Update: Now Advocating for Better Talent Management and Training from a New Home

I am excited to share with my LinkedIn connections and followers that I recently made a significant and welcome change in my professional life when I joined the leadership team at Advancement Resources, the leading provider of professional education in the field of philanthropy. Functioning as Director of Business Development, I am now serving and supporting the firm’s current institutional clients, as well as seeking to engage new partners who can benefit from our offerings in training, coaching and strategic talent management for institutional advancement programs--and particularly the staff, academic leaders, key faculty, board members and volunteers who engage in fundraising.

I am also pleased that I will be able to carry on with my writing and blogging activities under Advancement Resources’ auspices, as well as continue to share that content and maintain an active presence here on LinkedIn. As you know from my recent essays and posts, I have been focused on the very real “talent crisis” that exists today in the field of institutional advancement, and which is characterized by a dearth of qualified candidates, poor onboarding, inadequate ongoing training, rapid turnover, and insufficient investment by senior decision-makers. Advancement Resources is an organization that not only shares my concerns, but has been effectively addressing these very same issues for 15 years.

I also appreciate that the firm’s workshops and coaching services are research-driven and time-tested, and I’m pleased to join a team that has established an impressive track record of impactful results, earned the loyalty of hundreds of satisfied clients, and still maintained a clear and consistent donor-centric philosophy. I am excited to bring Advancement Resources’ services to new organizations and thus continue to help enhance the level of performance and professionalism in our field, which will in turn increase the positive impact of philanthropy at our institutions.

There is much more about my new organization I’d like to share with you, but out of respect for your busy schedules I will refrain from doing so until a later date. In the meantime, I invite you to visit the Advancement Resources website to learn about our history, mission, programs, client roster and team members. And of course I’d be pleased to hear from you if you have any immediate questions about our services and offerings. In addition to contacting me via LinkedIn messaging, you can also send me an email via my new address at mjones@advancementresources.org.

Until later,

Mark