 Build Confidence So You Can Raise More Money! Stay Tuned for Our Next Date - Late 2020 or Early 2021
Ellen Draeger Cattadoris is a fundraising professional with more than 10 years of experience in annual giving; major and planned gifts; grant proposal writing; and volunteer management. She currently serves as a Development Officer at her alma mater, St. Olaf College, where she also directs the milestone 25th and 50th reunion programs. Ellen started her career with Lutheran Volunteer Corps, working as a Program Assistant at the Latin America Working Group in Washington, D.C. She then spent six years at Lutheran Music Program in Minneapolis in a variety of different positions, including Assistant Development Director. Ellen has been an ACF member since 2008 and received the Jay Bleeke Young Professional Award in 2019. Ellen and her husband Barry are the proud parents of 1-year-old Paul August. They are active members at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minnesota, where Ellen is a member of the Stewardship Committee.
Paul Erbes, CFRE, serves as Vice President for Development at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Paul’s values and work history are deeply rooted in the importance of faith-driven philanthropy. Previously, he was Gift Officer with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) in Baltimore, Maryland, where he focused on deferred and major gifts. He served as a Lutheran pastor for 20 years in the Rocky Mountain area before joining the Congregational Department of Thrivent Financial, where he helped congregations build strong stewardship and endowment programs. Paul is a graduate of St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary (St. Paul), and has received the Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. He has volunteered in many leadership roles with Habitat for Humanity and annually leads international build trips. A native of Minnesota, Paul lives in Dubuque, Iowa, but remains an avid fan of the Baltimore Orioles and is an occasional marathon runner. He has been an ACF member since 2012. Casey Fuerst has worked with nonprofits and small businesses to give them the messaging, strategic marketing plans, and collateral materials to support their work for 20-plus years. For 18 of those years, she served as the Director/Marketing & Leadership Development at Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. Casey is a certified StoryBrand Guide and uses this framework to create marketing messaging, plans, and collateral to increase impact and grow business. Casey owns and provides lead consultation for Tic Tac Toe Marketing.
Mark L. Hill, CFRE, is Vice President for Advancement at Concordia University, St. Paul. Hill joined Concordia in April 2012 as Director of Development, coming from Valparaiso University, where he served for nine years in major gifts. Prior to Valparaiso, Hill’s 29-year development career has included being Director of Current Giving at Concordia University, St. Paul, and Director of Resource Development at St. Croix Lutheran High School. He has held continuous CFRE certification since 1997 and has earned an M.A. and a B.S. from the University of Minnesota. He has served on the ACF Board of Directors, the Northstar Chapter board, and on several ACF committees, currently chairing the biennial ACF Compensation Study. He is also the 2018 recipient of the Virgil Anderson Award for lifetime achievement and service.
Brenda Moore, CFRE, equips ministry leaders with philanthropy’s best practices. Her 30 years of experience as a resource development professional for church-related organizations led her to her current role as a consultant. Brenda is dedicated to equipping her clients with the competence, confidence, and consistency they need to help people of faith express their deepest joy through generosity. Her clients have included Lutheran World Relief, Lake Wapogasset Bible Camp, Global Health Ministries, North American Lutheran Seminary, and dozens of other congregations and ministries. Previously, she served as Vice President for Advancement at Gustavus Adolphus College, and as a Gift Planner for Lutheran Planned Giving, Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Moore is a past President of ACF, and a recipient of its Virgil Anderson Award.
Beth Nelson Chase, CFRE, serves as Executive Director for Bright Stars of Bethlehem, US, located near Rockford, Illinois, and functioning in a virtual world. She formerly served as Vice President for Mission Support at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Beth served as ACF President from 2013-2015 and remains an active member. Over the past 30 years she has served in clinical, administrative and development positions with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Sinnissippi Centers, Inc., and Wheat Ridge Ministries. Beth is also a Board Certified Music Therapist and has served in clinical and teaching positions in California, Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois. Beth has led workshops, training seminars, and educational forums, and has also served as a facilitator and consultant for organizations, congregations, social service agencies, and educational institutions. Areas of interest and expertise include the creative arts in healing; team building within staff and organizational structures; behavioral healthcare; and justice issues in society, women’s philanthropy, and development/fundraising. She is a member of St. James Lutheran Church, Forreston, Illinois. |
“enLIGHTen Essentials provided a great mix of concrete development techniques that I could envision using at my institution, as well as some great conceptual definitions behind how we do what we do. ACF has given me a base understanding of fundraising with Faith, Joy, and Success.”
Ellen Draeger Cattadoris
Paul Erbes
Casey Fuerst
Mark L. Hill
Brenda Moore
Beth Nelson ChaseOur Sponsors
