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Colin Ware
Director of Gift Planning, CU Anschutz Medical Campus (University of Colorado)
Professional Background
Colin Ware is a distinguished professional in the field of philanthropy, marketing, and arts administration who has amassed extensive experience over the years. As the current Director of Gift Planning at Anschutz Medical Campus at the University of Colorado, Colin is committed to cultivating relationships that foster financial support for advancing healthcare education and research. His deep understanding of gift planning strategies equips him to make significant contributions to the university's mission while enhancing its community engagement.
Colin's previous role as Senior Director for Regional Philanthropy and Gift Planning at the University of Montana Foundation allowed him to spearhead initiatives aimed at cultivating donor relationships and generating financial support for various programs. His leadership skills were further honed during his tenure as the Senior Director for Philanthropy at UW Medicine, where he implemented strategies that not only strengthened donor engagement but also significantly increased fundraising outcomes.
With a strong foundation in sales and consulting, Colin served as Vice President of Sales and Senior Consultant at IDC/Harris Connect, bringing a wealth of experience in strategic planning and client relations. His role as Senior Consultant at The Collins Group allowed him to work closely with organizations to refine their development strategies and enhance their philanthropic outreach.
Throughout his career, Colin has embraced roles that demonstrate his commitment to the arts. As the Director of Development for the Greystone Campus at the Culinary Institute of America, and as Vice President of Capital Campaigns at SD&A Teleservices, Inc., he crafted and launched campaigns that not only supported financial growth but also enriched the cultural landscape.
In earlier roles, Colin worked on marketing and audience development at prominent organizations such as the Denver Center Theatre Company and the San Francisco Symphony. His ability to merge artistic vision with marketing strategies has allowed him to engage audiences effectively, fostering appreciation for the arts and promoting cultural initiatives.
Education and Achievements
Colin Ware is an exemplary alumnus of UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he earned his MBA with a focus on Arts Administration and Marketing. This robust educational background has equipped him with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of fundraising in the arts and healthcare sectors.
Prior to pursuing his MBA, Colin completed an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science at the University of Toronto Mississauga. This combination of educational experiences has provided him with a unique perspective on strategic decision-making, donor engagement, and the importance of historical context in shaping philanthropic narratives.
Colin's academic achievements, coupled with his extensive professional background, make him a respected leader in the field of philanthropy. His approach focuses on building long-lasting relationships that empower individuals and communities through philanthropic support.
Achievements
Colin Ware's career is marked by numerous achievements that reflect his dedication to philanthropy, fundraising, and the arts. His leadership at the Anschutz Medical Campus has been instrumental in developing innovative gift planning strategies that have significantly increased donor contributions.
At the University of Montana Foundation, Colin was pivotal in expanding regional philanthropic initiatives, which resulted in a notable increase in engagement and financial support. His strategic vision and ability to connect with donors have continuously yielded positive results for the organizations he has represented.
Notably, his work at UW Medicine contributed to substantial advancements in fundraising which have had lasting impacts on healthcare programs and research initiatives. Colin's ability to align donor interests with institutional goals demonstrates his talent for fostering meaningful partnerships and promoting a culture of giving.
In addition to his professional roles, Colin's involvement on the Board of Directors at Willamette Valley Development Officers showcases his commitment to enhancing the effectiveness of philanthropy in the region through leadership and mentorship. His various consulting roles have also allowed him to influence best practices across several organizations, driving efficiency and results in fundraising efforts.
Colin Ware continues to be a prominent figure in the world of development and philanthropy, with a career characterized by successful campaigns, exceptional relationship management, and a passion for the arts and healthcare.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.