Inspiring Change in Agriculture!

In the world of agriculture development, individuals like Carol Ann Johnson have made notable contributions through a unique blend of skills, passion, and dedication. With a wealth of experience spanning over two decades, Carol has carved a distinct niche in development leadership. From her early endeavors in marketing and business management to her crucial roles in higher education and healthcare fundraising, Carol’s career underscores her commitment to driving impactful change.

As Chief Development Officer, Carol leads efforts to drive impact through careful and intentional use of data and metrics for the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho. Along this path, she has harnessed crucial skills in relationship building, data analysis, and management, laying the groundwork for her current position. Through strategic initiatives and meticulous oversight, Carol ensures that resources align with the organization’s purpose and goals, nurturing a culture of philanthropy and sustainable growth. Carol is quick to add, “The successes we see are not because of me or my efforts, but rather it is all thanks to our leaders who empower me to work for and with them and our supportive donors who give of their time, treasure, and talents time and again—this work we are able to do together secures a strong legacy, and I am just so grateful to be a part of it all!”

Beyond her professional endeavors, Carol’s deep-rooted connection to agriculture fuels her commitment to Alpha Gamma Rho’s mission. Growing up on a farm and actively participating in organizations like FFA and 4-H, she epitomizes the values of hard work and dedication rooted in agricultural communities. Her journey — from farm roots to a national platform — exemplifies the transformative power of leadership driven by passion and purpose, inspiring others to embrace the cause.

Let’s explore Carol’s journey in agricultural development:

The Path to Leadership in Development

Carol began her career in development immediately following college in 1996. She served the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association in a marketing and business manager role, where she was able to facilitate a fundraising initiative to establish a cattlemen’s library that is still operational today.

She then went on to work for her alma mater, Arkansas State University. There, she served as a Development Officer, helping to establish a $22 million campus in Heber Springs, and she worked through various roles, eventually becoming the Vice Chancellor of Development at Arkansas State University-Beebe. During that time, she completed a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on Governance and Law.

Later, she worked as a Senior Development Officer for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where she worked on a $70million campaign for a new facility, among some of the best fundraisers in the industry.

Through each role, she learned the importance of discovering and cultivating relationships, the value of data and metrics, and the importance of meeting donors’ wishes and corresponding stewardship combining with institutional mission and impact.

Outside of her professional experiences, she became active on social media platforms through the recommendation of supervisors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. They were encouraged to post their resumes and vitae on LinkedIn, and she did so. On her resume, she included extracurricular accomplishments, with one of those being chosen as the Alpha Gamma Rho Sweetheart at Beta Epsilon while in college.

An executive recruiter charged with finding a new Chief Development Officer for Alpha Gamma Rho, found Carol through a search on LinkedIn. The organization was looking for someone with knowledge of Alpha Gamma Rho, an agricultural background, and a minimum of 10 years of development experience. Carol checked all the boxes and was interviewed and hired for the position, which she says is “truly one of the greatest honors of her life.”

Driving Impact through Data and Metrics

Carol prides herself on being responsible for discovering, cultivating, and managing relationships to educate constituents on the importance of the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho and the resources that support it. She shares the organization’s mission and purpose with almost 60,000 members at 70 chapters across the nation while proving the impact of investments obtained through intentional solicitations and meaningful stewardship using data and metrics.

She works in lockstep with the Fraternal Organization to identify the needs and connect those needs with resources to best provide for the constituency. Oversight of relationships and management of resources is driven by daily database facilitation and analysis, strategic annual fund efforts, facilitation, management of capital campaigns, major gift stewardship initiatives, planned giving portfolio management, and administration of all policies and procedures to meet and exceed monetary goals.

From Farm Roots to National Impact

Carol was born and raised on a farm that was homesteaded by her sixth great-grandfather. Having been firmly grounded in agricultural educational studies in high school and college, organizations like FFA and 4-H, as well as Alpha Gamma Rho, inspired and continue to inspire her to take pride in agriculture.

