Shanna A. Hocking
Founder and CEO at Hocking Leadership, LLC- Claim this Profile
Click to upgrade to our gold package
for the full feature experience.
Topline Score
Bio
Blake B. Davis
Shanna is the definition of grace under pressure. She is the reason I joined Wharton External Affairs and the reason I was able to reach for a higher position after Wharton. She is a student of leadership and a constant professional. She pushes donors, and direct reports, to stretch to new growth points. She is a great friend to me and a mentor.
Patrick Daley
Shanna’s success goes beyond her work with Wharton’s most influential alumni. She blends her experience as one of Penn’s most accomplished fundraisers with a leadership style apt for mentorship and team management. Working with Shanna has inspired me to be more thoughtful and hard-working, and her advice is always concrete and relatable. She has changed the trajectory of my career, and I am just one of several people who would say the same.
Tim Johnson
Shanna hired me as a coordinator for the Major Gifts team with the assurance that my experience with Wharton would position me to take the next step of my career and become a well prepared front line fundraiser. I spent the past eighteen months immersed in all of the undertakings of our team. I actively participated in engagement strategy sessions and also had the opportunity to work closely with individual Major Gift Officers as they managed their portfolios at various stages of the donor cycle. Shanna was, and still is, a great mentor who provided exposure, introductions and career development opportunities. She created a team environment where everyone had an equal voice and she always advocated for the benefit of every team member. I owe a large part of my career advancement to her and would recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to work with her should take it.
Blake B. Davis
Shanna is the definition of grace under pressure. She is the reason I joined Wharton External Affairs and the reason I was able to reach for a higher position after Wharton. She is a student of leadership and a constant professional. She pushes donors, and direct reports, to stretch to new growth points. She is a great friend to me and a mentor.
Patrick Daley
Shanna’s success goes beyond her work with Wharton’s most influential alumni. She blends her experience as one of Penn’s most accomplished fundraisers with a leadership style apt for mentorship and team management. Working with Shanna has inspired me to be more thoughtful and hard-working, and her advice is always concrete and relatable. She has changed the trajectory of my career, and I am just one of several people who would say the same.
Tim Johnson
Shanna hired me as a coordinator for the Major Gifts team with the assurance that my experience with Wharton would position me to take the next step of my career and become a well prepared front line fundraiser. I spent the past eighteen months immersed in all of the undertakings of our team. I actively participated in engagement strategy sessions and also had the opportunity to work closely with individual Major Gift Officers as they managed their portfolios at various stages of the donor cycle. Shanna was, and still is, a great mentor who provided exposure, introductions and career development opportunities. She created a team environment where everyone had an equal voice and she always advocated for the benefit of every team member. I owe a large part of my career advancement to her and would recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to work with her should take it.
Blake B. Davis
Shanna is the definition of grace under pressure. She is the reason I joined Wharton External Affairs and the reason I was able to reach for a higher position after Wharton. She is a student of leadership and a constant professional. She pushes donors, and direct reports, to stretch to new growth points. She is a great friend to me and a mentor.
Patrick Daley
Shanna’s success goes beyond her work with Wharton’s most influential alumni. She blends her experience as one of Penn’s most accomplished fundraisers with a leadership style apt for mentorship and team management. Working with Shanna has inspired me to be more thoughtful and hard-working, and her advice is always concrete and relatable. She has changed the trajectory of my career, and I am just one of several people who would say the same.
Tim Johnson
Shanna hired me as a coordinator for the Major Gifts team with the assurance that my experience with Wharton would position me to take the next step of my career and become a well prepared front line fundraiser. I spent the past eighteen months immersed in all of the undertakings of our team. I actively participated in engagement strategy sessions and also had the opportunity to work closely with individual Major Gift Officers as they managed their portfolios at various stages of the donor cycle. Shanna was, and still is, a great mentor who provided exposure, introductions and career development opportunities. She created a team environment where everyone had an equal voice and she always advocated for the benefit of every team member. I owe a large part of my career advancement to her and would recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to work with her should take it.
Blake B. Davis
Shanna is the definition of grace under pressure. She is the reason I joined Wharton External Affairs and the reason I was able to reach for a higher position after Wharton. She is a student of leadership and a constant professional. She pushes donors, and direct reports, to stretch to new growth points. She is a great friend to me and a mentor.
Patrick Daley
Shanna’s success goes beyond her work with Wharton’s most influential alumni. She blends her experience as one of Penn’s most accomplished fundraisers with a leadership style apt for mentorship and team management. Working with Shanna has inspired me to be more thoughtful and hard-working, and her advice is always concrete and relatable. She has changed the trajectory of my career, and I am just one of several people who would say the same.
Tim Johnson
Shanna hired me as a coordinator for the Major Gifts team with the assurance that my experience with Wharton would position me to take the next step of my career and become a well prepared front line fundraiser. I spent the past eighteen months immersed in all of the undertakings of our team. I actively participated in engagement strategy sessions and also had the opportunity to work closely with individual Major Gift Officers as they managed their portfolios at various stages of the donor cycle. Shanna was, and still is, a great mentor who provided exposure, introductions and career development opportunities. She created a team environment where everyone had an equal voice and she always advocated for the benefit of every team member. I owe a large part of my career advancement to her and would recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to work with her should take it.
