to her newest job, vice president for development at the World Wildlife Fund. She had been advising the conservation group on several projects — including its recent capital effort, the Living Planet campaign, which raised $172-million — when the charity’s top fund-raising job became open.
Although she was not actively looking for a job, Ms. Mink said she decided to accept the World Wildlife Fund’s offer because it provided her with a way to focus on a cause she adores, protecting animals, while working for a major national organization in her adopted hometown, Washington.
“Being a person who loves the outdoors and appreciates the importance of preserving our land and the animals in it and this Earth, it is just an absolutely perfect match for the kind of experience I have,” says Ms. Mink.
In an interview, Ms. Mink talked about her experiences raising money and her plans for her new job.
Where did your love of animals come from?
Well, partly from being on the board of Friends of the National Zoo. I have always had animals, and I love animals.
I was asked to be on the board of the zoo because someone knew I went running through the zoo with great regularity.
I have learned a lot about animals through the veterinarians at the zoo and the complexities of issues facing wildlife. I have learned a lot about elephants because of the breeding program at the zoo, and about the intricacies of the panda population and the threats to the panda population because of the new pandas at the zoo.
What made you take the World Wildlife Fund position?
It was a struggle. I love consulting, I love the clients I have. I am totally devoted to them and feel that they have adopted me as family.
But I had missed being active in fund raising and being at the center of an asking process, at the center of building a relationship with a prospect and watching a wonderful process happen where they invest and are very excited about what their philanthropy can do. I also missed being a part of an organization.
What are your major goals?
Obviously my job is to lead the effort with staff and board to raise the funds necessary to carry out their work.
Number two is to build a wonderful development team. I am a lifelong mentor. I love to teach, and I love to mentor, and I love to see a great development team excited about what they are doing.
At the core of that is helping a team understand that fund raising is all about people, that it is all about people accomplishing what they want to accomplish in their own philanthropy, for something about which they have some real passion.
You have a master’s degree in teaching. Have you found that degree useful?
Absolutely. A professor of pedagogy helped me to understand how to structure a class so it was much less teacher-oriented than student-oriented. It was profound because I learned the value of participation, and the need for a learner to participate in the learning process more actively. The same criteria are important in dealing with a donor — to listen well, and to instruct as one listens well.
What are some of the challenges fund raisers face today?
Understanding how different generations approach philanthropy is a great challenge for anyone in development, and one I am particularly excited about at World Wildlife Fund, because they have done some really groundbreaking work at getting young people involved.
I am interested in the Xers, but I am more interested in my generation, the boomers. They are caught between, Well, do I do it the way my mom and dad do it or do I do something different?
My parents’ generation said, I will give because it is the right thing to do. This generation doesn’t necessarily give that way: I’ll give because I know there will be an effect from my gift. This is the group that wants to see results. This is the group that likes to be really busy.
How should a fund raiser approach these groups?
To effectively reach Xers, we have to move away from traditional methodologies for solicitation. This is a generation that doesn’t respond to direct mail; this is a generation that was brought up using technology to communicate. Is this the generation that is going to put a check in an envelope? Probably not.
Thinking about the boomer generation, this is the generation that now has children, so to reach them we have to think about what is important for them as they bring up their children, and what kind of world do they want to leave their children. That is a key part of effectively communicating with this generation.
What are some of your other concerns?
The world is different for a development office today than 10 years ago as far as the focus on the bottom line and the absolute necessity of achieving the goals that have been set forth. It is more intense. If you don’t meet your goal, you may not be around.
How have the events of September 11 affected fund raising?
Some of the things we have seen are that people have become really focused not only on what their lives have meant to them, but on what are the issues and concerns in their lives about which they want to give some time and provide some dollars to.
And so if you are passionate about the environment, you may become more passionate about the environment.
It has helped people focus on the things that matter to them, and it has been reflected in significant gifts that continue to be made since September 11.
ABOUT SUZANNE MINK, VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
Education: Earned her bachelor’s degree at Hollins University, in Roanoke, Va., in 1974, and her master’s of arts in teaching from the University of Virginia in 1978.
Previous employment: Began her career in fund raising in 1978 at Hollins University, and then spent 13 years raising money for the Washington National Cathedral. Served as vice president for development and alumni affairs at Drew University and vice president for advancement at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Since 1997, she has worked for the consulting company Campbell & Company.
Charitable interests: Serves on the board of Friends of the National Zoo, as well as of the Choral Arts Society of Washington, the Episcopal Church Foundation, the National Cathedral Association, and the College of Preachers, a residential center based at the National Cathedral. She contributes time and money to St. Margaret’s-McTernan School, the private high school in Waterbury, Conn., that she attended, and to the U.S. Olympic Committee, among other organizations.
Hobbies: Runs about five miles a day and goes on mountain trekking trips. Also paints and plays Spanish guitar.
