SEPTEMBER 22 • 2022 | 13

Building Future Leaders

said Women’s Philanthropy 
President Sherrie Singer of 
Keego Harbor, who helped 
select the cohort.
In fact, Inspire was 
born from Singer’s recent 
experience with another 
Federation leadership ini-
tiative focused on building 
solicitation skills, which are 
critical to sustaining the 
organization. Singer found 
the program so valuable 
that she decided to create 
something similar — but 
geared specifically toward women. 
“Oftentimes at [Women’s Philanthropy] 
campaign events, it didn’t seem many 
women were signing up to solicit. We need-
ed to give women the tools and confidence 
to ask others for money.
” 
The program would ultimately provide a 
meaningful leadership experience, training 
women to become advocates, solicitors 
and leaders for our community. Singer, 
working with Women’s Philanthropy presi-
dent at the time, Betsy Heuer of Bloomfield 
Hills, Associate Campaign Chair Nancy 
Glen of Huntington Woods, and the 
Inspire Program Co-Chairs Leah Trosch 
of Franklin and Jennifer Silverman of 
Franklin, made this a reality.
Over the course of seven sessions — 

some on Zoom, thanks to 
COVID — Inspire partici-
pants took in presentations 
from local and national 
experts in the philanthropy 
space. (Skillman Foundation 
CEO Angelique Power and 
playwright Aaron Henne, 
who taught a workshop on 
developing one’s campaign 
story, were among the 
speakers.) They also simply 
bonded with one another. 
“It’s always challenging 
when you bring together 
a disparate group of women because you 
never know how the group will gel,
” said 
Trosch, a recent past-president of Women’s 
Philanthropy. “They loved being in each 
other’s company, which makes the expe-
rience of growing and learning so much 
easier.
” 
One thing that wasn’t easy for many of 
the women: preparing to solicit. While 
some felt “uncomfortable” asking for 
donations, said Inspire participant Jayme 
Kirschner of West Bloomfield, over the 
course of the program they moved past 
their hesitation. “
At one meeting, someone 
said, ‘When you’re fundraising, you’re not 
asking for yourself; you’re asking for some-
body who may not be able to ask for them-
selves,
” Kirschner recalled. “I had to put 

TOP: The Inspire group at their “field trip” to New York 
City. BELOW: Jennifer Silverman and Shelly Rubenfire in 
New York. RIGHT: Susie Pappas, Betsy Heuer and Leah 
Trosch.
continued on page 14

Sherrie Singer

