Author: CFA

Job Postings:

• Data Solutions Manager

TITLE

Data Solutions Manager

POSITION TYPE

Full-time, FLSA exempt

LOCATION

Remote with up to 15% travel for client and team meetings

PURPOSE

Creative Fundraising Advisors (CFA) is building capacity as we bring the best and brightest people and ideas to work with our mission-driven, nonprofit clients. We are looking for a dynamic professional with a growth mindset and expertise in data management and visualization specifically related to fundraising. Interested applicants should be motivated by the opportunity to contribute to a highly responsive, entrepreneurial environment and by having a key role in helping our clients make data-informed decisions to advance their fundraising goals. This role will report to CFA’s Senior Manager of Data Solutions and will work cross-functionally with CFA staff and project stakeholders.

The Data Solutions Manager is a role that is designed to further CFA’s commitment to providing comprehensive and creative solutions to our nonprofit clients. Successful candidates will bring a depth of analytical and project management experience and passion for the power of data to shape strategy and communicate compelling stories that serve the unique needs of our clients.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support all data analysis and survey components of CFA projects including Development Assessments, Feasibility Studies, Campaign Planning, and Campaign Counsel
• Collaborate with CFA Senior Manager of Data Solutions and CFA Consultants on assessing the specific data needs of each client
• Support data analysis (Yield Estimates, Annual Giving Analysis etc.) as part of CFA projects, including but not limited to:
  – Work with clients to collect and combine all data in preparation for analysis
  – Conduct screenings through DonorSearch and Melissa Data
  – Create and edit data analysis report slides, including executive summaries, methodologies, charts, and tables to inform fundraising strategy recommendations 
• Support stakeholder surveys as part of CFA projects, including but not limited to:
  – Create draft survey questions in SurveyMonkey
  – Compile standard survey results (demographics, etc.) 
  – Create and edit survey report slides
• Work in conjunction with CFA Project Managers to set and meet deadlines regarding data requests and delivery
• Manage CFA’s quarterly Client Feedback Survey and compile results; this could include developing recipient list, managing distribution, monitoring results, and reporting on analysis
• Participate in weekly meetings with the CFA team, client teams, and other meetings 

REQUIREMENTS

• 4-6 years of experience with data management and/or data visualization for nonprofit organizations and/or fundraising initiatives
• Flexibility working with a wide range of data sets from simple to complex
• Advanced user of Excel, knowledge of Power Query preferred 
• Knowledge of data integration, and visualization platforms such as PowerBI, Tableau, or similar preferred
• Highly proficient user of Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and PDF applications 
• Solutions-oriented experience in data analysis with strong creative thinking and storytelling skills and the ability to pull out key insights and communicate the “so what” behind the data
• Familiarity with emerging fundraising and philanthropy trends and best practices
• Accepts and applies feedback from colleagues, manager, and client stakeholders in a professional manner to meet project objectives
• Comfortable working independently 
• High sense of urgency, responsiveness, and exceptional attention to detail, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Ability to work effectively and collaborate with a team in a remote-first environment

COMPENSATION

The salary band for a Manager at CFA is $60,000-$80,000, benchmarked to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, and depending on experience and qualifications. There is room to grow over time based on a strong ability to regularly exceed expectations and demonstrate skills growth or take on additional responsibility. Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Participation in personal and company performance bonus plan 
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans covered 90-100% by the company
• Generous paid time off plan with 13 holidays including your birthday and two weeks of accrued vacation in your first year 
• Company support for Giving Back including one paid day of volunteering service and a charitable giving match of up to $1,000 per year
• Fully remote working schedule
• 401(k) plan with a 1:1 employer match up to 4% of total compensation
• Remote office setup stipend and supplies allowance
• Cell phone stipend
• Personal professional development allowance
• Flexible spending and dependent care tax free savings plans
• Life insurance covered 100% by the company 

TO APPLY

Please email your resume, cover letter describing your Excel and data visualization/management experience, and 2-3 samples of your work with “Data Solutions Manager” in the subject line to: [email protected]

ABOUT CREATIVE FUNDRAISING ADVISORS

Creative Fundraising Advisors (CFA) partners with arts & culture, public media, human services, education, and environment nonprofit organizations to create customized solutions that harness the power of philanthropy, inspire change, and drive sustained impact in the communities they serve. Since our founding in 2014, we have helped clients think big and lead with vision and compelling ideas that compel a community of donors to offer their support and inspire volunteers to action. Bringing our knowledge and skills to the complex business of planning and fundraising, we have a proven track record helping nonprofits throughout the country achieve transformative results. 

We value collaboration, transparency, integrity, creativity, equity, and change. These values guide our business decisions, company policies, and expectations of our employees, business partners, and clients. 

CFA believes that diversity and inclusion are critical to strong partnerships and better business results. Our culture is grounded in respect and appreciation for each person’s unique perspective, strengths, abilities, and contributions. It is our expectation that CFA and its employees, business partners, and clients treat each other with dignity and respect at all times.

Please visit creativefundraisingadvisors.com to learn more about our firm and our clients.

(Listed in chronological order)

• United Theological Seminary announces the creation of the Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts, a new, tenure-track, faculty position made possible by gifts from United friends, alums, and former faculty. (March 6, 2025)
• San Francisco Ballet receives gift from Shelby and Frederick Gans to name the Music Director and Principal Conductor position. (June 9, 2025)
• North Carolina Museum of Art launches the $75 million Reimagining the Possible campaign. (June 16, 2025)
• The Entertainment Community Fund concludes the ESSENTIAL campaign, surpassing its three-year goal by raising $164 million. (June 26, 2025)
• Lincoln Center Theater receives gift from Board Chair Kewsong Lee and Zita Ezpelet to name the Artistic Director position. (July 2, 2025)
• Every Meal completes the $13.4 million Setting the Table campaign, nearly doubling its square footage and expanding its capacity to end child hunger. (October 9, 2025)
• Neighborhood House launches the $25 million Hope in Action campaign. (October 13, 2025)
• The Nature Conservancy protects 12,000+ acres of Minnesota’s Northwoods – its largest land acquisition in Minnesota in 25 years. (October 14, 2025)
• The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library receives a $2 million grant from the Knight Foundation, the largest private donation the organization has ever received. (December 21, 2025)

CFA’s quarterly book review guides readers toward sources that will help them get better returns on their fundraising efforts.

From What Is to What If—Imagination for a New Year, and a New Kind of Leadership

As nonprofit leaders step into the new year, the desire to imagine a better future will very likely meet the hard edges of reality. Economic uncertainty continues to ripple across communities. Many organizations are feeling the strain of cautious philanthropy, unpredictable markets, and donors managing competing priorities. The pace of current events can leave even the most optimistic leaders feeling hesitant.

In these moments, imagination can feel like a luxury. But as Rob Hopkins argues in From What Is to What If, imagination is actually a necessity—especially now.

Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Network, makes a compelling case that imagination is one of society’s most undervalued resources. He defines it not as escapism, but as the essential starting point for any meaningful change. When our imaginative capacity weakens—through fatigue, fear, distraction, or simply the pressure of daily responsibilities—our ability to envision alternatives narrows. The temptation to default to incremental adjustments rather than bold solutions is strong.

Fundraising is harder in moments of uncertainty. Strategic planning becomes more cautious. Teams lean heavily on what is proven, familiar, and efficient. Yet the missions nonprofits pursue—environmental recovery, community health, educational opportunity, artistic expression, food security, scientific progress—require the opposite. They require courage, creativity, and the willingness to imagine outcomes that do not yet exist.

Hopkins’ book reminds us that this imaginative capacity is not just individual but collective. It is strengthened through community, collaboration, and shared purpose. Through case studies and stories from around the world, he shows how imagination can reshape civic life, revitalize neighborhoods, and inspire people to work together despite differences. These examples feel urgent in a year when many communities are searching for common ground and common good.

At CFA, we see inspiring innovations every day in the organizations we serve. Nonprofits normalize the common good. They stand in the vanguard of social change, tirelessly working toward a brighter, happier, more beautiful, and more equitable future—often long before the rest of society catches up. Even during economic headwinds, nonprofits persist in planting seeds for a better tomorrow. Their commitment is one of the most powerful expressions of civic imagination we have.

And this is precisely why Hopkins’ book is such a strong companion for planning the year ahead. It asserts that imagination is not naïve—it is strategic. It fuels the bold visions that galvanize donors, shape campaigns, and attract partners. It strengthens our capacity to see beyond short-term challenges and to articulate compelling, hopeful futures that people want to invest in.

As we enter 2026, From What Is to What If offers a timely invitation: to keep that imaginative muscle strong, even when circumstances make it difficult. It reminds us to stay grounded in reality without being confined by it. And to remember that the futures nonprofits imagine—healthier communities, stronger ecosystems, more just and connected societies—are the very futures the world needs now more than ever.

