Phil Helmuth, director of development and church relations (front row, left), stands with associate directors Stuart Showalter, Les Horning and Karen Moshier-Shenk. Back row, from left: associate director Braydon Hoover, Jasmine Hardesty, director of planned giving, and associate directors Tim Swartzendruber and Lindsey Martin. Not present is Dave King, director of athletics.
There is no question that the people and relationships make this work worthwhile. Having done this work at the same organization for almost 20 years, the relationships are what keep me going. I have gotten to know three generations in some families, with donors in each generation. I continue to be amazed at how much so many of our friends and alumni love EMU! // I learned an early lesson of giving through my parents, who directed a youth choral group, Choraleers, for about 40 years. I carry on this tradition as a volunteer choir director and music leader at Park View Mennonite Church. // Karen Moshier-Shenk ‘73, associate director since 1996
Meeting these people and hearing their stories, whether it’s related to EMU or not, has been incredibly enriching. I met with a couple recently who were each at different ends of the conservative and liberal spectrum. We talked about a variety of things, including the changes to the hiring policy. We had this free-flowing conversation, in which both sides were represented in well-articulated ways. He wasn’t in favor of the changes and she was. It was a really beautiful, respectful conversation. I went away thinking, “This is why we work here.” // Braydon Hoover ‘11, associate director since 2015
There’s a perception that only wealthier alums can drive the mission forward. Many EMU graduates go into service-oriented professions; they’re not earning significant dollars and they’re not wealthy, but they see EMU as having a formative impact on their lives and choose to give. That just makes what is given that much more important. Students are truly shaped by this broad support. // Tim Swartzendruber ‘95, associate director since 2002
I love sharing with alumni what’s happening now here with EMU athletics in ways that connect them to their memories of how they grew as people at EMU. The support and encouragement that athletes gain from their competitive experience and from our coaches is so important. When they remember that their athletics experience was transformative and they link that transformation to what they’re doing today in their church, community or family, they are willing to support what’s going on here in athletics at EMU because they know our current athletes are undergoing that same transformative experience. // Dave King ‘76, director of athletics since 2005
EMS is a transformative center for discerning, learning, healing and growing among all who come to prepare for a wide range of ministries and missions. I witness men and women come into my office as prospective students, tentative and unsure about their journey… and leave with their degree, full of confidence in their abilities and their purpose in life. I never get tired of sharing that story, in all its varied forms, to donors and supporters. I love to help donors “invest” in the lives of these women and men who choose, often at great sacrifice, to set aside time for study and preparation at EMS. // Les Horning ’86, MDiv ’98, associate director of seminary development since 2012
The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding is an inspiring program with faculty and students that do amazing work around the world. That makes my job somewhat simple. Sometimes donors give because they meet students themselves. Others interact with our faculty, or read books and articles by faculty and students. Others have Mennonite connections and consider our work here an extension of their Mennonite values. I love to hear those stories of why people give to CJP. We value that passion and desire to support CJP, no matter how much or what that gift is. // Lindsay Martin ‘05, associate director of development for the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding since 2014
I have always enjoyed using my legal background as an estate planning attorney to support philanthropic purposes. In nonprofit work, a lot of big work is accomplished on small budgets and donors are very important to helping that bigger work happen. // This is not something that just wealthy people do. Every day, average households can make a gift that will benefit them and the organization that they support. // We are a free resource. We don’t give advice, but we give information. When people call us, they often have an idea of what they want to do and they’re truly committed to making a gift, but they don’t know how to go about doing that or even if it’s possible. When they realize in a two-minute conversation that they can move forward, there’s a sense of relief and fulfillment. I find those kind of interactions very gratifying. // Jasmine Hardesty, director of planned giving since 2015
I love this job because it’s all about building long-term relationships, getting to know our donors, their needs and their passions for giving. My job is a perpetual field trip. In one day, I might meet five donors in five different places, and each one has a different story, different dreams and different goals. // EMU enables our donors to give as an extension of themselves and in doing so, to achieve a lot more than they might be able to as an individual. // We make sure that donors see how their gift is making a difference. When donors come back and thank me for inviting them to support the university and our students, when I sense that they are as excited about giving to the project as we are about that project – that keeps me going. // Phil Helmuth, executive director of development since 2005
Several uncles and aunts were personally generous, providing summer jobs that enabled me to attend EMC. // I came to this position after 28 years as a professor of communications at Goshen College and then six more as an independent consultant. // As an adult, I learned to know joyful donors, and I found their approach to giving both admirable and contagious. I get the greatest satisfaction in helping donors achieve their goals as they mesh their interests with EMU’s mission. The happiest donors are those who are motivated by a deep sense of gratitude to EMU because of its transformative impact on their lives and on the lives of others. // Stuart Showalter ‘67, associate director since 2011