Katharine "Kat" Bassney
Senior Associate Vice President, Office of Development and Alumni Relations at Merrimack College- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Credentials
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Grantwriting Certificate
The Grantsmanship Center
Experience
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Merrimack College
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Senior Associate Vice President, Office of Development and Alumni Relations
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Mar 2022 - Present
Reporting to the Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations, as the Senior Associate Vice President for Development I am responsible for creating the strategy and relationships that will help Merrimack achieve its Agenda for the Future. Through philanthropic support from families, alumni and friends of the college Merrimack will continue to enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives. This is a critical position within the Office of Development and Alumni Relations where I will build and manage the annual, family, athletic and major and planned giving programs at the College to take important Merrimack programs to the next level of success. As a key member of the department’s leadership team, I am contributing to the development of overall goals and strategies, the launch of the College’s comprehensive campaign, while also managing a portfolio of high impact alumni and friends. Show less
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Rochester Institute of Technology
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Director Of Advancement, College of Art and Design, College of Liberal Arts, and The RIT Libraries
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Sep 2018 - Mar 2022
Working with the Director of RIT Libraries and Special Collections, the Dean of the College of Art and Design and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts I build and strengthen relationships that will help advance the mission and vision of RIT and these divisions. Through strong relationships with alumni, corporations and RIT friends, I work to empower research, learning, and artistic expression. These friendships promote the creative exploration of explanation and understanding in our information rich environment.As part of RIT’s comprehensive $1 Billion Campaign, I serve as the senior fundraiser for the colleges and library cultivating relationships and soliciting significant gifts to advance the strategic objectives of the Deans, Director of the Libraries, Archivists, and the University. Show less
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Director of Development for the College of Art and Design
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Sep 2018 - Nov 2020
The College of Art and Design offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts and design in five Schools: American Crafts; Art; Design; Film and Animation and Photographic Arts and Sciences.I worked with the Dean and Faculty of the College of Art and Design to develop and execute the fundraising strategies for the specific campaign priorities of the College. I manage a portfolio of approximately 100 prospects, create fund raising strategies for all prospects, develop relationships with donors to encourage donors to support RIT initiatives Show less
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Hillside Family of Agencies
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United States
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Individual and Family Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Senior Director of Development
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2012 - 2018
Founded in 1837, Hillside Family of Agencies provides child welfare, mental and physical health, youth development, juvenile justice, special education, and developmental disabilities services across central and western New York, in Washington, DC, and in Prince George’s County, MD. Annually, Hillside serves approximately 13,000 youth and adults.Currently, I lead a team of fundraisers that drive $9M in annual giving through a diverse array of fundraising strategies. We solicit donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and private family foundations in the geographic areas served by the agency. I assumed this role at a time when the organization was making significant changes and have served as a key advisor to senior leadership and the advisory board, providing counsel and recommendations affecting high-level decisions.In an effort to improve overall fundraising operations, I have successfully pursued these initiatives:* Restructuring the team and shifting to a more proactive fundraising approach, which has yielded a 15% increase in donations over a three-year period (2015-2017).* Recruiting, hiring, and mentoring 10 new team members, creating a team culture that focuses on accountability and metric-based fundraising.* Cultivating relationships with high-net-worth donors that have delivered six- and seven-figure gifts.* Effectively managing the relationship with the nationally acclaimed consulting firm, Marts & Lundy, to create a model development office. * Introducing an innovative portfolio of fundraising programs, which has included an annual giving society, a peer to peer program, and various annual events.* Expediting the adoption and implementation of state-of-the-art technology tools to improve operating efficiency. * Authoring new policies and procedures to ensure compliance with current IRS regulations, as well as positioning the organization for accreditation in its field. Show less
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Director of Development Hillside Family of Agencies
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2012 - 2014
Returning to Hillside after five years with the U of R, I directly supervised staff responsible for driving philanthropic revenue and provided guidance and management for a donor-centric, integrated, and effective development operation. We maintained a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and top-level corporations and foundations. I was able to enhance these relationships to extend the impact of the agency by securing lead gifts.
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University of Rochester
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Director of Advancement, University of Rochester Medical Center-Visiting Nurse Service
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2007 - Jan 2012
VNS’ (now UR Home Care) mission is to preserve and enhance the quality of life for the people and communities in the Greater Rochester region by providing comprehensive, high quality health care to individuals in their homes through innovative services, clinical best practices, workforce excellence, and superior outcomes. Shortly after U of R Medical Center acquired VNS , I was recruited to lead its development operations. Leading a four-member team, we raised $1.3M, annually, for the agency. We achieved this by engaging ~200 prospective donors and securing major gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations. In addition, I managed the budget for Visiting Nurse Foundation to ensure fund accounting guidelines and audit requirements were fulfilled. This included establishing written policies for accepting gifts and fund governance. Other accomplishments included pioneering the establishment of endowed funds; serving on the Development Committee of Governing Board; supervising the annual fund drive, managing direct mail campaigns, overseeing gift processing, and directing event staff for various campaigns. Show less
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Hillside Family of Agencies
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United States
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Individual and Family Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Director of Foundation Relations
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2004 - 2007
During my first stint with Hillside, I identified, cultivated, and maintained major gift funding relationships with a broad range of private foundations, corporations, and local municipal sources. I also created and staffed our grants program that grew ten-fold within two years. During my first stint with Hillside, I identified, cultivated, and maintained major gift funding relationships with a broad range of private foundations, corporations, and local municipal sources. I also created and staffed our grants program that grew ten-fold within two years.
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University of Rochester
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Assistant Director Foundation Relations
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2002 - 2004
My role in this position was to identify foundations and develop relationships that led to major gift support for the Medical Center and its affiliates. My role in this position was to identify foundations and develop relationships that led to major gift support for the Medical Center and its affiliates.
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George Eastman Museum
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Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
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1 - 100 Employee
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Manager of Public Programs
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1991 - 1999
In this, my first position in the development / advancement field, I designed and planned a variety of events promoting museum programs and initiatives. I solicited sponsorships for these events and oversaw the production of numerous promotion pieces for the museum. Accountable for managing volunteer relations, I created and maintained a volunteer database and supervised the volunteer coordinator, ensuring that events were adequately staffed and volunteers were properly trained. In this, my first position in the development / advancement field, I designed and planned a variety of events promoting museum programs and initiatives. I solicited sponsorships for these events and oversaw the production of numerous promotion pieces for the museum. Accountable for managing volunteer relations, I created and maintained a volunteer database and supervised the volunteer coordinator, ensuring that events were adequately staffed and volunteers were properly trained.
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Education
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Smith College
Bachelor of Arts - BA, American/United States Studies/Civilization
Community
