Experience

Chicago Lawyers'​ Committee for Civil Rights

• United States
• Law Practice
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Development Officer (CDO)

  • May 2021 - Present



Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois

• United States
• Individual and Family Services
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Vice President For Advancement and LCFS Corporate Officer

  • 2019 - May 2021

  Vice President for Advancement and LCFS Corporate Officer 2019 to PresentChief Development Officer: works with CEO, President, and Board of Trustees to build a diversified fundraising strategy that sustains growth. Develops strategic fundraising vision. Leads/manages front line and operational philanthropic functions. Develops and administers major/leadership gifts, planned giving, annual fund, and corporate/foundation relations. • Increases funding through strategic agency relationship management. Cultivates relationships with individuals, foundations, corporations, civic organizations, volunteers, and congregations to increase donor involvement. • Collaborates with Board of Trustee members to identify potential new agency donors and major gifts. Oversees special events to increase new donorships and elevate programs and mission. Recognizes and acknowledges donor/gift impact.• Leads and manages development team members: Director of Development, Special Events Manager, Grants Manager, and Donor Database Administrator.Notable Contributions: • Revamped planned giving program to include social media and legacy website marketing, direct mail appeals, and direct solicitation. Delivered 10% increase in giving society membership during the first year.• Set aggressive goals to increase fundraising dollars through planned giving, major gift, annual fund, grants, events, and corporate and foundation gifts. Produced 98% increase from FY19 to FY20.• Increased agency footprint and impact through partnerships with grant makers and corporations to maximize their social investment strategies and impact on their communities. Initiatives included social justice, support for older care givers, equitable outcomes for diverse populations, and increasing service capacity for the LGBTQ community.

• Director Of Development

  • 2015 - 2019

  Director of Development 2015 to 2019Defined and executed goals, timelines, and strategies for fundraising efforts. Identified new opportunities to grow portfolio engagement across fundraising channels to increase revenue from corporate partnerships, special events, programmatic funding, and individual giving. Partnered with President and COO to develop an advancement team tailored to meet fundraising goals and managed team’s performance. Maintained engagement with and from active prospect donors, executives, and trustees. Managed relationships with network of top-tier donors.Notable Contributions: • Raised $1.6M+ over six years from new gifts and increased renewed support by integrating a new sustainable fundraising initiative designed to increase major donors, grow endowments, and engage new supporters in mission. • Oversaw fund development strategies to deliver 16% increase in public support vs. 4% national average. Grew agency revenue 25% from granting institutions by managing corporate/ foundation relationships and grant submission process.• Created and implemented agency volunteer engagement program to increase state-wide volunteerism with focus on strategic partnerships, training and education, tracking, and acknowledgement.

• Director Of Annual Giving

  • 2011 - 2015

  Developed and managed annual giving programs. Created marketing communications strategies and content. Analyzed and reported results from annual giving solicitations to maintain progress to goals. Notable Contributions: Achieved donor retention rate above national retention rates through enhanced donor solicitation and acknowledgement program. Achieved fundraising increase goal by 10% year over year.



mrod8@yahoo.com

• Consultant to Not-For-Profit Agencies

  • 2008 - 2011

  Invested sponsorship, grants, in-kind donations, and volunteer efforts to deploy employee/community engagement strategy. Developed strategic government, marketing, and community relationships with 500+ organizations aligned with Comcast marketing and government affairs strategies and goals. • Led Government Relations, Community Affairs, Marketing/Sales, and Communications team to negotiate and execute cause-marketing, public relations, and community engagement campaigns with programming partners to increase visibility with target market audiences.• Corporate spokesperson at community initiatives to build positive messaging and exposure through public and media relations. Contributed to internal messaging efforts to increase awareness of departmental activities.Notable Contributions: • Increased local corporate investments by 400% in one year through oversight of grant-making process and leveraging of national Comcast Foundation dollars with political and social services institutions.• Leveraged $1M+ in-kind donations (media support) with budget to negotiate sponsorship and social investment contractual cause-marketing partnerships that maximized Comcast visibility and increased consumer sales.• Increased corporate employee giving and volunteerism goals by 40% over previous year through initiatives including Comcast Cares Day, Leaders and Achievers Scholarship, Cable in the Classroom, and annual United Way campaign.



Comcast Cable

• Community Affairs Manager

  • Jul 2005 - Jan 2008

  Led development and implementation of annual charitable giving programs and related public relations efforts as well as sponsorship and in-kind donations in order to elevate company's image as a good corporate citizen while developing strategic government relationships. Led development and implementation of annual charitable giving programs and related public relations efforts as well as sponsorship and in-kind donations in order to elevate company's image as a good corporate citizen while developing strategic government relationships.



YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Regional Manager of Center Development

  • 2003 - 2005

  Regional Manager of Center Development Oversaw regional annual fundraising and special events. Implemented financial development strategies, campaigns, and event execution. Cultivated and solicited potential major gift donors. Increased donations by 20%. Trained volunteer corporate board leaders to identify and solicit major gift prospects. Cultivated new board members through relationship building, community outreach, and presentations.Director of Operations, Duncan YMCA Chermin Center for the ArtsManaged Center operations with operating budget of $1M, strategic community partnerships, and vendor relationships. Led board/community meetings. Led team of ten employees. Created strategic vision, marketing, and program plans and oversaw deployment of all center programs. Developed new programming based on relationships with community stakeholders, schools/school councils, arts-based non-profits, ABLA Community Council, and local elected officials. Increased programming by 50% and center utilization by 30%. Provided resources to individuals, CHA Housing residents, schools, and community organizations with focus on partnerships that maximized resources for mutual/community benefit.Marketing & Communications Director, Duncan YMCA Chermin Center for the ArtsDeveloped/executed marketing, PR, and advertising campaigns to increase awareness of Center programming, elevate visibility within the Chicago arts community, and increase Center revenue. Developed/implemented Center’s first marketing outreach plan to serve 35,000+ people in 2004. Generated 75% increase in facility rental and sales of $100K+ in 2003. Marketed new Center programs to achieve 100% participation/attendance goals. Developed internal/external communications (newsletters, press releases, brochures, advertising) and produced annual marketing events to engage target audiences. Contributed to social media plan with messaging and strategy to utilize Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.



Difference, Inc.

• United States

• Founder and President

  • 2001 - 2003

  Founded company to provide public relations, marketing, special events, conference and meeting planning, and communication planning/execution services to corporate and not-for-profit clients. Developed and oversaw logistics, PR, and sponsorship procurement for events, conferences, and trade shows. Managed vendor relationships, negotiated contracts, developed budgets, and led site selection process to meet clients’ requirements. Led project committees to obtain buy-in from stakeholders to form programmatic offerings.