Introducing our Chapter Vice President …

We are thrilled to introduce you to our NZ Chapter Vice President – Emma Zigan!

Emma is the Associate Director at Giving Architects, and has been working as a consultant since May 2021 in the for-purpose sector, with a specialty in all aspects of Educational Advancement. Below are the answers to a series of questions recently asked of Emma …

How long have you been in the Educational Advancement sector, and what industries have you been in prior to working in Advancement?

I have spent over 10 years in Educational Advancement and School Leadership working in America, Brazil and Belgium as a Director of Advancement in K-12 International Schools. My previous 20+ years were in Sales & Marketing in the corporate sector in NZ and overseas.

What achievement or accomplishment are you most proud of?

My most rewarding achievement was gaining 100% giving participation by Faculty and Staff to the Annual Fund at two of the three institutions worked at (the third one was well on its way to 100% before I left). Gaining giving support from this stakeholder group is often seen as an impossible task, and yet it is possible, with excellent communication, board and leadership role modelling and advocacy, face-to-face individual and group meetings, plus a lot of sharing of the transformational impact of sustainable philanthropic support. In these two institutions, the Faculty and Staff became the greatest champions of the Advancement Programme. Their 100% participation and commitment were pivotal in leveraging more donors in other stakeholder groups to give and to give at higher levels.

What have been your greatest moments of learning or a challenge that you have overcome?

There are many great moments I can think of, but I believe we learn most from the challenging ones, so I will tell of one that was challenging for me. It relates to my experience above. Some teachers were very upset that the Advancement team were going to be asking our school’s cleaning ladies to ‘participate in giving’.

The challenge? Should we make a judgement on who can and can’t give or who should or shouldn’t be included?
The decision? Everyone was included. Everyone was asked (in a careful and differentiated way). We did not judge.
The outcome? The cleaning ladies participated. They told us that for the first time, they truly felt part of the school community. Whilst they may have given very low values (the money was never the ask, the participation was), their participation allowed us to reach 100% commitment from Faculty and Staff and it was one of their own proudest moments (we followed up in person). They delighted in being able to genuinely celebrate all the successes they had contributed to with the Advancement Programme (and have continued to give every year since!).
The learning? Ask and include everyone (intentionally, carefully, respectfully and gratefully). Giving is joyful.

What is the most impactful book you have read or podcast followed/listened to?

My absolute favourite book of the last couple of years is Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman. I urge everyone to read it. I read it often to counter the terrible news we see each and every day. Humankind reminds me that humans are truly deeply good people and allows me to remain positive in light of all that we see as bad in the world.

What are three tips or words of advice you would give to new members and/or those new to Advancement?

Participate: Make it a priority to attend the Educate Plus Learning Summit (31 August-1 September in Christchurch). It’s going to be so good!
Connect: Be sure to engage with your industry peers at the networking events Educate Plus puts on in your region. It’s a great way to regularly connect and these networking events are free!
Share: Share your thinking, your knowledge and your feedback. The E+ committee wants to hear from all our members about what you need, want, like and don’t like. Sharing is caring!

What are three things you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love Yoga and practice 2-3 times a week.
Growing my own salad and herbs is a joy. I love the ‘nature-fix’ gardening gives me.
Hosting big parties like Oktoberfest and Brazilian Carnaval with all my friends, family and neighbours. I love to party and dance!