She says she “truly lucked into her first fundraising role,” but along with each furthering experience in Arkansas agricultural development, higher education, and health care fundraising, she has gained a skillset that allows her to now serve in a position that benefits the agricultural field from a national platform.

Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity has a Fraternal Purpose of Making Better Men and, through them, a broader and better agriculture, with chapters at 70 universities across the nation. Having been a sweetheart for AGR in college herself and having a son who is an AGR member, she knows the impact that the Fraternity makes. She is continually inspired to fundraise for the organizational mission, and she is extraordinarily honored to do so.

Standing Out Among Charities

Strategic relationship development is critical to fundraising. Carol says, “Ninety percent of my job is listening to each donor’s interests, and the remaining 10% of my work is elevating a genuine relationship.” She goes on to say that through her relationships with donors across the nation, she must educate people about areas of interest and make connections between interests and investments. Simply put, the bulk of her work is “friend-raising.”

Beyond cultivation and solicitation, stewardship is key. Carol says, “The best thing I can do to develop and maintain solid relationships is to share impact and give thanks to donors who invest.” By doing so, she extends the mission of the organization, engages members and donors at intentional and meaningful levels, grows the organization’s resource base, and gains credibility amongst a constituency that is genuinely committed to investing in the Fraternal Purpose.

Rising Tides

In her opinion, Carol states that the number of nonprofits is increasing every year. So, the biggest challenge in fundraising for the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho in the agricultural sector is finding a way to be relevant and stand out amongst other charities.

Driving Excellence

Driving excellence takes precedence in Carol’s daily walk and talk. She says, “I wake up every day wanting to do more and better work for the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho!” Having an expert understanding of fundraising principles and policies, data and metrics analysis and administration, and relationship marketing and management is necessary for solid fundraising. However, having a genuine affection for the organization and the agricultural field leads to successful fundraising, and Carol certainly proves this!

Setting the Standard

Carol fosters a culture of philanthropy by giving herself, and she engages others to be involved by being present herself. She says, “I always want to be one of the first to show up and one of the last to leave in any work setting,” as she believes that when others see her with her sleeves rolled up, they want to do the same.

Spreading Agricultural Knowledge

From being a state FFA officer to serving as a pageant titleholder, agriculture has always been front and center for Carol. With less than 2% of the world being involved in agriculture, she understands the importance of a platform that allows sharing and educational opportunities.

She believes that if society better understands farming and agricultural provisions, it can best provide for the nation and beyond. She clearly never backs down from the chance to share her upbringing and her work in agriculture, as it is truly who she is in any setting.

Embodying Key Qualities

Leadership qualities essential to fundraising success include integrity, diligence, passion, and loyalty. Carol embodies each of these qualities by prioritizing her work and genuinely valuing the constituents she serves.

Balancing Work and Life Seamlessly

As the Chief Development Officer for the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho, Carol can balance her work and life responsibilities easily because her work is such a huge part of her life, and her life fits into that work seamlessly.

Guidance for Aspiring Agricultural Leaders

Advice that Carol would offer to aspiring leaders looking to make a significant impact in the agricultural industry, particularly the fundraising sector, would be:

• Never stop learning — become the expert on current information, trends, and practices.
• Work harder than anyone else in any room.
• Always be true to yourself! Through genuine character representation, one ends up where they are really supposed to be!

Leaving Lasting Legacy

Her plan is to continue driving excellence in agriculture through leadership by meeting and exceeding all expectations in her role as Chief Development Officer for The Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho — it’s her goal to retire at AGR and leave a legacy impacting the organization in the most positive way possible. She says, “Working for AGR is truly a dream come true, as I am honored to serve as Chief Development Officer for the world’s agricultural Fraternity!”

Having raised historically high annual fund amounts and capital campaign funds in recent years inspires her to continue doing so, providing resources to expand leadership development for those who will broaden and better the agricultural industry.