Leslie Cronin, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors with broad experience in education and nonprofits. Early in her career, she taught English, composition, and creative writing at selective independent schools, colleges, and universities. In 2005, she became Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department including exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and event invitations.

Leslie later brought her experience in education and fundraising to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the board of an independent school in Houston, Texas. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work for CFA.

As Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Leslie helps CFA’s clients shape their campaigns for maximum impact and results by leading case development workshops, writing compelling case summaries, and crafting powerfully persuasive campaign collateral. Additionally, Leslie manages CFA’s brand voice by developing content for the firm’s resource library and overseeing the editorial calendar. 

Leslie believes nonprofits have the power to change the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English Literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and an amateur equestrian. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and their rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.

CFA’s quarterly book review guides readers toward sources that will help them get better returns on their fundraising efforts.

Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift
By Jerold Panas

Few books in the fundraising field achieve classic status. Fewer still are as concise, practical, and enduring as Jerold Panas’s Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift. Written in Panas’s signature style—warm, conversational, and sprinkled with memorable stories—this slim volume continues to shape the way fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, and board members approach the art of solicitation. Panas (1928-2018) is a co-founder of the Institute for Charitable Giving and author of 17 books, including Mega Gifts and Asking.

From its very first pages, Asking challenges the nervousness and hesitation so many people feel when it comes time to make “the ask.” Panas insists that asking is not something to dread but rather an extraordinary opportunity. “Keep in mind,” he writes, “that men and women don’t want to give money away. They want to invest in great causes, in bold and exciting dreams. They want to feel they’re helping change lives and save lives. It’s your job to help them understand that their money can make that happen.” This simple shift in perspective reframes fundraising as an act of service. When we ask, we are offering people a chance to do something meaningful with their resources.

Panas’s genius lies in his ability to strip the mystery from fundraising while elevating its purpose. He demystifies the process with pragmatic advice, always grounded in human connection. Panas emphasizes that fundraising is not about clever pitches or polished presentations—at its core, it is about relationships, listening, and an authentic invitation to join a mission.  

The author underscores the importance of preparation—knowing your case and understanding the donor’s interests. One of the most reassuring aspects of Asking is Panas’s reminder that donors actually want to be asked. This truth is liberating. The ask is not a burden placed on the donor; it is actually an opening to deep satisfaction, fulfillment, and possibly even joy.

Part of the brilliance of Asking lies in its brevity. It is deliberately short, designed to be read in less than an hour, but it can be returned to again and again. Each chapter offers wisdom and encouragement. Many fundraisers keep the book at hand as a source of inspiration. Its enduring popularity speaks to its usefulness; thousands of nonprofit professionals consider it a foundational text.

Ultimately, Panas leaves readers with a vision of fundraising that is motivating and uplifting. “Lucky you,” he concludes, “You are a fundraiser. Some shy away. Some are afraid. Some say they don’t like it. You know better. You are, in your own way, helping change a corner of the world.” Asking, at its best, is about the privilege of connecting generosity with vision and helping donors see the future they can help create.

Leslie Cronin, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors with broad experience in education and nonprofits. Early in her career, she taught English, composition, and creative writing at selective independent schools, colleges, and universities. In 2005, she became Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department including exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and event invitations.

Leslie later brought her experience in education and fundraising to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the board of an independent school in Houston, Texas. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work for CFA.

As Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Leslie helps CFA’s clients shape their campaigns for maximum impact and results by leading case development workshops, writing compelling case summaries, and crafting powerfully persuasive campaign collateral. Additionally, Leslie manages CFA’s brand voice by developing content for the firm’s resource library and overseeing the editorial calendar. 

Leslie believes nonprofits have the power to change the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English Literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and an amateur equestrian. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and their rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.

A Nonprofit Leader in Need of Help

Angela* is the executive director of a small literacy nonprofit in the Pacific Northwest. Over the last few years, her organization has expanded significantly by partnering with local schools, launching a mobile library, and increasing program participation by nearly 60%. With so much demand for literacy programming, the future looks rosy, but behind the scenes, Angela is feeling overwhelmed. She has always played a hands-on role in fundraising—writing grants at night, personally calling donors, and organizing the annual benefit brunch with help from volunteers–but the work has begun to outstrip her capacity. Her staff includes a program manager, a part-time administrator, and two outreach coordinators, none of whom have experience with development. Donor communications are inconsistent, grant deadlines feel like a scramble, and her donor database is a spreadsheet.

Angela’s budget is tight, but her board is supportive; they’ve asked her to submit a proposal to build a development team, but she’s unsure about what positions would benefit the organization most. Should she hire a grant writer? A development director? Is there a way to build a team slowly, without overextending the budget? And how does she make sure that fundraising isn’t just one person’s job, but part of the organizational culture? 

How to Start Building a Development Team 

For leaders like Angela, knowing that fundraising needs to scale is just the first step. The next challenge is figuring out how to build a development team that matches the size, resources, and mission of your organization. CFA Head of Consulting and Principal Jake Muszynski offers a practical approach to building the right team for your organization: “Short of conducting a development assessment, the following steps can help increase capacity in a way that is discerning, sustainable, and mission-aligned: 1) assess your strengths and gaps; 2 ) clarify roles; 3) foster a culture of philanthropy; 4) invest in strategic hires and time-saving tools; and 5) measure your results thoughtfully.” 

1. Assess Your Strengths and Gaps

The first step involves understanding what your nonprofit is doing to raise funds and determining what tactics are most effective. Jake encourages leaders to “strike a balance between leaning into areas of strength and shoring up deficits.” 

In Angela’s case, fundraising was almost entirely her responsibility. She delegated whenever possible, but her staff was at capacity, and fundraising tasks were slipping through the cracks. She sat down with her board chair and reviewed their current development practices and strategic plan. They talked about the typical roles on a development team (Development Director, Major Gifts Officer, Corporate Giving Manager, Grant Writer, Development Coordinator, Communications Specialist, Events Manager). Together, they explored how each role might enhance their fundraising operations. 

Getting clarity on her organization’s strengths and gaps helped Angela see what work needed ownership, and where capacity was most urgently lacking. This reflection revealed that while grants were a major revenue source, she would need additional help to pursue grant funding in a more strategic, less frantic way. She also realized their individual giving program had stalled.  She knew the lack of intentional and connected stewardship was costing them.

Angela decided the first hire didn’t need to be a high-level director, but a development coordinator—she posted an ad seeking a generalist who could manage data, send donor acknowledgements, support events, and serve as the primary contact for development. She designated the position as part-time with room to grow. At the same time, she hired a contract grant writer to stabilize their grant calendar and research new opportunities. She also asked her board if the organization could invest in a CRM database.

2. Clarify Roles 

When working with clients to build out development teams, Jake emphasizes that each position should have a specific job description: “Clearly defined roles help everyone be more efficient.”   

With a part-time development coordinator and a contract grant writer on board, Angela was able to clarify everyone’s role, including her own. The new development coordinator took over routine donor stewardship, event planning timelines, CRM data entry procedures, and general development inquiries. For the first time in years, Angela had the opportunity to regularly connect with key stakeholders and nurture those relationships. This clarity prevented the “everybody does everything” trap and ensured that no one was duplicating efforts or dropping tasks.

3. Foster a Culture of Philanthropy

Hiring a development coordinator didn’t mean that others stopped fundraising. Angela wanted to build a culture of philanthropy, where everyone—from board members to program staff—understood how their work supported fundraising. She introduced monthly “mission and money” updates in staff meetings, where she announced fundraising wins and team members shared stories and outcomes that could be used in appeals or newsletters. She also trained the board to make thank-you calls, helping them feel more connected to donors. The result? Fundraising started to feel like part of the organization’s DNA, not an avalanche of items on her personal to-do list.  

4. Invest in Strategic Hires and Time-Saving Tools 

Jake routinely cautions nonprofit leaders and their boards to be circumspect about low overhead: “Some organizations are very focused on having low ROI, but the fact is that it’s probably hindering their fundraising. When CFA is first getting to know an organization, no one ever tells us that they have all kinds of capacity. Nonprofits tend to err on the side of too little support, but a measured and strategic investment will enable most nonprofits to significantly increase their yield.” 

The 2025 Philanthropy Pulse Report confirms that investing in team members works, finding that 7 out of 10 organizations that expanded their fundraising teams by 10% or more saw financial gains.  

