Last Look: An Interview With Vince Micone, Vice President of Development, Partnership for Public Service

FS: How would you describe your fundraising philosophy?
VM: Our philosophy is that everyone who works at the Partnership is part of the development team. We work across programs and activities to initiate and sustain relationships with contributors and constituents. Fortunately, a bright light is shining on the importance of government, and we are working to leverage that attention.

FS: How do you reach out to supporters and potential supporters in ways other than purely fundraising? Are you engaged with the new social media sites — MySpace, Facebook, etc. — and online social networking?
VM: We do incorporate social networking as a part of our outreach strategy and fundraising. We also maintain “Partnership Connect,” a virtual community for our constituents. We are currently evaluating how we can further harness social media and networking to leverage support and interest in our programs.

FS: Can you describe a recent successful fundraising effort?
VM: We have seen a degree of success in attracting sponsors to our annual recognition program for federal employees called the “Service to America Medals.” Though some supporters have had to reduce their contributions, we have been able to work with them to keep them engaged with this important program. We do not believe in walking away from supporters in tough times.

FS: Any major difficulties or setbacks you've faced along the way? Things you would do differently with your fundraising?
VM: There is no doubt that the economy has made the climate very challenging. One impact is that we will not be holding our annual fundraising gala this year, as we do not think it is appropriate during these economically challenging times. We have worked to expand and improve our communication and stewardship efforts with our contributors though, using this time as an opportunity to strengthen our connections with our donors.