Title: Understanding Death: A Culturally Competent Approach
Description: We use many terms and euphemisms related to death in our work as gift planners--realized bequests, testamentary gifts, life estates. Yet how much do any of us really know about death preparation and celebration practices? Participants will leave this session with a deepened understanding of various practices related to preparation for dying and death across cultures and religions. We’ll explore how, in our roles as fundraisers, we can use this enhanced cultural competency to improve our understanding of our donors and strengthen our relationships with them.
Presenters: Hannah Yaritz and Angel Flores
Hannah Yaritz’s professional fundraising experience spans from working with individual donors to extensive capital campaigns across all sectors. From campaign planning and management, to implementing feasibility and planning studies, Hannah has a broad range of experience with CCS. Her feasibility study engagements include extensive strategic conversations, peer benchmarking, prospect qualification and campaign approaches. Hannah has directed campaigns, with goals upwards of $100 million, through strategic planning and execution with an emphasis on board development, major and planned gifts, and building sustainable cultures of philanthropy. As Senior Vice President, Hannah is a key leader in the firm’s gift planning work, advising on strategy and providing training.
Angel Flores has over two decades of experience working with and within organizations across all nonprofit sectors. As a Senior Vice President, Angel is a highly motivated, results-oriented, and compassionate executive. She has advised organizations and planned and managed campaigns ranging from $20 million to $4 billion. She has extensive expertise and experience managing strategic operations, planning and directing large-scale capital and comprehensive campaigns, incorporating gift planning strategies, refining major gift programs, and building and fostering positive cultures of philanthropy.
Within CCS, Angel has held a number of leadership positions. For four years, Angel led CCS’s Gift Planning Practice Group (GPPG) – a cross-firm team of volunteers – to create a new project concept with the potential to diversify and increase revenue for CCS’s nonprofit partners. During her tenure, the GPPG developed a suite of materials to support CCS’s nonprofit partners, doubled in membership ensuring representation from all seven regional teams; secured budget for advanced certifications for senior members; codified an internal education program for GPPG members; and formalized an internal online presence for support and resource sharing.
As a natural community-builder and prior to leading the GPPG, Angel co-founded and led the Working Parents + Caregiver Community, now in its 7th year, paving the way for the creation of four additional ERGs and affinity groups. In 2020, she co-founded and led Refresh & Reaffirm (R&R), CCS’s employee-led wellness program providing mindfulness and movement courses and resources. Also in 2020, Angel was chosen to participate in CCS’s DEIB Working Group, which was instrumental in securing internal changes to support colleagues and in establishing a pro bono program and suite of resources for nonprofits led by and supporting underrepresented communities. Early in her CCS career, Angel led her team’s mentorship program for five years and served as one of a cohort of mentors for 35+ colleagues.
Prior to joining CCS, Angel worked for the Alvin Ailey organization, first with The Ailey School and later with Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. Originally from West Texas, Angel studied English Literature and Dance at Washington University in St. Louis before moving to New York City. Angel currently resides in Westchester County, New York, with her family and sweet pup, Hank, and constantly draws on her dance, yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic training to maintain her flexibility and strength in mind, body, and spirit.
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Pricing for groups: $149 for councils; $209 for organizations The group host will receive one Zoom access link. [Group webinar FAQs]