Anthony Alonso - President's Corner

As we enter 2008, I find myself reminiscing on our successes, while optimistically looking forward to the coming year and our future. Advantage, founded in 1996 in conjunction with my partner and brother Robert Alonso, has been serving clients with a profound commitment to its mission for over twelve years. I clearly recall the days when I had to serve as program manager, human resources director, calling manager, accountant and sales director. Those were challenging, but fun days which I fondly remember!

Today, Advantage employs over 130 people in three locations in two states. We have clients across the country and serve non-profits ranging from large universities and religious organizations to small community hospitals. We have made it this far because of the commitment and dedication of our staff, combined with the trust and partnership we share with our clients. It truly is a blessing to get up every day and know what you do for a living has a direct impact on people’s lives. I could not imagine a more satisfying job.

Advantage has grown in large part due to its continued client retention. The following is a partial list of clients Advantage has served and partnered with for many years:

Partners since 1996

Partners since 1996	Partners since 1996

Partners since 1996

Partners since 1998	Partners since 2002

Partners since 2000

Partners since 2002	Partners since 2002

We salute these partners in our success. Their partnership, and that of so many other clients over the last twelve years, fuels our growth and drives us to provide excellent service each year. Satisfied clients are what Advantage is most proud of – it is our ultimate goal to have our clients experience the very best customer service in the industry.

We look forward to another year of excellence!

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

Caron Treatment Centers, formerly the Caron Foundation, celebrated its 50th year in 2007.  Advantage has been a part of Caron's success for the past eight years.

The late Richard J. Caron and his wife Catherine founded Caron in 1957.  The facility was originally called Chit Chat because of Catherine’s comments about Richard’s early conversations in their living room with fellow recovering alcoholics about the need for such a facility.  Caron was the first agency in the United States to establish a residential codependency treatment program and today provides over $7,000,000 a year in charity care, more than 11% of its total revenue.

Caron’s main treatment facility and corporate offices are nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania in Wernersville, just outside of Reading, PA. Caron also has offices in Philadelphia, PA, and New York City, and treatment facilities in Bermuda, and Boca Raton, Florida.  Caron also operates outpatient programs in Wyomissing, PA.  In addition, Caron provides student assistance programs in nine states and Washington, DC., serving over 35,000 students annually, along with almost 2,000 educators and almost 2,000 parents.

The development program at Caron is headed up by Joseph K. Lauginiger, Jr. CFRE, a thirty-four year veteran fundraiser.  As the chief development officer, Joe is responsible for the overall fundraising program at Caron and is currently providing the leadership for a $50 million 50th Anniversary Campaign, “A Special Place – A Special Time”, that includes annual fund, capital and endowment.

Joe says Advantage’s help in conducting Caron's annual fund calling program has been invaluable.  The annual fund provides scholarships for treatment for individuals and families who do not have adequate health insurance or financial resources to cover the cost of their treatment.

“We value the strong partnership we have forged with Advantage.  Anthony Alonso and his team are terrific.  I have always been impressed with their level of professionalism and responsiveness.  I consider them an integral part of our development operation here at Caron – they are part of our team.”

Sue Hendrickson manages Caron’s annual fund program and works closely with the Advantage team.  Sue commented that the majority of the dollars raised through Advantage are from new donors.  Advantage also does a great job with upgrading Caron’s current donors.

“Our Advantage program is extremely well managed by Maria Baamonde.  Each year the callers visit Caron prior to the start of the program.  We take them on a tour of the campus and our various treatment facilities to give them a better understanding of our programs and services.  This experience provides the callers with valuable knowledge and background information when speaking with the prospects.  At the end of each program, Advantage provides us with an extremely thorough analysis along with recommendations for next year’s program.”

ADVANTAGE WEST EXPANDS!

Advantage Consulting is pleased to announce the expansion of its West Coast office in Las Vegas, NV.  Due to the increased volume of calls, and the availability of top-notch callers in the nation’s fastest growing city, Advantage has leased additional space in its current office building at 1701 East Flamingo Road, in the heart of Clark County.

Advantage now offers 36 calling station and employs 65 members of the calling team in its Las Vegas office. The new office is managed by Gwen Bowen, who has been with Advantage for six years.

AFP FOUNDATION EVERY MEMBER CAMPAIGN UPDATE

One of the most rewarding assignments for Advantage has been the solid commitment to our profession by providing pro bono services to the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy’s Every Member Campaign.

For the fifth year in a row, Advantage has contributed its time, talent and treasure to assist the Foundation in implementing the annual phone appeal to AFP members throughout the United States.  The Foundation’s Annual Fund provides scholarship opportunities to up and coming professionals, as well as research, and educational opportunities in diverse communities such as the Pacific Rim, Central America and South America.

Anthony Alonso, president of Advantage, and a member of AFP Business Partner’s Council said he was inspired to make this contribution, the largest one ever received by the AFP Foundation, after working with AFP leadership on ways to involve more businesses and corporations that have an interest in the work of AFP, and bringing the AFP vision for a better society through fundraising efforts to a wider audience.

Anthony is delighted that Advantage’s efforts have been so successful for the organization to which he is deeply committed.