BARBARA O’REILLY, CFRE
As senior fundraising consultant, Barbara help non-profits of all sizes cut through the noise and develop a profitable fundraising strategy that focuses on the resources, skills and tactics they need to build more effective donor relationships and catapult their revenue.
It’s her mission to transform leaders, staff and board members into fundraising superstars equipped with the right combination of annual, major gifts and campaign know-how. Through coaching sessions and training workshops Barbara’s clients feel more confident to have the conversations that lead to more funds and greater mission impact. In addition to fundraising strategy development, Barbara is also hired to conduct deep-dive assessments and campaign feasibility studies.
Barbara can scale her experience to work with organizations of ALL sizes. Over the last 25 years, she has led record-setting reunion campaigns, been a part of three major capital campaigns, and successfully managed relationships with major individual and corporate donors. She also helped to launch a nonprofit (Center for Disaster Philanthropy), spent many years in large, complex organizations (Harvard, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Oxford University, American Red Cross), and worked with everyone in between.
She received her BA in English from Barnard College/Columbia University and her ALM in Celtic Studies from Harvard University. Barbara believes in doing her part to create a thriving nonprofit and fundraising sector in a few key ways:
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Became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2015 and an AFP Master Trainer in 2018
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Member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) DC Chapter and serves as President
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Former Member of the Advisory Panel for Rogare, the Fundraising Think Tank
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Partner in Advancement of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement
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Member of the Association Foundation Group (AFG)
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Member of The Giving Institute
“Barbara has that perfect balance of strategic thinking with the ability to dive in and get her hands dirty. She knows how to harness the power of a mission driven organization, develop strong relationships, and craft a compelling case to meld the mission with the people.”