Elks National Foundation Blog

by Christine Robinson Communications Associate            I started working at the Elks National Foundation in the midst of our busiest time of year, March. I remember that day specifically because it was freezing cold and Chicago was coming off a winter with record-breaking low temperatures.             In the Rotunda of the Elks Veterans Memorial My first role at the Foundation was in the Donor Services department. I started 21 days before the 2013-14 fiscal year donation deadline. Though I was new and only learning a small portion of what my entire role would entail, I could still sense the busyness in the air! The Donor Services department is like a well-oiled machine that works behind the scenes to make sure every single ENF supporter is credited for their donation. They work hard to ensure that supporters like you receive acknowledgment and recognition for your gener...

Lauren Barnes Donor Services Assistant   Making sure certificates are organized during the monthly Cumulative Recognition process! It’s crazy how fast time flies at the Elks National Foundation. I can’t believe I’ve already been the Donor Services Assistant for almost 8 months! It feels like I just started yesterday. In that time, I have had the honor of hearing from many generous Elks around the country, as well as ENF Fundraising Chairs who have had the opportunity to recognize members for their gifts to the Foundation. As the Donor Services Assistant, I am in charge of running the Cumulative Recognition process each month. This means I organize and mail letters, certificates and pins to donors who have reached different giving levels over their lifetime. If you’re interested in learning more about the Individual Cumulative Recognition levels, please visit our website . What’s great about the Cumulative Recognition program you ask? Pins of course! Each level of giv...

Lauren Barnes Donor Services Assistant   How long have you worked at the ENF? I'll have my three month anniversary on August 27. How the time flies! What projects are you/your department working on right now? The Donor Services Team is always working hard for our Elks and donors! What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I love being part of an organization that does so much within Elks communities, but I'm inspired by Sandy Supancic. She has worked here for a very long time, is a long-time Elk who does SO MUCH for her community, and she comes in every day with a smile and a great attitude. And she is a living history of the Order! I have a lot to learn from her, although the whole ENF Team really inspires me and is my favorite part about working here. Describe your average day at the ENF. I don't really have an average day, but I typically start out my week by sending acknowledgements to our generous donors. The rest of my week consists of processing d...

Christine Robinson Donor Services Assistant How long have you worked at the ENF? I’ve worked at the ENF for four months. What projects are you/your department working on right now? Donor Services is busy processing donations. I’m running the individual cumulative recognition process this week. Every donor who has met a new level of giving will be receiving their recognition—either a pin or a pin and certificate—in the mail within the next two weeks.  What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I love the chances I get to interact with Elks—helping donors who may need a replacement pin, assisting ENF Fundraising Chairs who have questions about how to submit names with remittances, and seeing just how generous the Elks are. I started in March, and was blown away by the generosity of the Elks. I thoroughly enjoy sending out the monthly recognition. Describe your average day at the ENF. My day always starts with a cup of coffee. Then it depends on the day. If it ...

If you could double your gift to the ENF without personally giving twice as much, would you do it?  With more than 19,000 companies offering a matching gift program , there’s a good chance you could double the impact of your donation by requesting a matching gift through your employer. To learn more about matching gifts, we asked Donor Services Associate Jon Flaherty to answer some frequently asked questions about company-sponsored matching gift programs.  Here’s what he had to say. Q. What is a matching gift?     A.  It’s when an employer will match a donation dollar-for-dollar to an organization. Q. What is a volunteer grant?     A. It’s when a company will match volunteer hours with a check to the ENF. When employees volunteer at the Lodge, they record their hours volunteered and turn them into their employer. Then, their company matches the time volunteered by writing a check to the ENF. Q. How do I know if my employer does matching g...

Marcee Northey Donor Services Manager How long have you worked at the ENF? I have worked at the ENF for just over seven years. What projects are you/your department working on right now? The Donor Services department is gearing up for the end of our fiscal year, which is just around the corner. What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? My favorite part of my work with the ENF by far is speaking with Elks across the country. I love solving problems and speaking with them about what great things they are doing in their communities. I also really enjoy working with the Donor Services team . We work really hard but also enjoy our jobs.   Describe your average day at the ENF. We say in the DS department that there is no average day, but we do have average weeks. As I mentioned earlier, communicating with Elks is part of that but also processing donations , updating records and reports, responding to requests, assisting the team with questions, and meeting wit...

Sandy Supancic Office Assistant Sandy's afternoon project--scanning checks from today's mail! How long have you worked at the ENF? I have been at the Foundation for 33 years and 5 months. I am hoping to hold the record for the longest employee here. What projects are you/your department working on right now? At this time of the year, we are working on posting the donations to our donors’ accounts. As everyone knows, the end of the fiscal year is approaching quickly. I balance the mail, scan the checks, stamp them, and make sure all is ready to be worked on by the Donor Services Department. I also order all office supplies for the office, do address changes and Lodge transfers, and help out where it’s needed. What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I enjoy working with volunteers, donors and my co-workers. Being here as long as I have, I know the good the Foundation does. I’ve been on the working side and the Elks side. My nephew was a Lodge Hoop Sh...

