“Thanks for your wise counsel. I could not succeed and be willing to take such risks without it!”

“My [late] husband once said to me, ‘some bills feel good to pay.’ This is one of them. Thank you very much...”

“We wanted to take a moment to express our appreciation for your guidance and leadership... Your approach was wonderful, your ideas meaningful, and I really believe we received some wonderful guidance.”

“Just wanted to say how much we appreciated your time, wisdom and expertise. Your grasp of the situation was on target, and your advice was smart and helpful.”

“Everything you did was enormously valuable to us. I have continued to hear raves from Tuesday evening and, in addition to the supporting foundation that we firmed up, the visit was directly or indirectly responsible for the establishment of four new funds.”

“Just a note to let you know that we benefited from your [workshop] on strategic grantmaking. We have just completed a gift that was intended as a memorial to my father. The entire process of determining the recipient and then working out the details of the gift, which were stated in a letter of understanding, was done in accordance with some of the principles we learned in your class. Knowing how to go about the process resulted in our getting what we wanted, including our confidence that the gift would be substantially useful to the community. The gift will provide children’s books and programs at the public library that our family have all used. Thank you for your counsel.”

“Thank you immensely for the valuable time and priceless advice. It is so refreshing to hear wise words from someone who wears multiple hats with extended layers of experience and expertise! I look forward to more conversations and learning in the future.”

“I just wanted to thank you for a lively and very informative day. I think everyone learned a great deal from your presentation. I know I did. My dad was very impressed and thought you did an excellent job organizing and presenting the material. As I am sure you realize the meeting with the grandchildren was the highlight of their day. They loved dialoguing with you and are already wondering how they can continue the conversation with you and then hopefully open it up to include ..., ..., and me. I know we touched on this and perhaps we can revisit this idea. Again, on behalf of my family I thank you for enlightening us about strategic grantmaking and for emphasizing how an understanding one’s personal goals and style influence decisions. I look forward to seeing you again soon and continuing our own dialogue on families and philanthropy.”

“It could have taken us six months and probably several skirmishes to get to the place you brought us to in two hours. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Part sounding board, part cheerleader, part devil’s advocate, [you] made sure that I had thought through every plan before getting too far along. When a dilemma arose, [you were] always able to identify a new alternative - a third way I hadn’t considered that took into account all obstacles and concerns.”

“You were a key guide and advisor during the initial days of the founding of this organization. You brought wisdom from your many years of professional work. At each step of the way, as we chartered unfamiliar waters, your advice was indispensable… You were there with gently offered wisdom that comes only from someone so seasoned and so intelligent.”

“You have been a constant source of reason and direction for me professionally as well as for our entire organization.”

“Just wanted to say how much we appreciated your time, wisdom and expertise. Your grasp of the situation was on target, and your advice was smart and helpful.”

“... You asked some really important questions about the type of organizational player we want to be, the best use of our resources, and you forced us to face the false truths that we work under every day. The discussion has sparked many subsequent conversations, and continues to inform the staff work being done at this time. We hope to be able to take advantage of your talents in this area again as we move forward.”

“The session received uniformly excellent ratings even thought he participants ranged across a broad spectrum…it was special for the participants’ evident pleasure in learning [from you] and their recognition of a gifted teacher.” - [New York]

“You were engaging, interesting, and inspirational – everything we look for and need in a presenter.” - [Baltimore]

“We were honored to have had you as our first invited speaker in our new building. We hope you will honor and inspire us many more times in the years to come.” - [Washington]

“We have had many programs over the years… I must say that this ranked as the most exciting both educationally and intellectually.” - [New York]

“Your words at the dinner were extremely thoughtful and your leadership of the focus group session extraordinarily professional.” - [Jerusalem]

“I want to thank you for the inspiring lecture you gave... and to let you know that [we] are still challenging ourselves over the issues you put forth.” - [Vancouver]

“Your presentation was stimulating and effective in getting all of us to look ... in a different way. I just received the evaluation results and your session was at the top of the ratings.” - [Vancouver-different presentation/group]

“Thank you for your powerful and thought-provoking talk. Everyone was impressed by your erudition.” - [New York]

“Thank you for the wonderful presentation last night. I received very positive feedback from the participants. They really appreciated your ability to involve the whole group in the discussion.” - [Chicago]

“Thank you for your thoughtful and well-prepared keynote presentation... Its impact was reflected in the vigorous discussion that ensued throughout the afternoon.” - [Thessalonica]

“Thank you for your presentation yesterday. You made a great contribution – there were several requests for a return engagement!” - [Chicago]

“Thanks for the marvelous role you played at our program. Your speech was perfect, quite impressive, as we have come to expect.” - [Washington]

“I was sorry that I didn’t have a chance to talk to you after your presentation so that I could tell you personally what an excellent and thought-provoking talk it was.” - [San Francisco]

“Your [keynote] presentation... was so motivating and energizing. I felt valued and recharged...” - [Washington]

“The responses to your presentation were overwhelmingly positive and we want you to know how much we enjoy working with you...” - [New York]

“I can't thank you enough for your optimistic, up-beat, informative, intelligent gift this morning. EVERYONE said it was the best presentation thus far. It’s a good thing ... wasn’t there, so he really doesn’t know what he’s up against! Thank you again for opening up minds and doors that might not ever have been tapped if it wasn’t for you.” - [New York]

“I want to also express my thanks for both your excellent presentation at the seminar, as well as your very helpful insights at the planning meeting. As you no doubt observed, the ... program is in its infancy, and is not without its critics. You not only guided us (the seminar planners) with real, tangible advice, you also handled a ‘tough crowd’ with deftness and sensitivity.” - [New Jersey]

“The participants love your sessions. Your ratings were sky-high, as usual.” - [Washington]

“Your delivery was dynamic, your talk thought provoking, and you created an exciting dialogue with our leaders.” - [International conference]

“A dynamic speaker, [you] delivered an interesting talk punctuated with great examples of actual cases. Insightful and engaging.” - [National conference]

“Thank you very much for your wonderful and engaging talk. Many people said you were the best speaker we ever had.” - [International training conference]

“We would like to thank you for speaking so eloquently, authoritatively and candidly about trends in philanthropy... You inspired our audience with your provocative presentation.” - [Florida; national leadership meeting]