User:Vwdent

Vincent William Dent

My name is Vincent William Dent. I currently live in East Stroudsburg Pa. I have been married to my childhood sweet heart for 23 years and have two children both in college. I have many friends in this area and hope to be back in this area on January 22nd for an inauguration party. I am a graduate of the University of Michigan where I majored in English and political science and the University of Detroit law school. There is a great deal of irony that explains my presence here today. I started my non profit career in 1992 with an educational facility whose goal it is to educate and train young inner city youth in Detroit in the areas of manufacturing and engineering. That organization, Focus: HOPE, goals are very similar to the goals espoused by NSBE; instilling in young people the desire to enter fields involving math, the sciences and engineering. From that origin to my presence here today, my non profit career has been one steeped in education and social change. In those 16 plus years in development, I have learned a great deal about raising money, but have learned a lot more about myself and where I fit into the larger picture that is my life’s purpose. The irony is that I am right back where I started, talking passionately about education and opportunity for young people. The additional irony is the more I discover about myself and what I have learned about raising money, the more I realize that it is not about me but rather it is about being committed to something much greater than myself.

During my over sixteen years in this business I have learned how to build a fund raising presence in an organization from infrastructure issues to board governance  and volunteer participation. I have learned how to ask for six and seven figure gifts unabashedly and have learned to appreciate the smaller, entry level gifts that are often the first steps in a lifetime of philanthropic commitment. I have learned how to manage people by treating them as I would want to be treated, with dignity and compassion and deemphasizing titles and encouraging collaboration and team work. I have learned that one of the keys to successful fundraising is not convincing people to do something that they do not want to do, but rather getting in front of the people who are predisposed to support your mission. In short, I have learned to not try to sell apples to people who want oranges. Finally I have learned how important humility is to this line of work and the importance of putting the right people in the right situation to secure support for the organization. Supporting the president and board members as a presence behind the scene is what good fundraisers do. I am here today because I am interested in committing to a strong organization long term.