Andrea D. Doddridge
Foothill Ranch,CA
Summary
With many years of volunteer service planning and organizing community events, I am a strategic-thinking individual who thrives in developing, planning and managing events and programs that bring people together and help them renew and reconnect with others having similar interests and passions. Over time, I have expanded and refined my abilities and strengths to include strategic engagement, outreach, friend-raising, volunteer management and serve as a fundraising professional. Working with diverse groups of campus and community leaders along with individual stakeholders, I identify and engage well with people, building long-term friendships and partnerships. Utilizing these skills and my profound personal interest of connecting our communities and helping them thrive and flourish, I believe that I am a great candidate for the American Heart Association's search for Business Operations Director (Event Management and Facilities).
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Alumni Engagement, University Advancement
Chapman University
01.2019 - 10.2022
- Served as primary point of contact for Alumni Engagement program development at Chapman University (constituent base of over 75,000+)
- Public Speaker/subject matter expert. Served as host and moderator for specific events
- Created strategic and collaborative partnerships for campus leaders and alumni constituents to connect, educate and steward philanthropic giving by increasing overall engagement opportunities
- Developed industry panels, Master Classes, and curated webpages with timely, evolving educational content to facilitate university advancement goals and increase participation rates among alumni constituents year over year
- Developed Mentor/Mentee program for alumni entrepreneurs and executives to positively influence and collaborate with young alumni
- Managed budgets effectively to ensure optimal use of resources while maintaining financial stability.
- Successfully pivoted to virtual programming through Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in deployment of 10+ new Regional and 4 new Affinity Chapter Groups leading to increased alumni engagement and involvement across the United States (specifically led to charters of Chapman University African American Alumni Association, Chapman University LatinX Alumni and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Alumni Association)
- Exceeded annual engagement and communication goals utilizing recognized, industry standard data metrics and analytics
- Managed multiple annual program budgets including planning and reallocation of resources to accomplish objectives while staying within budget reductions (Covid related cuts exceeding 35% initial budgets for 2019-20 and 2020-2021)
- Identified and utilized alumni volunteers to sustain efficient operations during hiring freeze to meet demanding timelines and limited budgets in order to maintain program delivery
- Expanded endowed scholarship by 125% for Town & Gown, resulting in increased funding available for annual student scholarships
- Developed impartial scholarship selection processes for annual committee use
- Engaged volunteer leaders to expand and extend program deliverables to new constituents and increase annual giving from Support Group membership and alumni association leadership
- Developed and implemented pre-and post-event surveys monitoring and assessing event, attendee satisfaction, engagement, and program outcomes
- Evaluated membership development objectives for Chapman50 (support group) organization, and increased C50 group membership by 75% over previous year
- Overhaul of deliverable collateral to refocus membership priorities and increase engagement
- Solicited and secured individual Leadership Level pledges/gifts to University from Alumni Board
- Solicited annual membership (personal and direct mail) for Town & Gown, Women of Chapman, and Chapman50 new members and renewals
- Achieved annual personal fundraising goals in excess of $125,000
- Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Enhanced team collaboration through regular communication, goal setting, and performance evaluations.
- Established a culture of continuous improvement by fostering open communication channels and empowering employees to voice their ideas.
- Strengthened internal controls by reviewing existing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration for improved decision-making processes within the organization.
- Improved project efficiency with strategic planning, resource allocation, and time management practices.
- Proactively identified potential risks and implemented mitigation strategies to minimize negative impacts on projects or business operations.
- Boosted client satisfaction rates through exceptional relationship management and prompt resolution of issues.
Assistant Director, Strategic Engagement Events & Support Groups
Chapman University
12.2016 - 03.2019
- Planned, managed, and executed annual, strategic, high-visibility large scale engagement events for campus stakeholders, alumni and support groups, including homecoming and annual philanthropic gala
- Worked with campus and civic leaders along with community groups to organize Sock-tober Saturday, gathering 12,000 pairs of socks for the homeless (distributed through partner organization, Mercy House in Anaheim)
- Secured grant funding from various local business owners to expand reach, building partnerships and outcomes
- Brokered business donations and discounts for alumni, students, and campus leaders
- Established, implemented, and met consistent high-quality expectations, providing constituents with exceptional customer service and stewardship opportunities
- Served as a trusted advisor and liaison for support group programs, communications, board development, and fundraising goals, along with developing connections to executive University Administration for future engagement
- Propelled continuous improvements resulting in increased and optimized attendance for events and a 200% increase in funding endowed scholarship giving year over year
- Directed support group membership mailings, electronic newsletters, online payments, event invitations, registrations, and follow-up communications regarding evolving engagement opportunities and stewardship to new and existing volunteers and donors
- Developed event budgets and fundraising goals to meet/exceed annual pledges and donations for university capital campaigns
- Managed tight production timetables and maintained detailed expense documents for annual fiscal audits
- Created and managed physical records and digital files to support documentation for compliance audits and archival records
- Served on support group leadership boards as Recording Secretary and University Liaison (Chapman50, Women of Chapman, and Chapman University Alumni Association Board of Directors)
Manager, Strategic Engagement Events and Support Groups
Chapman University
03.2013 - 12.2016
- Served as University Liaison to multiple high level philanthropic and donor groups, volunteer boards, committees, and councils in support of campus projects and proposals, capital projects and fundraising campaigns
- Managed schedules, calendars, board and general membership meetings, general communications, and provided minutes and financial reporting of budgets and endowments for boards
- Served as publishing editor for Support Group monthly newsletters and social media posts (pre- and post-event)
- Managed membership dues and renewals for each of three support groups
- Processed payments, kept records for roster creation and future mailings
- Developed and maintained relationships with community constituents, campus partners and suppliers through ongoing communication and specific, strategic timelines as needed
- Met with key leadership to identify fundraising areas of focus to be presented to groups for support
- Managed multiple annual campus and community-wide service and educational events
- Achieved or exceeded multiple fundraising campaign goals by increasing communications and establishing tiered system of achievable goals for constituents
- Group exceeded original endowed scholarship goal by 200% in one year
- Established and communicated best practices among campus collaborators, external vendors and staff to align alumni engagement efforts and goals, along with institutional priorities
- Accomplished multiple tasks within established timeframes.
- Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
Coordinator, Strategic Events
Chapman University
03.2012 - 03.2013
- Coordinated and executed strategic engagement events for alumni, faculty, students, parents and community, including development and deployment of strategic marketing and communication, logistics, budgets, venue selection, vendor contracts, site management, and events recognizing key program elements and desired outcomes
- Maintained accurate, compliant financial and accounting records
- Consistently monitored and addressed potential allocation variances to maintain budget
- Kept projects on schedule by establishing key deadlines and adjusting and adapting workflows as needed
- Developed comprehensive customer service training program and created protocols for staff members and volunteer event workers
- Prepared and provided key data, marketing, and event tool-kits to campus partners for strategic and operational planning year over year
- Inspected event venues to identify potential issues and coordinated resolutions to mitigate potential risk
- Created efficient set-up and post event work plans for optimal site turnaround
Coordinator, Volunteer Operations and Engagement
South County Outreach
10.2010 - 12.2011
- Recruited, onboarded, and trained new volunteers for Food Pantry operations, community computer lab, and Thrift Store
- Established Volunteer-led Speaker's Bureau to further expand community education, outreach, and awareness of homelessness and hunger armed with concise yet compelling information to influence public perceptions and policy, expand engagement and support of program
- Managed and maximized community partnerships with corporate executives and their teams to educate, train, and optimize productivity for operations and special projects
- Created opportunities for quarterly and annual service recognition which led to greater volunteer satisfaction, engagement, and retention
- Provided data and collateral in support of ongoing grant opportunities
- Entered data, generated reports, and produced tracking documents.
- Promoted and staffed numerous community outreach and education events and food drives
- Gathered and organized materials to support operations.
- Developed monthly communications 'Off the Shelf' Blog, connecting and informing volunteers, food and financial donors, and community members on ongoing pantry and program updates and sharing needs for future program needs
- Improved team productivity with regular communication and progress updates, fostering a collaborative work environment.
Education
B.A. - Art History/Emphasis on Critical Thinking, Political Science
University of California, San Diego
Leadership Development
Chapman University
Orange, CAFiduciary Management
University of California
Riverside, CASkills
- Strategic planning
- Verbal and written communication
- Training, Onboarding and Management of Volunteers
- Program and Project Development
- Data Collection
- Negotiations and Asset/Resource Allocations
- Event Operations and Logistics
- Adaptability and Conflict Resolution
- Decision-Making
- Emergency Safety Procedures Training
- Microsoft Office, Adobe
- CRM Database Proficiency
Recognition
- Robert F. Lucas International Service Award, Key Club International
- Reg. P. Merridew International Service Award, Circle K International
Volunteer Engagement
- Communications Lead, Lutheran High School of Orange JV and Varsity Football teams, 01/01/06, 12/31/12, Led fundraising efforts for Football program, exceeding $100,000 annually in gifts and sponsorships.
- Executive Leadership committee member, Vision and Values capital campaign at Lutheran High School, Orange
- Kiwanis Club member
- Circle K International District Governor and District Secretary, California-Nevada-Hawaii
- Key Club International Club Secretary
- District Lieutenant Governor
Professional References
- Delite Travis, Sr. Vice President, Development, Whittier College, 714-313-0210
- Joy Flynn, Manager, Pre-High School Special Events and Programs, Lutheran High School of Orange, 714-334-8637
- Alissa Driscoll, Vice President, Community Outreach and Engagement, Chapman University, 714-289-2098, driscol@chapman.edu
- Christopher J. Pagel, Vice President Development, Argyros School of Business, Chapman University, 714-336-1749
Timeline
Director, Alumni Engagement, University Advancement
Chapman University
01.2019 - 10.2022
Assistant Director, Strategic Engagement Events & Support Groups
Chapman University
12.2016 - 03.2019
Manager, Strategic Engagement Events and Support Groups
Chapman University
03.2013 - 12.2016
Coordinator, Strategic Events
Chapman University
03.2012 - 03.2013
Coordinator, Volunteer Operations and Engagement
South County Outreach
10.2010 - 12.2011
B.A. - Art History/Emphasis on Critical Thinking, Political Science
University of California, San Diego
Leadership Development
Chapman University
Fiduciary Management
University of California
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