"Phil's speech was both witty and wise. He both inspired and informed us and his examples of fund-raising "nightmares" were memorable. Powerful."

"Phil Hanes has always been a great inspiration in the community. He walks the walk and demonstrates, time and again, his devotion to Winston-Salem. I had no idea how much he had done nationally and internationally!"

"It was an honor for our Triad AFP Chapter, our award winners and our community to have someone of Phil Hanes' caliber as the keynote presenter for our Philanthropy Day awards ceremony. His insightful remarks were helpful to all in the fundraising field, whether professional fundraiser, volunteer, or board member. And, as always, he delights with his witty and charming style when presenting!"
--Debra Perret, Chairman AFP

Phil did a splendid job for our Association of Fund Raising Professionals -- NC Triad Chapter luncheon.

His remarks were pithy, pointed, purposeful, and prophetic. When one has reached the station of life that he has -- experience, service, generosity, and involvement -- one is permitted to say whatever one wishes to say. Had he done less, we would have been disappointed (and would have missed some very valuable counsel!). I particularly appreciated his direct and "no holds barred" comments about some fund-raising things NOT to do. We all benefit from hearing such constructive criticism. That Phil was even revealing to the point of "naming names" gave added credence to his comments. (I love the "Dear R" letter he shared!)

Overall, it was one of the best such talks I've heard. I have to go way back to think of a similarly memorable one: right up there with Elizabeth Dole's talk to the International AFP Conference in Atlanta c.1993, when she spoke of the very late gift to the American Red Cross to help Hurricane Andrew victims and the donor's note of apology for its tardiness, expressing that she "only hoped all the suffering wasn't over yet").
--Bill Hinman

As a veteran in this business, I guess you can say I'm a bit jaded when it comes to speeches; Blah, Blah same old, same old. For this reason I enjoyed Phil Hanes's remarks. Nothing canned, no conventional wisdom, just lots of insightful thoughts resulting from being on both sides of the fundraising table. Now, I'll try even harder with subsequent appeals to make them personal, accurate and to the point. I might also add that I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Hanes's book, which I would list as a must read for anyone in the development field.
--Camille Hobbie Townsend, CFRE, Director of School Support, Summit School