The Council’s Development team, from left: Jodi Nachtwey, Debbie Rasmussen, Lori Werbeckes
Earlier this month, Lori Werbeckes’ tenure as Development Director at the Council came to an end as she began her well-deserved retirement. Lori joined the Council in August 2013, and for a dozen years helped shape the way the Council raises money to support the services and advocacy we provide. Congratulations on 12 great years and the beginning of your next phase in life, Lori!
“I am truly grateful for all Lori has done to uplift the importance and value of fund development at the Council, particularly with establishing and nurturing long-term relationships with our donors,” said Executive Director Denise Jess. “Her warmth and genuine kindness along with her expertise and skill have been such a gift.”
Over the years, donations have increased thanks to the support of everyone who believes in the Council’s mission to promote the dignity and empowerment of people who are blind or low vision in Wisconsin. With donor support, the Council has been able to grow in all our core areas—advocacy, vision services and education.
Throughout her time at the Council, Lori has set the tone in how we show our appreciation to our loyal donors. Along the way, Lori created several recognition clubs. The Legacy Circle recognizes those who have named the Council in their will or as a beneficiary. Friends of the Council give $500 or more annually. White Cane Circle members make monthly gifts. Council Visionaries are those who have contributed $20,000 or more over their lifetime. This recognition highlights the many different ways people give to the Council and encourages others to give.
How we thank and interact with our donors has evolved during Lori’s time with the Council, with a growing emphasis on building relationships. Over the past decade, we have added personal greetings in every thank you letter we send. We also began writing personalized notes to our regular supporters during our annual White Cane appeal, and started reaching out to donors in some form nearly every month.
Lori says adding new ways to communicate with our donors has helped us build better relationships with those interested in the Council. “It’s a privilege to connect someone who wants to give with an organization that is serving a cause the donor is passionate about,” Lori says. “For many people, making a gift is personal, so their action deserves to be acknowledged with the same amount of thought. The result is a donor base that knows how their gifts are being used, which then translates into our donors feeling informed and involved in the Council.”
The way our development team works to grow our donor base has also seen big changes over the past 12 years. When we reach out to the community, we do so to educate the public about the services the Council provides. We’ve grown our Dining in the Dark events, which serve as both an educational experience for the public and a fundraiser for the Council, to eight different venues in different parts of Wisconsin. We’ve offered sponsorship opportunities for events like Gallery Night and The Big Share to build connections with local businesses.
Speaking of The Big Share—an annual fundraising event orchestrated by Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW)—we grew our emphasis on peer-to-peer fundraising and delivered collaborative presentations with other CSW organizations.
Along the way, we began sending letters to Lions Clubs across Wisconsin to foster new and continuing relationships. We’ve grown internal support by building workplace giving campaigns around fun contests like chili cookoffs and mocktail contests, and encouraged all members of our Board of Directors to become donors.
Change is constantly happening at the Council, and we are excited to see how our development strategy continues to evolve in the years to come. As Lori moves on to the next stage in her life, debbie rasmussen, a member of the Council’s development team since 2022, has been named Development Director. Congratulations, Lori, and thank you for 12 wonderful years of helping the Council grow!