HYDROCEPHALUS RESEARCH PROPOSAL
At the University of Chicago Medical and Biological Sciences Development (MBSD) office, I drafted a proposal for the development of a pharmaceutical treatment for hydrocephalus. This involved streamlining a brain surgeon's description of his laboratory work so that it was easier to read. When our first-time donor made a six-figure gift to support the surgeon's research, he specifically cited three points I had discovered in my personal research for the solicitation. (1) Hydrocephalus is actually a common birth defect that goes unseen in the United States because it is treatable with surgery. (2) Because most people do not know about this birth defect, research is primarily funded by families and doctors directly impacted by hydrocephalus. (3) Our doctor's research to develop a drug that replace surgery would make hydrocephalus treatment available in developing countries, where hydrocephalus is currently a death sentence. This proposal was repurposed several more times and brought in multiple gifts.
FACS MACHINE PROPOSAL
The widely respected fundraising consultant Tom Ahern spoke to the University of Chicago MBSD office, urging us to adopt certain key elements in our fundraising proposals—a 750 word count, a focus on the donor's role in making a difference, strong visual and emotional triggers, a sense of urgency, and simple language. I used all of these elements for the first time in my career to create a proposal to purchase a $500,000 FACS machine for The Celiac Disease Center at the University of Chicago Medicine. This proposal was used several times to bring in multiple five-and-six-figure gifts.
MEMORY CENTER PROPOSAL
I worked with the director of the University of Chicago Center for Comprehensive Care and Research on Memory Disorders, also known as the Memory Center, to create a proposal to fund an art therapy program for Alzheimer's disease patients. The director said the proposal was "the best thing I've seen come out of the development office."