Angela’s organization purchased a relatively low-cost CRM in addition to hiring the development coordinator and contract grant writer. Before she began to invest in fundraising, Angela’s donor spreadsheet lived on her desktop, and appeal emails were sent through a personal Gmail account. Derrick, the new development coordinator, used the CRM to partially automate donor stewardship. He assembled for Angela a portfolio of their highest priority donors and devised a stewardship plan for Angela to follow, now that she had time to tend those relationships. In the end, these key investments saved time, reduced stress, improved professionalism, and increased the organization’s fundraising results.

5. Measure Results Thoughtfully

Measuring the return on investment is important, but Jake points out a few caveats: 

“Organizations that rely upon philanthropy need to prioritize revenue generators when they hire, but it’s important to remember that if you hire a director of development or major gifts officer, it could take that person a year or more to pay for their own position or begin closing major gifts. This is the nature of relationship-based fundraising– it takes time to build trust and connection.” 

Jake advises clients to use appropriate budgeting formulas to calculate ROI, but to do so with patience. Allowing time for fundraising personnel to build relationships is always less expensive than starting over with new hires.

Angela’s budget didn’t have much room for error, so she opted to step into the role of “revenue generator” herself. After all, she was already connected to the most engaged donors, but she hadn’t had the time to steward them mindfully. Angela wanted to pilot intentional stewardship in her organization to see what it would look like. Her long-term plan was to gradually increase the responsibilities of the development coordinator over time, eventually transitioning the position to full-time and possibly expanding it to oversee annual appeals as well. In the meantime, she and Derrick worked together to track not just dollars raised, but other gains, too: donor retention and upgrade rates, grant application win/loss ratios, email open and click rates, and time saved on administrative tasks.  

Over Time, A Bright New Future Emerges

Eight months on, Angela had a clearer picture of her organization’s needs. With stronger systems, a more stable fundraising rhythm, and increased revenue, she converted the development coordinator position, Derrick’s job, into a full-time role. He had trained as a part-time employee, gradually gaining more expertise in the organization, so when he started full-time, he hit the ground running. By starting small and scaling intentionally, Angela avoided overhiring and instead built a structure that could last. 

Jake’s final summation: “Building a development team is not about copying another nonprofit’s org chart. It’s about starting where you are, identifying your most pressing gaps, and growing from a place of clarity and mission alignment.” 

Angela didn’t fix everything overnight—but with the right hires, better tools, and a culture that shared responsibility for fundraising, she stopped feeling like she had to do it all alone. And that, more than any one role, tool, or tactic, is the foundation of a strong development team.

Partner with Us

Is your team stressed, working at full capacity, and barely reaching goals? Do you sometimes worry about staff burnout?  Are you unsure about how to expand your development team? CFA can help right-size your team with a development assessment, a comprehensive analysis of fundraising operations that enables us to pinpoint the new roles that will optimize your team’s capacity and achieve the results you need. Contact CFA today.

*Disclaimer: Client confidentiality is paramount in our work with each and every organization. The story in this article is fiction, based on real situations drawn from CFA’s broad experience serving nonprofit organizations.

Leslie Cronin, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors with broad experience in education and nonprofits. Early in her career, she taught English, composition, and creative writing at selective independent schools, colleges, and universities. In 2005, she became Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department including exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and event invitations.

Leslie later brought her experience in education and fundraising to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the board of an independent school in Houston, Texas. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work for CFA.

As Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Leslie helps CFA’s clients shape their campaigns for maximum impact and results by leading case development workshops, writing compelling case summaries, and crafting powerfully persuasive campaign collateral. Additionally, Leslie manages CFA’s brand voice by developing content for the firm’s resource library and overseeing the editorial calendar. 

Leslie believes nonprofits have the power to change the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English Literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and an amateur equestrian. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and their rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.

If you would like to improve the culture of philanthropy in your organization, CFA Senior Consultant Rob Ruchotzke provides three steps that you can undertake on your own to get the ball rolling.    

1. Understand the current internal culture: In order to improve your culture of philanthropy, you need to know where you’re starting from. You may have already taken some steps, but you can further understand your staff and board by having one-on-one conversations or surveying these groups to gather their feedback. Important information to know is if they understand the purpose of fundraising; do they feel your department has effectively communicated its purpose; and specifically ask them how you can better communicate the purpose and impact of your work. Understanding how fundraising is perceived in your organization will be key to developing a communication and engagement strategy that will work.

2. Recruit some internal champions: Find heads of departments, highly engaged board members, or program staff who “get it” and recruit them to be advocates for philanthropy. People respond to their peers, and having these internal champions will help you get greater buy-in for a culture of philanthropy. Observe some of the ways that these individuals stand out in their engagement and understanding of fundraising in your organization, and build processes that enable others to follow their path.

3. Form an organizational communication plan: It’s important that you internally communicate your impact and purpose as you would externally. How can you share successes with the organization staff so they will get excited by these wins and want to be a part of it themselves? What have you learned through your information gathering that you can use to inform your internal communication strategies? How do people want to be approached?

Use these recommendations to develop a customized strategy that makes sense for your organization and the unique individuals who choose to dedicate their careers or spare time to you. Culture is not developed overnight, but with an understanding of the unique preferences of your community, recruiting champions to advocate for you, and customizing your approach, you can build a stronger culture of philanthropy in your nonprofit.

Partner with Us

Could the culture of philanthropy in your organization use a boost? CFA’s consulting team can help you understand how your unique internal culture is functioning and where there may be opportunities to strengthen the culture of philanthropy and optimize your fundraising success. Contact CFA today.

Rob Ruchotzke, Senior Consultant

As a Senior Consultant with CFA, Rob focuses on providing annual giving strategy, development assessments, campaign feasibility studies and campaign counsel. Rob uses his past annual giving experience and passion for building relationships to find the right solution for CFA’s partners. 

Since joining CFA in 2022, Rob has provided counsel to clients including the Community School of Naples, Goodwill-Easter Seals of Minnesota, the Jacques Pépin Foundation, Quarry Hill Nature Center, and the University of Northern Iowa Foundation. 

Rob brings more than nine years of annual giving experience in higher education and university organizations. His career began at Ruffalo Noel Levitz as a Project Center Manager (PCM) for Missouri S&T. In that role, Rob supervised student fundraisers and became a PCM trainer and mentor. Then, he joined the Missouri S&T Advancement team as an Annual Giving Officer, managing his own portfolio of donors and assisting with multi-channel mass donor outreach. 

Most recently, Rob served as the Director of Annual Giving at Wartburg College and then at his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). As Director of Annual Giving, Rob led multi-channel campaigns, developed crowdfunding platforms, served as the primary contact for annual giving vendors, redesigned giving forms for ease of use, supported annual giving staff leading the student engagement center outreach and served as the lead for UNI’s Day of Giving strategy. 

A native of Camanche, Iowa, Rob holds a BA in Public Relations from UNI. He currently resides in Cedar Falls, IA, enjoying virtual meeting appearances from his cat Loki and participating in any outdoor activity.

Email Rob

Two Nonprofits Wonder What to Try Next

Marisol* is the executive director of a small nature center in the Midwest. Membership in her organization had climbed steadily through the pandemic, and five years later, people were still joining. Donations and revenue had increased every year, but when she adjusted for inflation, Marisol realized her fundraising efforts had plateaued. Some important new projects and programs needed to be funded, but she and her team, a naturalist, an education specialist, and a groundskeeper, never seemed to be able to get far enough ahead of operating expenses to pilot a new program or undertake renovations. She thought they should be able to raise more money, but didn’t know where to start.  

Meanwhile, halfway across the country, Gary, the director of development for an orchestra in the Northeast, had a big idea to build an education wing for the concert hall with practice and performance spaces for youth and community orchestras. He had asked a few members of his board if they were interested in pursuing the idea, and they were enthusiastic. “Put the team on the job!” the chairman said, but when Gary spoke with his development staff, their message was clear. In the words of Danielle, who managed major gifts, “No way. Every time we turn around, someone around here is asking us to pull $200,000 out of a hat! We have our hands full. Building an education wing will require a campaign, and we’re spread too thin the way it is.”  

When to Seek a Development Assessment

Both of these organizations are prime candidates for a development assessment. Every nonprofit’s situation is different, but there are a few major reasons why an organization would undertake one: 

1. Plateaued fundraising–the tactics the organization has leaned on in the past are no longer effective drivers of growth
2. Limited capacity–the organization knows its staff is at capacity, but is unsure how to restructure or what additional fundraising positions to hire
3. Sudden momentum–the organization has a windfall or new opportunity, but is unsure of how to capitalize on it
4. A big idea–the organization has a big vision that might require a major campaign, but is uncertain about how to mount the effort

Catalyzing a Culture of Philanthropy

Senior Consultant Rob Ruchotzke explains how development assessments can yield insights into an organization’s culture of philanthropy: “CFA does a deep dive into fundraising operations. When we analyze the data and survey the tactics and materials the organization uses to meet its financial goals, we learn about the concrete measures they’re taking to raise money. Culture isn’t as concrete, and it’s hard to measure, but we learn a lot about it when we interview staff, board members, and major stakeholders. Those conversations give us a strong indication of the health of an organization’s culture of philanthropy.”  