Credentials
-
Advancement Top Mentor
EverTrue Presents: Advancement's Top MentorsJan, 2022- Nov, 2024 -
Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE)
CFRE InternationalJan, 2008- Nov, 2024
Experience
-
Hocking Leadership, LLC
-
United States
-
Philanthropic Fundraising Services
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Founder and CEO
-
Jan 2022 - Present
I help organizations and leaders fulfill their potential.I’m a leadership consultant and philanthropic advisor with 20 years of experience raising hundreds of millions of dollars and leading large teams at multi-billion-dollar nonprofit organizations.I'm the author of ONE BOLD MOVE A DAY: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential (November 2022, McGraw Hill).My expertise has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, Entrepreneur, American Express Business Insights, TODAY.com, and Thrive Global, among others. My articles have been published on Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Fast Company, The Muse, and Motherly.To get my leadership and career insights sent directly to your inbox twice monthly, text SHANNA to 66866. To learn about working together or for more information: www.ShannaAHocking.com.
-
-
-
Harvard Business Review
-
United States
-
Book and Periodical Publishing
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Contributor
-
Jul 2021 - Present
I write on leadership, organizational culture, careers, and women at work. I write on leadership, organizational culture, careers, and women at work.
-
-
-
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
-
United States
-
Hospitals and Health Care
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Associate Vice President, Individual Giving
-
Aug 2017 - Jan 2022
I provided strategic leadership and direction to a team of 45 across Individual Giving, which included Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Principal Gifts, Planned Giving, Regional Development, and Special Initiatives. When I started in this role, the team was 15 people and I built the plans for the team to grow to 50 people in five years, creating new verticals that hadn’t existed before, recruiting outstanding fundraising professionals, and scaling our team culture as we grew. Reporting directly to the EVP and Chief Development Officer, I worked closely with the Physician in Chief and other Hospital leaders, as well as the Board, to advance 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-figure fundraising. Individual Giving was responsible for 70% of annual fundraising for the Hospital.
-
-
-
The Johns Hopkins University
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Adjunct Lecturer
-
Jul 2016 - Jul 2018
During the summers of 2016-2018, I taught "Recruiting and Retaining Outstanding Chief Development and Marketing Officers" as part of Karen Osborne's International Resource Development and Marketing class toward the Certificate in Nonprofit Management at Hopkins. During the summers of 2016-2018, I taught "Recruiting and Retaining Outstanding Chief Development and Marketing Officers" as part of Karen Osborne's International Resource Development and Marketing class toward the Certificate in Nonprofit Management at Hopkins.
-
-
-
The Wharton School
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Senior Director of Major and Planned Gifts
-
Oct 2015 - Aug 2017
I led the major gifts program, motivating all team members to reach and exceed their potential. I also served as a senior fundraiser, working primarily with alumni in New York City and London. I guided the planned giving strategies, marketing, and communications for the School. I continued to direct Wharton Women in Leadership, an initiative engaging senior executive alumnae as philanthropic and volunteer leaders for the School. I helped develop and co-taught the Penn Professional Practices in Development series, which was a mandatory onboarding training for all major gifts staff across the University.
-
-
Director of Major Gifts
-
Sep 2011 - Oct 2015
I was promoted to lead the regional and international major gifts program staff of 10, and served as a senior fundraiser, working with alumni in New York City and London. One of the things I'll always be proudest of in my career is initiating and implementing Wharton Women in Leadership, an initiative to engage senior executive alumnae as philanthropic and volunteer leaders for the School. I also initiated and developed a mentoring and training program between major gifts officers and annual fund officers, creating group training modules and matching fundraisers in individual mentoring partnerships.
-
-
Senior Associate Director of Major Gifts
-
Oct 2009 - Sep 2011
-
-
-
The University of Alabama
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Director of Leadership Gifts
-
May 2007 - Sep 2009
I traveled around the country raising money on behalf of the University, frequently staffing the President and Vice President for Advancement, in a role created for me.
-
-
Director of Advancement, School of Social Work
-
Oct 2004 - Apr 2007
I led a small advancement team (fundraising, alumni relations, board and volunteer management) for the School of Social Work, which offered the BSW, MSW, and DSW/PhD degrees.
-
-
-
Durham Nativity School
-
United States
-
Primary and Secondary Education
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Director of Development
-
Mar 2002 - Jun 2003
I was the first employee hired by the Founder and President of the School and together we built the foundation for a startup independent school that provided tuition-free education to middle school boys. I was the first employee hired by the Founder and President of the School and together we built the foundation for a startup independent school that provided tuition-free education to middle school boys.
-
-
-
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)
-
Higher Education
-
100 - 200 Employee
-
Development Student Assistant
-
Sep 1997 - May 2001
At 18, I knew I wanted to have a career in fundraising. I worked in the regional development office as a student assistant for four years. I initiated the college's first Senior Class Gift and together with my classmates we ran a successful peer fundraising campaign. At 18, I knew I wanted to have a career in fundraising. I worked in the regional development office as a student assistant for four years. I initiated the college's first Senior Class Gift and together with my classmates we ran a successful peer fundraising campaign.
-
-
-
Duke University
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Development Intern
-
Jun 1999 - Aug 2000
I cold called the (then) Associate Vice President for Development to ask if he was hiring any development interns. He wasn't. I asked him to consider hiring me anyway and flew to Durham to meet him. (The ultimate development move!) He hired me for that summer and then again the following summer. And he remains a trusted mentor today. This was my first exposure to working in a $1 billion campaign and I led independent projects for the AVP, annual fund, major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, and more. This job changed my life and career, and set me on the path I'm on today.
-
-
Education
-
-
Columbia University in the City of New York
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) -
-
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
