Proudest Achievements

Throughout 26 years with the Boy Scouts of America, I've grown Scouting by recruiting some of the best volunteers and partnering with them to recruit families, raise funds and expand Scouting's impact. I believe that in this day and age, the best way to grow Scouting's membership is to create a strong, sustainable funding model that harnesses community investment in our mission. 

Here's some of the things I am most proud of. 

• Philanthropy - Led the strategy and execution of a plan that resulted in a documented planned gift of $13.5 Million for Scouting, split between local Council and National. This plan involved coordinating senior National leadership, local Council leadership and listening to the volunteers' interest and desires for impact. I also recently worked with a local Scouter to secure a $35,000 capital gift for Summit National Reserve, and a separate donor to make a legacy gift to his local Community Foundation benefiting the local Council.  As is likely imagined, much of the major philanthropy for Scouting America has been focused in the south and mid-west. When I took on the role of Philanthropic Advisor, I was given the challenge to partner with local Councils and create my own portfolio. I've used extensive research within Blackbaud CRM, wealth databases, AI and other tools to accomplish this task. 

• AI - As Scouting leans into using artificial intelligence to streamline much of our back-end work, I have been training myself to leverage tools like Claude and Google Gemini for assistance in prospect research. I recently built an AI agent that searched a database primarily drawn from LinkedIn to identify 50 Eagle Scouts or Scouting alumni in Vermont with a leadership role in their business or on their profile. This project uncovered about half a dozen potential individuals to meet and engage immediately. 

• Membership Growth - I wish I could say that something extraordinary happened here, but I simply followed the plan, got trained and delivered a program to the Scouts and families in my Cub Scout den and Scouts BSA Troop. All ten Scouts from my youngest's AOL Den crossed over into a Scouts BSA Troop. As a parent, I enjoy working with my local school district to secure time for school talks and assist the local Pack in their recruiting. 

• Direct Support - Exceeded $1,000,000 in direct support for the first time in Seneca Waterways Council history and consistently exceeded it 2016-2022. Strategies included executing a multi-year giving strategy to create planned revenue on January 1, doubling growth of grant & foundation funding, and focusing on high net special events that given donors experiences they can't get elsewhere. 

• 21 Stories for Scouts - Successfully recruited and led a team of volunteers to grow this annual experience-based event into the largest fundraiser in Council history. 21 Stories gives approximately 80-90 volunteers the opportunity to rappel 240' down a landmark building. Strategies involved recruiting "high profile volunteers" and finding a peer-to-peer platform that reduced expenses and made the donor experience better.  

• Special Event Enhancements - Led a committee of volunteers and parents to host our annual Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner, drawing 350+ attendees and netting $40K annually. I have successfully compiled and submitted five Distinguished Eagle Scout Award nominations. 

• Grants & Foundations - Cultivated an area Foundation to grow from annual support of $15K to $75K+ per year based on quality reporting and relationships. Through skilled research, cultivation and submissions, I have been able to secure over $75K in new capital and operating funding this year alone. 

• Major Donor Cultivation - Scouting is all about relationships and trust. I was able to take a senior gentleman who wanted to drop off a shoebox full of old Scout camp patches and cultivate him to becoming one of the single largest annual fund donors to my current Council. This gentleman passed away a couple years ago and left $250K to Scouting in his will. 

• Leveraging Resources - I found ways to learn the in's and out's of Blackbaud CRM to create linkages, identify volunteers, screen donors and laser focus appeals. In my work as Philanthropic Advisor, I have learned next-level usage of CRM to manage prospect plans and keep track of contacts. 

• Alumni Development - I worked through volunteers to organize a series of Eagle Scout alumni gatherings. Through these events, we have identified new supporters, potential Board members, and also volunteers to assist with events, popcorn sale, etc. 

• STEM Day Camps - One of the proudest achievements throughout my career was organizing and writing a grant for $50K that would fund a six-week STEM Daycamp program serving one of the most diverse and underprivileged neighborhoods in Connecticut Yankee Council. 

• Building Trades Merit Badge Workshop - I worked with special event committee volunteers to organize an annual event that introduced Scouts to building trades through the merit badge program. This event helped to solidify support among the labor partners.