Anne Broderick Botteri

“I met Anne Botteri 10 years ago when she was on the committee that interviewed me for a development position at the University of Central Florida. At the time, she was the AVP for Marketing and Communications for the UCF Foundation. During the interview, she was that one in the room—you know the one--who nodded in agreement at almost everything I said. That day I knew we would be fast friends, not because she agreed with all my interview talk, but because I knew she would go to the ends of the earth to help promote my great ideas, and that she would be honest with me when my ideas weren’t so great. We’ve both come a long way since that interview, going our separate ways but always keeping in touch. A year ago, as Sr. Director of Development for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, I hired her firm Anne Botteri Strategic Communications, to come up with a case statement for a proposed campaign. That experience along with watching her work for 10 years led me to the following observations: 1. She gets it. Whatever it is, she just seems to have strong instincts about what donors and stakeholders want. My view is as a higher education development professional, but I don’t think it matters. Replace “donor” with “customer” and I think she would still get it. 2. She understands the complex nuances of both large institutions and small nonprofits. She is superb at building rapport with boards, faculty and administrators, and can go head-to-heard with the toughest stakeholders. 3. She’s a strategizer. Anne has an uncanny gift of being able to articulate to leaders, the importance of relationship building and how that translates into dollars raised. She can help them to understand that it’s all about the big picture and the long haul. 4. Anne understands and advocates for frontline fundraisers and knows the pressure that often comes with the job. 5. She’s one of the most creative professionals I’ve met in my career. She’s an excellent writer, and can translate complex ideas into exciting and engaging calls to action. But it goes beyond that. Anne doesn’t just create marketing materials. She is a creator of “big ideas” staff may not be able to see due to day-to-day pressures. 6. She’s an advocate for donor and their needs and is first and foremost interested in their individual stories. She knows that each is different and easily and effectively translates stories into unique and compelling calls to action. 7. Anne is a good leader—of teams, of projects, of clients. She works hard and expects the same in return. But, anyone who has worked with Anne knows that she respects each and every person with whom she works. In the end, Anne just gets it.”

“I worked my butt off for Anne at the University of Central Florida Foundation. What’s more, I’d jump at the chance to do it all over again. That’s the kind of leader Anne is: creative, encouraging and always thinking three steps ahead. Anne has an uncanny ability to form high-functioning, collaborative teams that make work a pleasure. She’s a great mentor and advocate for her team members, keeping unnecessary distractions at bay so they can focus on doing great work. She’s a fearless, passionate believer in your best you. And she’s wickedly funny. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched or read news stories about some floundering organization and said: “They need Anne Botteri!” If your organization needs a fresh approach to its communications, marketing or strategic planning, trust me: You need Anne Botteri.”