A look at ALDE’s history… 1979 – Fifty-six development officers met in St. Louis hoping to create a broad network of Lutheran development and public relations executives by providing educational training and camaraderie. 1980 – Charter conference held in Atlanta, electing Ed Bertram as the first president. The educational cornerstone of each year is the annual international conference, which provides an in-depth exploration of topics in multiple disciplines for its members. 1982 – ALDE and the Lutheran Public Relations and Development Guild (LPRDG) merged to create an association committed to enhancing the development of fundraising and public relations professionals. 1986 – Victor Mennike served as ALDE’s first part-time executive. The first compensation survey was created, coordinated by Marlys Taege. 1987 – The Association was incorporated. Regional chapters were developed to promote education and provide opportunities for Christian fellowship among its members at the local level. ALDE honors excellence with awards. The first of these awards, the Virgil Anderson Award, was established in 1987 in honor of LPRDG’s founder and guiding spirit for 15 years. 1988 – The former Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL), now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, established a tradition of providing scholarships for annual conference newcomers. 1989 – The former Lutheran Brotherhood (LB), now also Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, began providing grants that afforded ALDE new opportunities to involve internationally known presenters in its conferences. Concordia Mutual Life and Lutheran Life of Canada also provide scholarship grants for ALDE members. Strong partnerships are also valued with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod foundations. 1991 – The first Strategic Planning Task Force convened, resulting in a mission statement and goals being developed for the Association. 1993 – JoAnne Heltner served as ALDE’s first full-time executive. 1995 – ALDE Endowment Fund and ALDE Annual Fund launched to increase ALDE’s financial vitality. 1997 – ALDE launches the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE) (now Association of Fundraising Professionals – AFP) Preparation for Certification, a survey course for the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) exam. Members working in communications are encouraged to pursue the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) certification. 2001 – Phyllis Castens Wiederhoeft becomes ALDE’s second full-time executive director. 2003 – Second Strategic Plan adopted that brings about a new structure and new goals and strategies for continuing to strengthen and enhance the Association. TODAY – ALDE began as an all-volunteer organization and the spirit of that tradition continues with more than 20 percent of its members giving their time and talents to help lead the organization. A variety of communication vehicles encourage professional excellence through sharing of best practices and the latest information on a wide array of topics.