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Diana S. Forbus

Diana's headshot

Role on campus: Annual Giving Manager

What I do: I help raise money from UMD alumni and friends to support programs and initiatives across campus (including Carillon Communities). We send letters and emails, make phone calls, and support things like LaunchUMD (the university’s crowdfunding platform), and Giving Day - an annual 24-hour day of giving where the entire Maryland community comes together to raise money for the university.

Also: Purple hair, elder millennial, Marylander, not as funny as I think I am, crafty (currently embroidery, changes often), theatre nerd. 

 

Carillon Communities represented in your section: iGive

Why do you teach IDEA101? It’s a way for me to connect with students (something that I don’t get to do in my day to day work) and I love the creative problem solving exercises.

What excites you about design thinking? Ideation! I love the phrasing of problems into a “how might we…” question and brainstorming with constraints. 

How have you used design thinking in your work? I presented at the Association of Donor Relations Professionals conference in 2019 on creative problem solving. I took participants through brainstorming (and brainstorming with constraints) on the question “How might we thank and steward a donor to create a deeper connection with our organization?” I’ve also recently submitted the presentation to another fundraising conference in FY22.

Where are you from? Maryland - If you had told me when I graduated high school that I’d be living in my hometown of Columbia, MD, I never would have believed you. I left twice (for undergrad and grad school) and ended up about a mile from the hospital where I was born. 

Ask me about...

 

  • My TikTok FYP (or why I love Tiktok)
  • Broadway & musical theatre in general
  • My favorite joke
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