What Does a Culture of Philanthropy Look Like?

In a healthy culture of philanthropy, everyone from the board of directors to leadership to staff and volunteers understands that the organization’s mission cannot be delivered without fundraising. When the need for effective fundraising is part of everyone’s consciousness, then people are prepared to engage, which might include everything from a board member seeking support from associates to a staff member providing excellent customer service. In a strong culture of philanthropy, fundraising is integrated with the mission–the development team is understood as the branch of the organization responsible for seeking the vital partnerships that make the mission possible. Finally, the hallmark of a robust culture of philanthropy is the strong partnerships and co-creative alliances that organizations build with their most important stakeholders.

Strengths and Opportunities–The Results Are In

The development assessments of both Marisol’s nature center and Gary’s orchestra yielded a wealth of information. Data analysis and prospect research revealed that both organizations’ networks had a great deal of untapped capacity, and CFA provided each organization with multi-year development strategies to optimize fundraising efforts and realize the greatest ROI. Most important of all, both nonprofits came away with new tools and customized approaches to strengthen their respective cultures of philanthropy.  

Even though Marisol’s team had no chief fundraiser, interviews revealed that the nature center had a strong culture of philanthropy. Rob pointed out that “Because the organization was so small, everyone had to wear many different hats; every member of the team worked with major stakeholders and spent hours every week on building relationships, creating partnerships, and raising funds.” One of Rob’s recommendations for the nature center was to hire a full-time director of development. Among many other things, the data analysis showed that this key position would generate much more revenue and easily pay for itself.   

The orchestra’s culture of philanthropy wasn’t as strong. The organization was meeting its yearly goals and had an appropriately sized development team for routine operations. Each fundraiser on the team was doing a great job in their area, but the prevailing feedback was that the development team was siloed. Other members of the organization–musicians, conductors, and front-of-house staff–felt that their only responsibility was to provide a great musical experience for audiences; they weren’t clear on their connection to fundraising. 

The orchestra’s development team was thought of as “the people who go get the money when you need something funded.” This dynamic explains Danielle’s resistance when Gary raised the idea of building an education wing. “We see this sometimes with larger organizations,” Rob added. “It’s easy in these situations for the development team to become almost isolated. Those who directly deliver the mission sometimes forget that it all depends on funding, and everyone needs to play their part.”  

Ultimately, Rob recommended that the orchestra undertake a campaign to fund the education wing and hire two additional positions to increase the team’s capacity. He also advised Gary to have his team set up meetings with the other departments in the organization to reinforce how essential fundraising is to the mission and explore the many ways in which everyone can participate. 

Partner with Us

A healthy culture of philanthropy is the optimal environment for raising funds. It is the foundation of the kind of connection and cooperation among staff and stakeholders that leads to great results. Do you have questions about the efficacy of your fundraising operations? Could your culture of philanthropy use a boost? A development assessment with CFA can answer these questions and put your organization on track for a greater return on your fundraising efforts. Contact CFA today.

*Disclaimer: Client confidentiality is paramount in our work with each and every organization. The stories in this article are fictionalized, an amalgamation of real situations drawn from CFA’s broad experience serving nonprofit organizations.

Leslie Cronin, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors with broad experience in education and nonprofits. Early in her career, she taught English, composition, and creative writing at selective independent schools, colleges, and universities. In 2005, she became Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department including exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and event invitations.

Leslie later brought her experience in education and fundraising to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the board of an independent school in Houston, Texas. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work for CFA.

As Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Leslie helps CFA’s clients shape their campaigns for maximum impact and results by leading case development workshops, writing compelling case summaries, and crafting powerfully persuasive campaign collateral. Additionally, Leslie manages CFA’s brand voice by developing content for the firm’s resource library and overseeing the editorial calendar. 

Leslie believes nonprofits have the power to change the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English Literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and an amateur equestrian. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and their rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.

CFA’s quarterly book review guides readers toward sources that will help them get better returns on their fundraising efforts.

The Generosity Network: New Transformational Tools for Successful Fundraising
By Jennifer McCrea and Jeffery C. Walker, with Karl Weber

This year, CFA’s content theme is “creating a culture of philanthropy.”  The phrase “culture of philanthropy” refers to the set of beliefs, assumptions, and commitments that people adhere to within nonprofits. The Generosity Network: New Transformational Tools for Successful Fundraising, by Jennifer McCrea and Jeffery C. Walker, provides tactics for building a culture of philanthropy through its focus on cultivating the kinds of donor relationships that lead to transformative results.  

Jennifer McCrea is a 30-year veteran fundraiser and the creator of the course Exponential Fundraising, which was originally offered through Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Jeffery C. Walker is a former managing partner of JP Morgan Partners and serves on the boards of several nonprofits. The Generosity Network offers guiding philosophical principles and practical strategies that help fundraisers move away from the grind of transactional fundraising and toward more connected, purpose-driven partnerships between fundraisers and deeply committed donors. 

The book is divided into two parts. Part one deals with transforming fundraising relationships by asking fundraisers to know themselves first and then rethink their donor partnerships. The authors recommend investigating one’s own feelings about money, and about asking for money, as well as the fear of rejection and the general sense that resources are limited and hard to come by. The book identifies many ways to work with internal blocks connected to money and transform a scarcity mindset into an abundance mindset. Mindfulness is a primary strategy, among others. Simply cultivating awareness of an aversion to talking about money, or recognizing that you struggle with a scarcity mindset, can be the first step to better communication with important stakeholders.  

Once the internal work is underway, it is important to rethink donor relationships. A healthy culture of philanthropy is defined by the collaborative relationships that form around an organization’s mission. These co-creative partnerships can only be nurtured when fundraisers connect to donors as people. McCrea and Walker openly acknowledge that there is no manual for creating warm human connections, but they also offer multiple ways to create space in conversations for the hopes, dreams, and aspirations that can be fulfilled when donors are empowered to make a difference for the people and causes they care about.

When asked, “What is the secret to successful fundraising?” McCrea always gives the same answer, “I know from the bottom of my heart that people want to make a difference with their lives and with their money. They want to work together and share their passion with like-minded individuals. And that’s why philanthropy grows from deep-seated human needs. That’s the only secret.” Building strong philanthropic relationships requires a fundraiser to share openly and listen deeply, to be both vulnerable and courageous, to act as leaders and share power with others who want to offer more than just financial support.  

When an effective philanthropic network has been established, the real work of managing that network begins. Part two of The Generosity Network offers practical strategies for growing the network and keeping it energized. Two chapters focus on things every fundraiser must consider: “The All-Important First Meeting” and “The Ask.” The authors also provide a chapter on Jeffersonian dinners and other community-building tools that spark ideas, encourage conversation, and forge the strong values-based bonds that transform philanthropic networks into powerful agents of change. The book ends with an insightful chapter on leveraging the full power of the board.  

Full of compassion for the difficulty of bringing people and resources together around a cause,  this book is also an inspiration: bursting with ideas, new ways to think, and new tactics to try. The author’s strategic recommendations are all designed to increase fundraising success. The philosophical perspectives put fundraisers in touch with the joy and connection to be found in doing the rewarding work of making a difference. 

Leslie Cronin, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors with broad experience in education and nonprofits. Early in her career, she taught English, composition, and creative writing at selective independent schools, colleges, and universities. In 2005, she became Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department including exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and event invitations.

Leslie later brought her experience in education and fundraising to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the board of an independent school in Houston, Texas. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work for CFA.

As Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Leslie helps CFA’s clients shape their campaigns for maximum impact and results by leading case development workshops, writing compelling case summaries, and crafting powerfully persuasive campaign collateral. Additionally, Leslie manages CFA’s brand voice by developing content for the firm’s resource library and overseeing the editorial calendar. 

Leslie believes nonprofits have the power to change the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English Literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and an amateur equestrian. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and their rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.

Muriel* is the executive director of a nonprofit theater with an annual budget of $19 million. She recently got a message from Arthur, a board member, expressing disappointment: his daughter had been treated rudely at the box office when she asked to exchange her tickets for another date. Muriel responded the way most people would–she felt a little annoyed at first and wanted to have a word with the front-of-house manager about the employee involved. But, upon further reflection, she realized that she’d heard of two other minor mishaps with public-facing staff in the last three months. Muriel had to admit that Arthur’s note was not indicative of an isolated incident. She also realized that in the last few years, there had been no substantive training or even a discussion with her team about a culture of philanthropy. She knew she needed to get busy shifting the internal culture. 

