When Debbie Grooms took on the job of development director at Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled (AEDD) about 12 years ago, she realized even with a graduate degree in business administration and years of volunteering, she needed help in her new role.
Grooms wasn't looking for a job but was finishing up her master's degree when her friend, CEO of AEDD Georgina Huddleston, called her about starting a development department for the nonprofit. "I didn't even really know what all that entailed," she says, "but she thought I might know somebody who'd be interested."
A month or so later, her friend asked her if she would be interested in the job. Grooms was hesitant but agreed to tour the facilities. "I knew what she did," says Grooms about Huddleston, "but not exactly. I was blown away by the whole thing. It's huge. It's way bigger than you think until you take the tour and see all the different things they do."
AEDD, which has facilities across the state, empowers individuals with disabilities to improve the quality of their lives. "That's our mission statement. Our goal is to provide all of the available services we can to help them become independent and to make a living," she says about the clients.
"On the last stop of the tour at a preschool, this little girl blew me a kiss and just melted my heart, you know? And at that point, I was like, 'OK, we'll give this a shot and see what we can do.'"
"I volunteer a lot. I was always in charge of something. It could be PTA or band boosters, or whatever my kids were involved in," says Grooms about her life pre-AEDD. But it's different being in charge of starting a development department from the ground up, and that's where the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) came into the picture.
She says she wasn't even at AEDD a month before she found herself at her first association meeting and realized this was an organization she wanted to be involved with. After her first year as a member of the association, she became a board member and is now in the middle of a two-year term as president of the organization.
The Central Arkansas Chapter has more than 160 members and meets the third Thursday of each month. They meet at 8:30 a.m. at the AEDD building for socializing.
"If you've ever been around a group of fundraisers, you know they're all going to want to talk. This gives them time to connect with each other and network. And then at 9 o'clock, we start our education session. We bring in a professional from the community or even a national-level speaker. We try to gear it to what our members are interested in.
"It's really about continuing education for people in development and fundraising. No matter what your level of experience is, there's always something you don't know," she says.
Trends are one focus of their educational meetings. "They are changing so fast right now," she says. "Trends change in every industry, but especially anything to do with media and social media. We have to keep up with the way people are giving and why they want to give, how you tell your story and how you connect with your donors and keep that relationship.
"We offer that high level of education and continuing education. No matter whether you're new, or you've been in fundraising 20 years, there's going to be something that you're going to take away from every session."
Grooms says the chapter also focuses on reaching a diverse community, whether it's the diversity of people who are the leaders in fundraising and development or trying to connect with a diverse population of donors in the community.
For the past two years, the local organization has been named a Gold Star Chapter. There is a list of requirements and goals the chapter has to achieve to receive the Ten Star Gold Award. "That's something I'm really proud of because it takes the chapter to a higher standard. We want to make sure that our members are receiving top-notch value for the amount of time and the monetary commitment it takes to be a paid member."
Before joining the board, Grooms first volunteered to help with the association's annual fundraiser, the National Philanthropy Day Luncheon, which will be Nov. 21 at Embassy Suites this year. The event is well attended with more than 400 guests last year.
"It is an opportunity for our members to nominate someone who they feel like is an outstanding person, as a philanthropist, a volunteer, a fundraising organization or a volunteer organization," she says. "We also give out a Arkansas Lifetime Achievement Award.
"You know, I'm just a huge advocate for AFP. The main reason is -- thinking back to the first year I was in my job here and the learning curve at that point -- there is so much learning and communication with people in that industry. It totally propelled me to a different level. And it is what has made me successful in what we've built here."
The AFP National Philanthropy Day Luncheon will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a Community Champion reception followed by a luncheon and program honoring outstanding individuals and organizations in philanthropy. For more information or to purchase tickets, $125 for reception and lunch or $100 for the lunch, email Kerina Coucher at arkafp@gmail.com.
High Profile on 11/17/2019