Two decades of non-profit and retail success.

My journey

I bring a versatile and well-rounded set of skills to the work of patron engagement, built from twenty years of experience in donor and customer relations, fundraising, strategic planning, event production, marketing, retail front-of-house, and database management.

Clients and colleagues alike have recognized me as a uniquely competent and thoughtful professional who approaches all I do with precision, creativity, and care.

Some career highlights:

Analysis

  • Using database reporting and info-gathering from colleagues and experts, I co-created detailed prospect profiles with insights into prospects’ areas of interest, demographic breakdowns, giving/purchasing motivations, geographical heat maps, and more.

  • These profiles directed strategy and tactics for donor pipeline work and resulted in a 400% year-over-year increase in new constituents.

Strategy

  • Utilizing prospect profiles—as well as business surveys and market research—I’ve crafted comprehensive strategy which helped guide engagement practices and tactics for current and future fiscal years of multiple non-profit organizations.

  • Spearheaded inaugural strategy work for a boutique retail/events service business, helping the owner/founder refine their annual goals. We developed a series of public and private workshops which provided a beneficial new revenue stream. These workshops became one of the South End shop’s most popular events, consistently selling out within days of being listed on the website.

Event Production

  • Generated $400,000 of yearly revenue from a portfolio of 50+ weddings and events for a high-end floral design studio.

  • Guided a large non-profit through an accelerated annual events calendar, producing a food festival, a major telethon, and a large breakfast event within 6 weeks’ time.

  • Reimagined a signature fundraising event for non-profit which produced the largest net return of any previous event in the organization’s history (30% over goal).

  • Developed and fine-tuned a signature approach to cultivation events which created intimate yet high-impact messaging moments for a low cost.

  • Reduced development event expenditures by 48% through careful budget development and management, as well as creative design solutions.

Marketing & Communications

  • Proved to be a valued collaborator and co-creator with advertising, communications, and public relations colleagues

  • Social media content creation for non-profits and ad agencies

  • Client relations at a boutique multimedia firm

  • Non-profit fundraising appeals, brochures, and other collateral

  • Email marketing and e-appeals

  • Copywriting and design for event invitations, programs and signage

  • Office and project management at a pharmaceutical ad agency

In the course of my varied career, I’ve also:

  • Relaunched a non-profit corporate giving program

  • Liaised with board members, governance committees, and planning committees

  • Directed retail operations for boutique and international retailers alike

  • Curated digital merchandising content for a national online retailer

  • Written columns for a monthly print magazine and managed its online community

During my off hours, you’re likely to find me on a bike ride with my pup, Helly, on my back; playing in the dirt at my community garden plot; hanging in the mezzanine for an indie-rock or comedy show; or—come March—cheering on my University of Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.