What is a “Culture of Philanthropy?”

The term “culture of philanthropy” is not well understood. To start with, the word “philanthropy,” meaning “love of humanity,” is something of a speed bump because most people associate it with well-known philanthropists or large foundations (think MacKenzie Scott or The Gates Foundation). You might wonder: “What does philanthropy have to do with customer service in a box office?” The connection lies in the word “culture.” Peter Drucker, who researched and wrote about organizational dynamics in the mid-20th century, famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This means that the culture of an organization supersedes other large determinants, including broad strategic initiatives and, to a certain extent, even leadership. Culture can persist long after strategies have been deployed and leaders have moved on.  

Founder and CEO of Creative Fundraising Advisors, Paul Johnson, puts it succinctly: “When there is a culture of philanthropy in your organization, it is pervasive. Everyone knows they have a role to play in fundraising; from board to leaders to staff to volunteers, every person understands and embodies the mission, values, and goals of the enterprise.”  

So what does a culture of philanthropy look like in action? Paul says that a culture of philanthropy is recognizable in a few ways:

• First, everyone shares responsibility for development.
• Second, fundraising is fully integrated with the mission.
• Third, the organization is committed to cultivating co-creative partnerships, in which donors are embraced as active stakeholders and empowered to share time, ideas, and expertise, as well as financial support.

Shared responsibility for development does not mean that everyone in the organization is soliciting donations; rather, everyone understands that the organization’s purpose is to carry out a mission that can only be supported through philanthropic means. In large or small nonprofits, everyone connected to the enterprise shows up ready to play their role in a way that carries out the mission and makes the organization worthy of the donations it receives.  

For Muriel, this meant providing training for her front-of-house staff to remind them of their importance as one “face” of the organization. The employees in this public-facing department speak directly with audience members, ticket buyers, and subscription holders nearly every day. This is a tremendous responsibility. When any public-facing employee or volunteer treats visitors with kindness, respect, and goodwill, that employee is advancing the culture of philanthropy. An usher in an auditorium would not know if he is seating someone who purchased a discount ticket ten minutes ago or someone who will be the next President of the Board. Every visitor and every interaction matters; every employee on the team is an ambassador for the organization. 

Fundraising is fully integrated with mission when development is not siloed or separate from the other departments. No nonprofit mission can be fully realized without fundraising, so it’s important for the development department to be conceptually linked to the mission and functionally connected to other departments in the organization. When development is thought of as separate from the mission, just a  department tasked with asking for money, the work of fundraising becomes transactional. The fundraisers’ work turns into a money chase, a rush to get the dollars needed to pay the bills for a mission that is carried out elsewhere in the building. This dynamic is alienating for everyone. It disconnects the development team from the big picture mission and cuts off the opportunity for donor relationships to be nurtured and for constituents to contribute their ideas, expertise, or time.  

To foster cooperation between fundraising and front-of-house, Muriel arranged for both teams  to meet for a conversation. Each department explained their roles to one another and then brainstormed ways they could collaborate on the larger goal of advancing the mission. It was revelatory for the front-of-house staff to learn that they could make or break a gift based on how they interacted with audience members. They gained a whole new perspective on their power to influence the success of the organization as a whole.    

When the organization is committed to cultivating co-creative partnerships, a whole new world of collaboration opens up. It is important to note that the shift from transactional giving to co-creative partnerships is a big part of donor-centric fundraising. Studies over the last decade indicate that this is what donors want from their interactions with nonprofit organizations. They are seeking relationships in which they can serve as engaged participants rather than sidelined benefactors. When organizations emphasize relationships over transactions, the conversation gets much richer. Co-creative partnerships are more sustainable. They lead to more than one gift and provide organizations with many other resources, such as volunteer hours, professional expertise in a wide variety of fields, and access to a broader network of people.  

Leading by Example

To follow up, Muriel called Arthur’s daughter, Ann, and asked her to coffee. It turned out that Ann, a young attorney, had attended drama classes in the organization’s education department in her teen years and had later been in an improv group in college. Ann said she had some ideas for improvisation workshops and that she’d love to help pilot a program if Muriel thought teens would enroll in it. Muriel agreed it was worth exploring. She went back to the office and called the Director of Education to tell him about this new relationship and get him connected with Ann, so the two of them could discuss the details.  

Paul brings up one last point for consideration in building a culture of philanthropy in your organization: “The responsibility for making it work rests squarely on the shoulders of leadership. Leaders must model it, teach it to their staff, reinforce it regularly, seek the opportunities, make the community connections, and tend to those relationships if they want them to last.” 

Muriel’s culture-of-philanthropy journey unfolded in just this way. It was on her to initiate the changes, but the effort was decidedly worth it. She started with bad news from a board member and ended with her front-of-house staff energized by a new consciousness of their importance to the mission and two departments more closely connected by exploring ways to help each other. The start of a new relationship with Ann, the second generation of a family with close ties to the organization, was an unexpected bonus. 

Partner With Us

Could the culture of philanthropy in your organization use a boost? CFA’s consulting team can help you understand how your unique internal culture is functioning and where there may be opportunities to strengthen the culture of philanthropy and optimize your fundraising success. Contact CFA today.

*Disclaimer: Client confidentiality is paramount in our work with each and every organization. The story in this article is fiction, an amalgamation of several situations drawn from CFA’s broad experience in serving nonprofit organizations.

Leslie Cronin, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors with broad experience in education and nonprofits. Early in her career, she taught English, composition, and creative writing at selective independent schools, colleges, and universities. In 2005, she became Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department including exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and event invitations.

Leslie later brought her experience in education and fundraising to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the board of an independent school in Houston, Texas. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work for CFA.

As Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Leslie helps CFA’s clients shape their campaigns for maximum impact and results by leading case development workshops, writing compelling case summaries, and crafting powerfully persuasive campaign collateral. Additionally, Leslie manages CFA’s brand voice by developing content for the firm’s resource library and overseeing the editorial calendar. 

Leslie believes nonprofits have the power to change the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English Literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and an amateur equestrian. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and their rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.

A strong culture of philanthropy can serve as a unifying force within a nonprofit organization. 

Reinforced through strong partnerships, shared goals, clear metrics, and consistent processes, a culture of philanthropy is paramount to aligning the work of an organization’s development and marketing teams. At their best, the work of these departments can be collaborative and complementary, elevating their organization’s trajectory. Yet, it is not uncommon to find these teams at odds, pursuing distinct or even conflicting goals and priorities.

So, what are the core components of a culture of philanthropy? And what are some tangible steps to enhance internal coordination between development and marketing teams?

With over 25 years of experience in higher education, program development, and nonprofit advancement, CFA Principal Kristin Love answers these questions and offers strategies to increase internal alignment while enhancing your organization’s culture of philanthropy.

Building a Strong Foundation for Growth

Not always visible on the surface, a culture of philanthropy is more akin to an organizational undercurrent. Despite the plethora of ways that a culture of philanthropy can manifest within a nonprofit, a recent study examining shifts in the culture of philanthropy identified four common components that make this seemingly ambiguous term more tangible.

By definition, nonprofits are dependent upon philanthropy to carry out their mission and remain economically viable. When a culture of philanthropy is a core element of the organization’s broader culture, it provides a mutually reinforcing set of beliefs, accountabilities, and actions that prioritize fundraising at every level of the organization. As a result, all staff – from the top to the bottom – understand their role in advancing philanthropy within their organization and appreciate the role of philanthropy in advancing their work.

Strengthening the Donor Cultivation Cycle

The benefits of aligning development and marketing teams around a shared culture of philanthropy are visible within every stage of the donor cultivation cycle. While there are clear distinctions between annual and major giving cultivation cycles, strong partnerships between development and marketing are vital for nurturing donor relationships at all philanthropic levels.

• Discovery: Marketing can offer development a relevant lead generation pipeline by reviewing data such as open rates, click-throughs, and social media activity to identify new donor prospects amongst new and highly engaged constituents.
• Cultivation: Development can partner with marketing to create and execute communication plans and donor engagement opportunities that feature a balance of program impact and philanthropic storytelling relevant to a wide range of target audiences. 
• Solicitation: Marketing can support development in the design of compelling appeals, proposals, and supporting materials to inspire new, renewed, and increased giving.
• Stewardship: Development and marketing can partner to retain current donors through consistent and creative storytelling that reaches constituents through a variety of formats and channels, providing donors with various opportunities to identify with the organization. 

Fostering Greater Connectivity Between Development & Marketing

Whether your organization seeks to establish a stronger culture of philanthropy or simply wants to enhance collaboration between development and marketing functions, pursuing these key steps will help move the needle on both fronts. 

