Blog
February 6, 2023
Meet Attain Partners’ Experts!
Higher Education institutions have the power to change the world, especially those with successful advancement programs. We founded Attain Partners to be the spark that helps leaders achieve their mission faster, more efficiently, and with greater impact. We proudly fuel our fire with passionate experts who help our clients attain more. In our new Team for Speed series, meet some of our experts and learn how they are creating impactful solutions for higher education institutions.
Meet Rainer Weissenberger! Rainer joined Attain Partners in 2022 and has already made significant contributions in helping us serve our clients The Attain Way. As the Salesforce.org 2022 Consulting Partner of the Year – Education and a Salesforce Summit Partner, we have big plans for 2023 and are grateful to have Rainer on board to help live out our core value to Invent the Future.
We sat down with Rainer to dive deeper into his background before joining Attain Partners. Read our conversation with him below.
Attain Partners (AP): How did you get into advancement for higher education?
Rainer Weissenberger (RW): When I began my career in advancement for higher education almost 13 years ago, it was the perfect fit for me. I had just completed a degree in arts administration and felt passionate about fundraising and advancing higher education. So, when the opportunity arose at my alma mater to combine the two, I jumped at it and didn’t regret it once.
AP: What did you do before joining Attain Partners?
RW: In my advancement career, I’ve grown from Development Research and Prospect Management at Florida State University to the Director of Advancement Operations at Connecticut College. I’ve supported development with intelligence and strategic efforts and led a conversion from Banner Advancement to Salesforce (EDA) as the product owner.
I fell in love with Salesforce for higher education because it allows us to build the exact environment we want for our clients. As a Salesforce System Administrator, I added the technical aspects of the advancement effort to my portfolio of responsibilities—including biographical data management, gift processing, reporting, analytics, and system development—for all of advancement.
AP: Can you share an example of a project of which you are especially proud?
RW: Two of my biggest achievements before joining Attain Partners were helping lead Connecticut College to be the first to adopt the Salesforce Gift Entry Manager (GEM) and achieving the best fundraising year in the history of the college by raising over $55 million in philanthropic donations in 2022.
AP: What brought you to Attain Partners?
RW: I began wondering what it would be like to help others realize the transformation we accomplished at Connecticut College. Enter, Attain Partners!
When I learned that the exact opportunity I always dreamt of actually existed—and existed within a company that reflects my values—it was a no-brainer for me to apply. Integrity, creativity, and being bold have always been guiding principles in my life, and at Attain Partners, it’s baked into the DNA. Getting to do what I love at the highest level possible and in an environment that nurtures collaboration is empowering.
I love working with skilled, creative, collaborative professionals who are not afraid to tackle difficult problems. And I love working for a company that invests in its workforce because it understands the fundamental difference this makes.
AP: What do you like most about the work you do?
RW: Seeing the results of an advancement organization being liberated from the confines of a legacy CRM is the most gratifying aspect of my job. Remembering at the end of a project what the “before” looked like and how Salesforce or a managed product built on Salesforce transformed business processes, deepened collaboration, simplified data entry, and created data transparency makes it all worth the effort of inventing the future together with our client, for our client.
AP: How do you keep current in advancement?
RW: While having technical expertise is paramount to what I do, having deep knowledge of and keeping up on the latest developments in the advancement space is equally important to me as it helps contextualize my technical skills within the environment in which I serve. Therefore, I continue to be engaged with organizations supporting the development sector such as Apra International and aasp (Association of Advancement Services Professionals).
AP: What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
RW: When I’m not working, I spend time with my family, bake bread, brew beer, build/research my next DIY project, and relax on the water while fishing with one of my kids.
Attain Partners – Salesforce Experts
No matter if your organization is beginning its Salesforce journey or 10+ years into development, Attain Partners is here to help you achieve your goals. Contact our team today to learn how we can help you advance your mission by harnessing the power of Salesforce.
To learn more, check out our Salesforce Innovation services, read case studies about our transformative work, and explore blog posts from our Salesforce experts. Read our latest advancement insights here.
Learn more – Rainer Weissenberger
Rainer Weissenberger is a Senior Consultant at Attain Partners with 12+ years of experience as a higher education advancement professional. His advancement services include gift accounting, data management, system administration, reporting, database conversion, development research, prospect management, contracts and budget management, and a commitment to a customer-centric service philosophy.
Rainer holds an M.A. in Arts Administration from Florida State University, an M.A. in Historical Musicology from the University of Iowa, and multiple Salesforce certifications including Administrator, Education Cloud Consultant, ascend Certified Functional Lead, Bio/Demo, Gift Processing, and Prospect Management.
Interested in speaking directly with Rainer? Fill out this form to be connected!
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