They’re young, energetic and determined to make a positive difference: The Chronicle of Philanthropy identified 40 individuals under 40 who are “trailblazers crafting innovative new approaches to entrenched problems.” One of them is Stephanie Greiner, DMU’s chief development officer.
She’s in good company: the “40 under 40” include Henry Timms, founder of Giving Tuesday; the “rebel philanthropist” Mark Zuckerberg; and the three women behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Approximately 400 individuals were nominated for the list, the Chronicle’s first.
“The nonprofit world today is getting pulled in all directions by a host of new ideas about how work for the common good can be carried out and financed,” the Chronicle stated.
The publication’s special report categorized the 40 individuals as advocates, builders, connectors, heavy hitters, number crunchers and pioneers. Greiner was termed a builder for “pretty much starting from scratch when she took the top fundraising job” at DMU three years ago. Her efforts since then have included sending birthday and holiday cards, visiting graduates’ medical offices, traveling extensively to meet alumni, cultivating relationships on campus and building support for fundraising ideas new to the University.
Those activities have reaped rewards, the Chronicle noted, in terms of increased donations, a more robust program for planned gifts and a successful alumni phonathon.
“It’s exciting,” Greiner stated in the Chronicle article. “It feels very much like we’re launching something that is going to be history someday.”