1. Build relationships between development and marketing teams at all levels.
   While few staff are eager to add another recurring meeting to their calendars, development and marketing leaders must come together to prioritize team building, support ongoing communication, and provide a clear line of sight to mutual priorities. 
   
2. Establish shared goals articulated within a comprehensive development plan.
   Development planning is a collaborative process that articulates the goals, strategies, activities, and accountabilities of each fundraising program. The benefits of the development planning process and resulting document extend far beyond the development team by articulating points of connection and fundraising-related accountabilities across marketing and other functions within an organization. 
   
3. Identify separate leading indicators to drive specific accountabilities. 
   While development often gets the glory as the revenue-generating team, marketing deserves credit for their pivotal role in the fundraising success of an organization. To balance the share of credit, establish metrics that will focus actions and accountabilities within each team. Rather than relying solely on lagging indicators such as dollars raised – a metric that is often attributed solely to development – organizations can lean into activity- and outcome-based leading indicators that will distinguish the roles of development and marketing staff while actively engaging both teams throughout the donor cultivation cycle. 

It is important to note that these tactics are relevant to and can be adapted for organizations with any number of development and marketing staff. Regardless of your role (development, marketing, or both) or the size of your team, establishing fundraising as a shared and integrated responsibility is sure to have a lasting impact on your organization’s internal culture and external impact.  

Partner With Us

CFA’s consulting team is adept at partnering with development and marketing teams alike to enhance their organization’s culture of philanthropy while maximizing fundraising success. If you are interested in exploring how CFA can partner with your development and/or marketing teams, contact CFA today.

Kristin Love, Principal

Kristin is a proven capacity-builder, collaborator, and change-maker in the philanthropic space, with over 20 years of experience in higher education, program development, and nonprofit advancement. Prior to joining CFA, Kristin served as Vice President for Development at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. At LMU, she oversaw efforts to evolve development structures and processes to motivate an accountability-driven environment, partnering with academic and administrative leadership to align goals and priorities in pursuit of increased philanthropy.  

Before LMU, Kristin held leadership roles in the advancement offices at Colorado College and University of Denver, championing creation of new initiatives at both institutions that integrated engagement and philanthropy. Her career experience includes development roles at large national and small local nonprofits, as well as global organizations such as JDRF International. Her passion for mission-centric fundraising work and the positive impact it can have on institutions and organizations began as a work-study student in the grants office at her alma mater, Baylor University, where she earned a BBA in public administration and Spanish.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Kristin spent over two decades in Colorado before relocating with her family to the Los Angeles area in 2020. The mother of 15-year-old twins, Kristin enjoys watching her daughter’s athletic pursuits, and son’s music and acting endeavors. In her free time, she can be found traveling or at a potter’s wheel.

Kendall Carlson, Content Writer

A frequent contributor to CFA’s digital content, Kendall Carlson has spent her career advancing nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities. With 16 years of experience, Kendall brings a balance of strategic and operational leadership spanning fundraising, program development, evaluation, and strategic planning.

Most recently, Kendall served as Development and Communications Director at Hired, where she diversified revenue for the organization’s $11M budget and increased individual giving by 60%, led a rebrand, and launched an organization-wide data for impact initiative. Prior to Hired, Kendall served at Greater Twin Cities United Way, where she led an advancement strategy team to increase investment and engagement from the organization’s top corporate and major donors.  Kendall is known as a strategic, solution-oriented leader with a high capacity for detail and commitment to quality. She launched her consulting practice, Luminate Consulting, in 2022 to bring her skills in fundraising and program strategy to nonprofits seeking sustainable growth.

Grantmaking institutions are an essential part of a nonprofit’s fundraising strategy and come in many shapes and sizes – from corporate and private foundations, community and regional foundations, to collectives and intermediaries. According to Giving USA, foundation and corporate donations comprised 25% of all philanthropic support in 2023, underscoring the vital role grantmaking entities play within the nonprofit landscape. 

While engaging with grantmakers often requires more planning and preparation than individual donors, the cultivation and stewardship strategies share many similarities. The main challenges lie in identifying the best-aligned institutions and building trusting relationships with their staff.

CFA’s Principal Mid-Atlantic Johnny Burleson with over 20 years of nonprofit advancement experience, offers recommendations for successfully engaging grantmaking institutions. Joining him is CFA’s Senior Project Manager John Teknus, who brings insights from his previous role as a portfolio analyst with the Open Society Foundation (OSF).

Identifying Aligned Opportunities

While it can be easy to fall into a pattern of engagement with a core set of funders, proactive prospect research should be a regular priority of every development team. Using online tools such as Foundation Directory, Candid, Instrumental, or DonorSearch can expedite lead generation while supplemental research via funder websites can provide other vital insights as organizations narrow their list of grantmaking prospects.

John emphasizes, “Thorough research is crucial. Understanding a funder’s priorities and giving patterns can significantly increase your chances of securing support.”

While the expanding array of information available online can result in long lists of prospective funders, strategically prioritizing institutions that are a good fit is essential. By concentrating on funders whose missions and giving patterns align most closely with your organization’s programs, target audience, and geographic focus, your research and subsequent engagement efforts will have a much stronger return on investment. 

As your top priority institutions are identified, assemble a list of their board, trustees, and key staff to aid in identifying any connections your organization might request an introduction from. More on that below!

Preparing to Approach Grantmakers

Before reaching out to a grantmaker, nonprofits should be equipped with key internal plans and documents to support the next stages of engagement. Often developed in close collaboration with an organization’s leadership, finance, and program staff, grant proposals typically require detailed organizational narratives and program plans, budgets and timelines, financial and annual reports, as well as lists of board members, leaders, and funders. 

“Complex funders often require detailed documentation,” notes Johnny. “Having comprehensive, up-to-date organizational documents ready can streamline the application process and demonstrate professionalism.” John adds, ” Having these documents prepared and up to date will enhance your ability to strategically and meaningfully engage with these grantmaking institutions.”

Strategies for Cultivating Grantmakers

When it comes time to make an introduction, personal connections are conducive, but not always essential, for engaging with a new grantmaking entity. Johnny advises his clients to take a proactive approach in engaging with grantmakers outside of a solicitation request; a strategy that is particularly effective for individual donors as well.

John agrees, “Building relationships with grantmaking institutions is about more than just seeking funds. Engage them as partners in your mission, and you’ll often find they offer valuable insights and connections beyond financial support.”

Identifying advocates within your network with personal or professional connections to grantmakers can help to open doors that may otherwise remain closed. However, the lack of a connection should not hinder your organization from reaching out. A concisely articulated introduction of your organization outlining your alignment to the institution’s funding priorities as well as suggested next steps for engagement will increase the likelihood of continued conversation.  

Requesting a meeting and seeking the targeted advice from their staff can provide invaluable insight while building a strong foundation for future support. As CFA recommends in a recent article on Donor Cultivation and Stewardship, strategic engagement with the staff at grantmaking institutions may look similar to approaches taken with individual donors: an invitation to an upcoming event, program tour, or personalized email update on targeted initiatives or strategic plan milestones. 

However your organization seeks to engage with grantmakers, these critical relationships can yield a multifaceted return on investment by engaging their staff as top shareholders in your organization’s vision and strategic direction. In addition to consistent, long-term support, these critical stakeholders bring influence, connections, guidance, and insights that can further advance the work and mission of the organizations with whom they closely engage. 

Best Practices for Stewarding Grantmakers

Strong relationships with grantmaking institutions enable a robust understanding of funding priorities and a clear line of sight to upcoming funding opportunities, better positioning your organization to submit compelling and well-aligned grant proposals and increasing the likelihood of an award. Similar to individual donors, the relationship with a grantmaking institution is far from over once a grant is approved; it has really just begun.

“Effective stewardship is key to long-term partnerships,” John explains. “Regular, tailored communication that goes beyond formal reporting can help maintain and strengthen these crucial relationships.”

While many grantmaking entities will provide detailed reporting guidelines and preferences for recognition, these milestones offer the opportunity to strengthen the relationship while maximizing the investment through added expertise and connections. For example, a conversation with the grantmaker may uncover ways to bring their staff closer to the programs they are investing in to offer advice and guidance, while unique public relations and recognition ideas may offer exposure for both the funder and grantee. With a trusting relationship established, existing funders are also oftentimes able to recommend and provide leads to other grantmakers. 

As your organization establishes relationships with key grantmaking personnel, creating a segmented communication strategy will enable more relevant and tailored communications through the stages of cultivation as well as stewardship. Johnny advises his clients to create stewardship plans that align to the size of the grant and distinct preferences of the funder. Building from a complementary set of communication strategies for individual donors, informational progress updates and organizational announcements in addition to personal outreach can serve as complementary strategies to strengthen the relationship.