Paula Lukos Donor Services Coordinator Did Paula's Donald Duck impressions inspire her desk decor, or did her desk decor inspire her Donald Duck impressions? How long have you worked at the ENF? Going on 14 years this January 2014. What projects are you/your department working on right now? Processing donations in a timely and accurate manner, and working on mailings. What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? Working with wonderful and hardworking co-workers. Describe your average day at the ENF. Most of the day is spent processing donations that come in. From creating and researching accounts to posting the money to the accounts and having it all balance. What are you thankful for this month? To have a job that I truly enjoy. What’s one thing about you that might surprise people? I can do impressions—Donald Duck and James Cagney are a couple. If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why? The person I would like to meet most would be Abrah...

Jon Flaherty Donor Services Associate The Chicago Cubs may have had another losing season, but Jon knows that, thanks to generous donors, the ENF will always have a winning season! How long have you worked at the ENF? I’ve been at the ENF for a little more than 4 years. I started out as the Donor Services Assistant in July of 2009, and since then moved into my current role as the Donor Services Associate.    What projects are you/your department working on right now? The Donor Services Department is working on our end of the month procedures. Once our team processes all of the donations we receive within one month, we work on updating our online reports for ENF chairs like the Lodge Per-Capita totals , the Chair Challenge standings , the online record of donations report , and many others. We also print and mail reports out to ENF Chairs , PGERs, and State Sponsors.      What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I work closely...

Lydia Raabe Communications Assistant What's Lydia writing? Check the ENF website and ENF social media pages to find out! How long have you worked at the ENF? I started just over a year ago as a temp in Donor Services and have been the Communications Assistant since March. What projects are you/your department working on right now? We’re celebrating Veterans Remembrance Month by sharing how Elks use Community Investments Program grants to serve veterans year-round. I especially enjoy reading how Elks have helped student vets, since many of them are my age. Their commitment to education and their communities is inspiring! What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I enjoy working closely with our Programs Department to share ENF successes through the ENF website , social media pages and mailings. I also work closely with the Development Department to put together ENFrontline , the monthly newsletter for ENF Chairs. Every day, I get to see how hard Elks volunteers...

Henriette Pruger Donor Services Coordinator If you've sent in a donation to the ENF , Henri's processed it! How long have you been working at the ENF? I am an oldie. I have been here for close to 32 years. I have never been someone who likes change. I like stability. It may not be an active position. As long as contributions come in, we will continue to process them. The funds we receive help pay for college scholarships , veteran projects and drug awareness . They not only help fellow Elk members, but they also help the community. What projects are you/your department working on right now? At the moment, we are just trying to keep up. Donor Services’ work demand has increased lately and we need to keep on top of it. The new thing I am doing is submitting gift batches. We are short a person and I am helping out. I am the person you call on in times of emergency. I have always been reliable. In addition to these duties, we will be shortly doing weekly recognitio...

By Henri Moustakis, Donor Services Coordinator Henri (top left) and Paula (bottom right) are busy processing gifts. Sandy (top right) opens the mail and Jon (bottom left) prepares acknowledgment letters. Once upon a time, in the land of Elkdom, there was a check named Charlie. His name was really #1744, but everyone knew him as Charlie. One day, his owner designated him with the amount of $500.00, and mailed him to us. Who are we? We are the Donor Services Department at the Elks National Foundation. Donor Services is the first department to receive mailed checks like Charlie. We open mail, scan and process checks, send acknowledgments and finalize reports. During our fiscal year we process thousands of Charlies. So far this year, we’ve received more than 31,710 checks! March is our busiest month of the year. We’re preparing to close our current fiscal year, and anticipate receiving $1 million in donations. The year-end increase of donations makes it possible for the ENF to c...

By Christine Wagner, Donor Services Associate While these lyrics come from my favorite musical, they are a little bittersweet to sing right now. After a little more than three years, I am saying “so long” to the Elks National Foundation to pursue a new career opportunity. While I am very excited to embark on new experiences, I regretfully leave behind a special and unique group of people. Working in the Donor Services department for the past three years gave me the wonderful opportunity to see all of the generous donations the ENF receives on a daily basis. Down on the first floor, we definitely appreciate the ENF Chairs who have neat handwriting and alphabetized lists! My job also allowed me to talk to volunteers from all across the country; one of my favorite parts of the job! However, it was always hard to hear from the Florida, Arizona, and California Elks about how warm it was in their area of the country while Chicago was still feet deep in snow! I will look back on my tim...