Praise for Enlightened Philanthropy and Deborah Goldstein’s presentation on Gen 2 at the 2013 Purposeful Planning Collaboration Rendezvous:

“I find the work Deborah is doing at Enlightened Philanthropy to be more than refreshing. It is clear that this is a world she knows quite well. Her presentation was fresh, informative, interesting and fun. Having worked in the world of philanthropy with high net worth client families and family foundations, I took away some very focused information about the upcoming generation, demographics with new insights and perspectives. Deborah holds the audience’s attention with her style and her wealth of information and is clearly passionate about the work she is doing.”

Joan DiFuria, Director and Co-Founder, Money, Meaning & Choices Institute

Praise for Enlightened Philanthropy and Deborah Goldstein’s panel on Engaging the Next Generation in Philanthropy at the 2013 International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy conference:

“…thank you again for an incredible breakout at AIP. Yours was the most ‘interactive’ of all of the breakouts and this is something that I think has great value to making the conference experience more impactful and positive for the attendees. It helps create what I call more of a ‘peer learning environment’ which is what I think AIP should strive to move towards…”

John A. Warnick, Founder, Purposeful Planning Institute

“I have had the privilege of getting to know Deborah through professional interactions as a member of the Advisors in Philanthropy and really got to know her over the past year as we volunteered on the conference planning committee. Her professionalism shone through when she presented at the AiP conference on NextGen philanthropy and trends in the sector. I have the utmost respect for the work that she is doing and the conversations she is having around strategic and venture philanthropy. I would recommend her to any client who is trying to figure out how best to engage the Gen2 and Gen3 client in their financial practise.”

Gena Rotstein, Chief Conversationalist/Advisor in Philanthropy, Dexterity Consulting & Place2Give

Find out what past and present clients have to say about Enlightened Philanthropy and Deborah Goldstein:

“I am an active member of the philanthropic community, having held many volunteer roles over the last 35 years, currently as President of the United Jewish Fund & Council of Greater St. Paul. I am also a volunteer with the Ross Foundation, and recently participated in a Youth Board meeting facilitated by Deborah Goldstein. Deborah immediately established a strong rapport with the children, who ranged in age from 8 to 21, and conducted a very successful values clarification program which brought out some very thoughtful ideas. She was especially skillful in both prompting the participants to think about the topics, and in handling their sometimes unexpected responses in a respectful way. She moved the group along without imposing any particular viewpoint of her own, which was very appropriate to the task. I would highly recommend her as a facilitator.”

Jon Parritz, Volunteer with Joseph and Frieda Ross Foundation

“We were extremely pleased with the results of her work [a Development Audit]. She studiously reviewed our previous development efforts, contacted and interviewed a number of previous consultants, met with all members of our community, many of them more than once. She developed a comprehensive report, readily understandable by those monks who do not know much about development, yet sophisticated enough such that our lay advisors…commented on her insight, pragmatic and focused approach and especially her clear and actionable suggestions for moving forward.

I found Deborah to be open, inquisitive, engaging, patient and appropriately probing….she excelled in this process, and her interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and ability to work well and completely within time constraints made her invaluable.

Based on this excellent work, we contracted with her to lead an executive search….Her interviewing skills are excellent….she guided us through this step by step…some months later, we are extremely pleased with the person we hired.”

Brother Bede J Healey, OSB Cam, PhD, Vice Prior and Treasurer, New Camaldoli Hermitage

“It was a pleasure to work with Deborah. During her time with us, Deborah made a significant impact; influencing practices, fostering a shared and greater understanding of foundation grant-making, and stewarding several foundations towards greater support….A key contribution of Deborah’s was the identification of the need for a well-developed plan for growth in our education division and her urging of TMMC to pursue an externally driven strategic planning process for that mission-critical function. Her counsel led the Center to engage an external consultant to complete such a plan, and Deborah secured funding for this effort. Complementing this, Deborah secured additional funding for a marquee program within that division—the Center’s Whale Bus and its expansion to deliver education programs throughout the range of our work.”

Jeff Boehm, Executive Director, The Marine Mammal Center

“I was so impressed with Deborah’s development work/style when we were donors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium that when she formed her own company we quickly contracted with her to help us with our development efforts at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF). Deborah has worked in a development role for the last 2+ years at the NMSF and her work, guidance and team spirit has been exceptional! She is a valued asset to our team.”

Mark DiOrio, Capital Campaign Manager, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

“Deborah is an excellent grants writer, and even better as an overall fundraising strategist! She helped the NMSF surpass its foundation grants goal for its capital campaign in Santa Cruz because of her skill, experience and connections. She is very personable, consistent and reliable. I enjoyed working with her very much and would do so again on any fundraising project.”

Joy Eyrolles, VP of Development, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

“Deborah is not only a gem to work with (personable and positive), but also conscientious, detail-oriented and extremely reliable. She performs beyond expectations as a writer, collaborator and adviser. I love working with her and highly recommend her.”

Chris Parsons, Principal at Word Craft

“Deborah works from the heart—she is focused on making the world a better place and using her skills to contribute to the greater good.

As a fellow manager, I found her approach to problem-solving refreshing. She asked open-ended questions that allowed people to respond with their ideas. Deborah is open to hearing new perspectives and incorporating these with her own expertise to produce effective solutions.

I respect Deborah’s writing skills and appreciate the feedback and guidance she gives me to strengthen my own confidence and writing skills. All this, and a good sense of humor to top it off! She always finds ways to laugh at challenging circumstances and move forward with a good attitude.”

Susan Wishon, Development Manager-Annual Fund, Monterey Bay Aquarium

“I have had the pleasure of working with Deborah as an intern on a major gift fundraising campaign for a large university marine mammal program. Early on, I learned that Deborah had a myriad of skills, including strategic thinking, excellent writing, and a winsome personality that helped her relate to donors and scientists alike. She was quickly able to help me in several areas, including newsletter writing, visiting donors, and working on complicated grants with the lead scientist of the program. Eventually, she moved to the research staff to work with the principal investigator and distinguished herself as an important—and versatile—member of his team. When she was with OMSI, I was amazed at her ability to secure grants at such a high ratio.

Deborah has an uncanny ability to come into an organization or unit and quickly determine what needs to be done strategically on the fundraising front. She has not only fundraising skills, but program coordinator skills as well and is able to see a project holistically.

As a development professional with more than 25 years experience in the field, I am pleased to wholeheartedly endorse Deborah.”

Lori Cloninger Sweeney, Director of Development, Marine Mammal Program, Oregon State University

For a complete list of past and present clients, visit our client page.