Whether or not your organization has a history of securing significant investments from grantmaking institutions, Johnny recommends that organizations continue to proactively identify and establish relationships with new funding prospects. Seeking advice, testing ideas, and inviting funders to engage more closely will expand your pipeline, allowing your organization to remain nimble as funding levels or priorities shift while opening doors for future support.

Partner With Us

CFA’s consulting team is highly experienced in supporting all aspects of our clients’ fundraising strategy, including cultivation and stewarding institutional grantmakers. If you are interested in exploring how CFA can enhance your organization’s strategy and pipeline of grantmakers, contact CFA today.

Johnny Burleson, Principal, Mid-Atlantic

Johnny comes to CFA with over 20 years of nonprofit advancement experience in the arts and cultural, educational, and human services sectors. His proven track record of high-trust, high-performance leadership spans multiple areas of expertise, including campaign planning, major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, and government relations.

As Principal, Mid-Atlantic, Johnny oversees projects spanning CFA’s suite of fundraising counsel services. Johnny believes in aligning donors’ passions with innovative ideas, emphasizing the importance of promoting philanthropy through coalition-building and partnerships to achieve the greatest impact.

Prior to joining CFA, Johnny served as Chief Advancement Officer for North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, where he successfully restructured development and membership operations and transitioned the organization from a transactional approach to an institution-wide culture of philanthropy. Johnny also oversaw the planning of the largest fundraising campaign in the museum’s history.

Prior to his role at NCMA, Johnny held the position of Director of Strategic Partnerships with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, playing a pivotal role in building and stewarding local, state, and national relationships to bring philanthropic and federal resources to North Carolina in support of stronger, healthier communities. Johnny’s extensive career also includes 17 years in higher education philanthropy and advancement. He began at his alma mater, North Carolina State University, where he received a BS in Textiles with a focus on the Italian textile industry. Additionally, he held leadership positions at Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina School of Government in Chapel Hill.

Johnny has volunteered as board member for several North Carolina nonprofits, including Preservation North Carolina, Triangle Land Conservancy, Lost Province Center for the Cultural Arts, Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, and Ashe County Arts Council. Outside of work, Johnny can be found on Old Orchard Creek, his blueberry farm located in Ashe County, NC. His farm is on the National Historic Register and is also protected by a conservation easement, reflecting his personal passion for the mountains, the arts, historic preservation, water, land, trails, local food, and sustainable agriculture.

Email Johnny

John Teknus, Senior Project Manager

As Senior Project Manager at CFA, John is tasked with the design and implementation of organizational and information management tools and strategies to deliver best-in-class service for CFA’s team and clients. 

John brings a nuanced understanding of project management that draws on his extensive background in strategic planning, grant management, and partnership development. Leveraging past experience and a deep-seated passion for relationship building, John aims to create bespoke strategies that align with the unique needs of CFA’s partners.

John has a diverse range of experience, including his time at Youth Enrichment Services and St. John’s University. As a Prevention Specialist at Youth Enrichment Services, John effectively communicated with local officials and community members, addressing issues impacting students and schools. During his tenure as a Community Partnerships Associate at St. John’s University, he successfully directed the operations of social service centers across the New York metro area while managing a cohort of dedicated undergraduate students. These experiences honed his leadership skills, community engagement expertise, and ability to navigate complex organizational environments.

Most recently, John served as a Portfolio Analyst at Open Society Foundations, where he played a pivotal role in managing grants across five portfolios in the Economic Justice Program. John excelled in building relationships with external stakeholders, internal colleagues, and organizational officials, fostering collaboration and facilitating effective communication. Furthermore, his due diligence interviews and audits on organizations provided valuable insights for decision-making processes, contributing to informed and strategic grantmaking. Through his exceptional skills in project management and stakeholder engagement, John made a significant impact on his team’s strategic goals to promote economic justice and social change.

A native of Long Island, New York, John holds a MA in International Relations and Comparative Politics from St. John’s University and a BA in Political Science from Canisius College. When he’s not working, he can be found exploring the New York area with his partner, Nora.

Email John

Kendall Carlson, Content Writer

A frequent contributor to CFA’s digital content, Kendall Carlson has spent her career advancing nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities. With 16 years of experience, Kendall brings a balance of strategic and operational leadership spanning fundraising, program development, evaluation, and strategic planning.

Most recently, Kendall served as Development and Communications Director at Hired, where she diversified revenue for the organization’s $11M budget and increased individual giving by 60%, led a rebrand, and launched an organization-wide data for impact initiative. Prior to Hired, Kendall served at Greater Twin Cities United Way, where she led an advancement strategy team to increase investment and engagement from the organization’s top corporate and major donors.  Kendall is known as a strategic, solution-oriented leader with a high capacity for detail and commitment to quality. She launched her consulting practice, Luminate Consulting, in 2022 to bring her skills in fundraising and program strategy to nonprofits seeking sustainable growth.

(Listed in chronological order)

• Science Museum of MN receives $6.5 million, its largest individual donation ever
• Every Meal finalizes purchase of new building to fight food insecurity 
• San Francisco Ballet receives a $60 million anonymous gift
• United Theological Seminary announces creation of new, tenure-track, endowed faculty position through philanthropy 
• Entertainment Community Fund launches the $160 million Essential Campaign
• Triangle Land Conservancy surpasses goal to conserve 25,000 acres of land in the Triangle by 2025
• 92NY launches $150 million Campaign for the Next 150 with $30 million lead gift from Jody Arnhold
• Neighborhood House opens new facility to expand community services
• Friends of the Mississippi River announces $5 million “Our River” Campaign
• Rancho Obi-Wan announces vision for the SAGA Museum
• Land of Sky P20 receives a $1.5 million YouthBuild grant to support training and apprenticeships to prepare young people to succeed in high-demand careers in Western North Carolina 

The start of a new year is an optimal time for fundraising professionals to evaluate progress and make adjustments to reach their goals in the coming year. If you are ready to refresh your fundraising strategy, fundraising metrics can play a transformative role in assessing progress toward individual, departmental, and organizational fundraising goals.

Importance of Fundraising Metrics 

While fundraising may be an art, it is improved by the science of data. By using data to define success, fundraisers can create accountability-driven plans that lead to increased philanthropy.

CFA Principal Kristin Love has more than 20 years of experience of applying fundraising metrics in higher education, program development, and nonprofit advancement. According to Kristin, “The right combination of quantitative and qualitative data brings focus, promotes accountability, and ultimately helps drive a culture of philanthropy.” 

Data can encourage productivity for a fundraising team. “What gets measured, gets done,” says Kristin, adding, “Regular analysis of key metrics can impart value and enable progress toward an organization’s top priorities.” 

Identifying Effective Fundraising Metrics

Traditionally, organizations have relied on lagging indicators, such as dollars raised, to evaluate the performance of fundraising staff. These indicators are reflective of past—not current—activities, which means they are not the most accurate points to assess current fundraising behaviors.

For a more accurate depiction of current fundraising progress, Kristin recommends instead relying on activity- and outcome-based leading indicators that measure moves management in real time, such as:

• Modes and rates of donor engagement
• New donor qualifications
• Solicitations at appropriate giving levels
• Percentage of overall portfolio giving

These leading metrics can inform time management, improve accountability, and increase giving and donor retention. By coupling quantitative indicators with qualitative measures of organizational values and team culture, an organization can build comprehensive and predictive measurement systems to drive future fundraising success.

Implementing a Fundraising Measurement Plan 

If you are ready to implement metrics into your fundraising plan, Kristin recommends identifying a clear starting point for introducing them into a team’s workflow, emphasizing that, “It is incumbent upon leaders to establish a new beginning for integrating fundraising metrics as part of a broadscale reset.” 

A testing period can validate data with input from team members while also establishing new cultural norms and baselines for new metrics. Kristin suggests starting with data that is readily available and consistently tracked. A full integration of fundraising metrics requires buy-in at all organizational levels, clear and consistent methods for reviewing and applying data insights, and a commitment to continuous improvement and accountability. 

Consistent use of key fundraising metrics has distinct benefits at all levels of an organization:

1. For frontline fundraisers, a data-driven approach enables purposeful, strategic check-ins with managers and endorses productive fundraising behaviors. The consistent use of leading indicators also contributes to more consistent moves management and donor engagement across an organization. 
2. For fundraising leaders, the combination of leading indicators supplemented by qualitative, organizational metrics provides a strong foundation for hiring, decision-making, training, and portfolio optimization. For example, analyzing fundraising data between team members enables leaders to pinpoint activities that lead to success. Leveraging these insights enables leaders to intentionally celebrate and encourage effective fundraising behaviors while identifying training opportunities and scaling effective strategies through cross-collaboration.

