SIGNATURE
S TO R Y
ROOTED
IN LOYALTY
It was the ideal August evening — the kind that makes you want to breathe in the fresh summer air and expe- rience nature at its finest. As a gentle breeze swayed the branches of thousands of trees, more than 500 people gathered together to share smiles, recount memo- ries and enjoy the serene surroundings of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill. The Arboretum planned this special gathering of members — a group known as Perennial Part- ners — in 2009 to thank them for 10 or more consecutive years of membership, and to remind them how much they are valued. “We realize that people have a choice of where to give their dollars, and it’s important to acknowledge this choice,” says Jill Koski, vice president of development at he Arboretum, which boasts 34,000 members. “In order to do that, we wanted to recognize our long-time mem- bers’ value and support. With philanthropic organizations, sometimes, we spend so much time acknowledging people for the size of a gift, but it’s critical to also recognize their long-term investment, their time and commitment.” Thus, the idea behind the Perennial Partners event was born, and it immediately took root. The Perennial Partners reception was the first step in the Arboretum’s overall membership rewards program,
called Member Milestone, says Karin Jaros, assistant direc-
tor of membership at the Arboretum and head of its annual
fund. “We led with the best we had to offer, and we con-
tinue to shape the details of the overall program.”
As it turns out, they were completely on target. “I felt
honored to be at that reception among all those people,
most of whom I had never met before, who had a com-
mon love of nature,” says Marianne Tralewski, a 15-year
member who attended both the 2009 inaugural event and
the 2010 event. “This wonderful recognition was not at all
expected, but it was much welcomed.”
Planting the Seed
An Arboretum employee since September 2005, Jaros has
been a visitor since she was 10 and a card-carrying member since 2004. She decided she wanted to be more than
a member when she read in SEASONS, the Arboretum’s
quarterly magazine, that a new head of marketing was
hired.
“I was at a point in my career where I wanted to give
back and help out in a field that I enjoyed,” Jaros says. “I
called to see if any other positions were available, but at
that time none were a good match for me and my experience.” Jaros kept in contact with the HR department for
