David is the Associate Director at Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (NLOM) with primary responsibility for fundraising.

NLOM provides growth opportunities for people of all ages through camping programs, retreat & conference experiences, and leadership development programs.

Career Highlights:

·           Receiving ALDE’s 2006 Virgil Anderson Award

·           Helping to raise a million dollar gift

·           Watching the growth of people hired

·           Seeing donor dollars turn into changed lives (sometimes the lives of the people served through programs and sometimes the lives of the donors themselves)

·           Serving six years on the ALDE Board of Directors

Q & A

How many years have you been a development professional?

I started doing professional development work in 1991, so I’ve been enjoying this work for 16 years now.

What led you to being a development professional?

I needed to find something more fulfilling than the advertising profession. I’d spent nearly 20 years in a successful advertising, public relations, and marketing career, and it was time to do something more meaningful, where my work could really make a difference for someone. To put it bluntly, it was an occupational midlife crisis that moved me to my second career.

What has been the biggest challenge for you as a development professional?

I get to work in an organization that is loaded with creativity and vision. Probably the biggest challenge is to match enough donors with opportunities so the dreams we have can be accomplished in a timely manner.

What excites you about your position?

I get paid to travel to have coffee in living rooms and kitchens with people who are friendly, generous, interesting and faithful. What a deal! In my 16 years at NLOM, I’ve yet to dread “going to work in the morning.” Rather, getting to do the job I do is always something I look forward to.

What is the most essential quality of a good development professional?

Loving people and listening to them

Who has been a mentor for you and why?

I can think of at least four people who have significantly impacted my growth in the field of development. The first pointed out gifts he saw in me that could be well used by the church in a development capacity. The second agreed with the first, introduced me to ALDE, and gave me my first series of visits about “friend raising.” The third(s), unknowingly, mentored me as I was officially mentoring them (amazing what you can learn when you have to teach). My wife, also, has been a mentor to me as she has shared her experiences in the business world and as she has encouraged me.

How many years have you been a member of ALDE?

15 years

Describe an ALDE experience that has been particularly noteworthy, fun, uplifting, educational, etc.

I’ll never forget the very first ALDE International Conference I attended. It was held at Banff, Alberta. I’d been to many high-quality professional conferences before, but the ALDE conference was head and shoulders above any of those. The presenters were first-rate, and I took away a ton of good information. Plus, I met people there who have become close friends and advisors. I haven’t missed any of our international conferences since.

What is a favorite book you have read recently and why?

I don’t often read “heavy” books (i.e., I admit that I get a lot of laughs out of Larry the Cable Guy’s writings), but I recently read Leadership and Self Deception. What a great bunch of material! It’s changing my life!

What three things do you like to do besides working?

·           Being with my family

·           Camping & Fishing

·           Traveling