Integrating key fundraising metrics into regular practice requires a commitment to continuous improvement and tracking of the metrics themselves, as well as data-informed fundraising strategies. As fundraising momentum builds, Kristin encourages fundraising leaders to continue refining and evolving their data to ensure ongoing relevance, provide sustained accountability, and identify new insights that will continue to drive fundraising results.

CONTACT US

CFA offers a customized, capacity-building approach to help organizations elevate their fundraising strategy through increased data integrity, sustainable reporting systems, and data insights. If your organization is interested in integrating fundraising metrics to drive philanthropic results, contact CFA today to explore how we can help.

Kristin Love, Principal

Kristin Love comes to CFA as a proven capacity-builder, collaborator, and change-maker in the philanthropic space, with over 20 years of experience in higher education, program development, and nonprofit advancement. Prior to joining CFA, Kristin served as Vice President for Development at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. At LMU, she oversaw efforts to evolve development structures and processes to motivate an accountability-driven environment, partnering with academic and administrative leadership to align goals and priorities in pursuit of increased philanthropy.  

Before LMU, Kristin held leadership roles in the advancement offices at Colorado College and University of Denver, championing creation of new initiatives at both institutions that integrated engagement and philanthropy. Her career experience includes development roles at large national and small local nonprofits, as well as global organizations such as JDRF International. Her passion for mission-centric fundraising work and the positive impact it can have on institutions and organizations began as a work-study student in the grants office at her alma mater, Baylor University, where she earned a BBA in public administration and Spanish.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Kristin spent over two decades in Colorado before relocating with her family to the Los Angeles area in 2020. The mother of 15-year-old twins, Kristin enjoys watching her daughter’s athletic pursuits, and son’s music and acting endeavors. In her free time, she can be found traveling or at a potter’s wheel.

Kendall Carlson, Content Writer

A frequent contributor to CFA’s digital content, Kendall Carlson has spent her career advancing nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities. With 16 years of experience, Kendall brings a balance of strategic and operational leadership spanning fundraising, program development, evaluation, and strategic planning.

Most recently, Kendall served as Development and Communications Director at Hired, where she diversified revenue for the organization’s $11M budget and increased individual giving by 60%, led a rebrand, and launched an organization-wide data for impact initiative. Prior to Hired, Kendall served at Greater Twin Cities United Way, where she led an advancement strategy team to increase investment and engagement from the organization’s top corporate and major donors.  Kendall is known as a strategic, solution-oriented leader with a high capacity for detail and commitment to quality. She launched her consulting practice, Luminate Consulting, in 2022 to bring her skills in fundraising and program strategy to nonprofits seeking sustainable growth.

The arrival of fall, the anticipation of the holiday season, and the imminent approach of the calendar year-end means one thing for nonprofit fundraising professionals: end-of-year appeals. 

Whether your organization is already in the thick of appeal planning or just getting started, and regardless of your organization’s level of experience with year-end appeals, CFA Consultant Rob Ruchotzke offers encouragement and insight to enhance your annual giving strategy.

Reframe Urgency as Opportunity

Year-end appeals are often accompanied by a sense of urgency as fundraising professionals are driven by the pressure to reach certain fundraising targets, to create something new and compelling, and to deliver a personalized appeal to donors before the end of the year. 

With nearly a decade of experience leading annual giving campaigns, Rob serves as one of CFA’s in-house annual giving experts and is familiar with the challenges that accompany year-end appeals. He often supports his clients to leverage urgency without letting it dominate the appeal planning process. 

“The purpose of an appeal is to engage with your audience,” says Rob. “It’s an opportunity to share why your organization matters and how your work is meaningful.”

Rob advises nonprofits to step back and focus on the main objective. “There are a thousand ways to write an appeal, but the most important thing is telling a story that resonates,” says Rob. Staying grounded in the purpose of an appeal allows fundraising teams to shift their focus from urgency to opportunity. 

For nonprofits writing appeals, the answers to these questions can help identify compelling content and tangible examples to complete your case for support:

1. What is our organization’s purpose?
2. Why does our work matter?
3. Who are the people our work impacts?
4. What are the positive outcomes of our work?

• Consultant Tip: For more guidance in creating a strong case for support, consider these 10 steps outlined in CFA’s recent article, “How to Write a Fundraising Case Statement,” to help you define your organization’s distinct value proposition. 

Focus on Factors that Drive Increased Annual Giving

In addition to making a compelling case for support, Rob highly encourages nonprofits to focus on personalization. While nonprofits can personalize appeals in a variety of ways, ask amounts are one of the most critical details to customize in an appeal letter. If your organization has access to data on your donors’ giving history, Rob recommends including specific ask amounts aligned with recent gifts and patterns of giving to encourage increased support. Fundraising priorities, such as increasing the number of recurring donors or moving donors toward certain giving levels or societies, can help inform specific ask amounts as well. 

Nonprofits can also personalize appeals by acknowledging the donor’s relationship to their organization and including distinguishing details – such as number of years of support, volunteer service, or last gift amount. Simple touches like hand-addressed envelopes, hand-written signatures, and personal notes not only strengthen relationships with your donors, but also help your appeal stand out from other generic requests. 

While personalization lends itself more readily to mailed appeal letters, emails with tailored subject lines and similar distinguishing donor details are equally as important. Customizing any donor communication requires additional staff capacity, so Rob recommends strategies to personalize at scale – such as mail merge – that will enable your team to focus on your organization’s top donors.

• Consultant Tip: Personalization is a key fundraising strategy that nonprofits can integrate year-round to strengthen donor engagement and retention. With individual giving declining by 6.4% in 2022, according to Giving USA, personalized communications that address donors by name and reference their past involvement with your nonprofit will strengthen their connection to your organization and increase the likelihood of continued support. 

Keep It Simple

Rob underscores the importance of keeping year-end appeal processes simple and timelines achievable. In addition to staying focused on the appeal’s main objective and prioritizing factors that will increase giving, Rob encourages nonprofits to strive for a balance between consistency and creativity. 

“It’s common for organizations to get in a rut around what to feature in their appeals,” shares Rob. Rather than starting from scratch or attempting to recreate the wheel every year, nonprofits can save time and money by adhering to a consistent appeal structure while introducing nuanced stories into their appeals. “Nonprofits shouldn’t shy away from featuring success stories or updates from their leader year-after-year,” advises Rob. Rather, these components can provide consistent structure to the appeal while introducing new stories and examples of your organization’s work and impact. 

As nonprofits develop their year-end project plans and timelines, CFA recommends leveraging a multichannel strategy for any year-end appeal. In a recent CFA article, “Optimizing Multichannel Fundraising,” Rob states that “multichannel appeals allow you to reach donors through a variety of channels and donors are more likely to respond via the channel of their preference.” As a result, multichannel campaigns are a cost-effective way to reach a donor where they are most likely to see your message and engage with your organization.

Consultant Tip: Check out CFA’s Guide to theAnnual Giving Cultivation Cycle.

Even with advanced planning and significant experience, executing year-end appeals can be stressful for fundraising professionals. By establishing realistic timelines, personalized messaging, and reframing urgency into the opportunity to tell your story, nonprofit fundraising teams can keep their most important audience – the donor – at the center of the appeal process from start to finish.

CONTACT US

Donor appeals are a critical component of a strong annual giving program. If your organization is interested in enhancing your annual giving strategy, contact CFA to explore how we can help.

Rob Ruchotzke, Senior Consultant

Rob Ruchotzke focuses on annual giving strategy, development assessments, campaign feasibility studies, and campaign counsel. Rob comes to CFA with nearly a decade of annual giving experience in higher education institutions. Most recently, Rob served as the director of annual giving at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), where he led multichannel campaigns, developed crowdfunding platforms, managed annual giving vendors, and served as the strategy lead for UNI’s Day of Giving (#LivePurpleGiveGold). A native of Camanche, Iowa, Rob holds a BA in Public Relations from the UNI and resides in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Email Rob

Kendall Carlson, Content Writer

A frequent contributor to CFA’s digital content, Kendall Carlson has spent her career advancing nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities. With 16 years of experience, Kendall brings a balance of strategic and operational leadership spanning fundraising, program development, evaluation, and strategic planning. Most recently, Kendall served as Development and Communications Director at Hired, where she diversified revenue for the organization’s $11M budget and increased individual giving by 60%, led a rebrand, and launched an organization-wide data for impact initiative. Prior to Hired, Kendall served at Greater Twin Cities United Way, where she led an advancement strategy team to increase investment and engagement from the organization’s top corporate and major donors.  Kendall is known as a strategic, solution-oriented leader with a high capacity for detail and commitment to quality. She launched her consulting practice, Luminate Consulting, in 2022 to bring her skills in fundraising and program strategy to nonprofits seeking sustainable growth.