Sheryl Alexander

Provides strategic philanthropic counsel to nonprofits and philanthropists, designing donor attraction, planned giving, board development, and capacity-building initiatives that increase fundraising and organizational effectiveness.

Managed major gifts and legacy giving programs, developing and implementing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and an annual marketing plan for estate gifts and Major Donor stewardship.

Guided a $200M+ community foundation through executive transition, managing 15 staff and collaborating with a 15-member board to maintain operations, programs, and fundraising during a national search.

Established the organization's first development function, creating strategic development plans, assessing capacity and systems, and implementing targeted major donor and planned giving programs.

Developed a new major giving role to increase revenue from individuals, foundations, and corporations with $10K+ capacity, implementing systems and protocols to drive goal-oriented major giving.

Implemented individualized giving plans for top donors, exceeded annual campaign goals, and secured gifts from over 100 new or lapsed donors through integrated major and legacy giving strategies.

Created and implemented a strategic planned giving program, licensed charitable gift annuities, engaged financial advisors, and secured $150K+ in grants and $500K+ from local foundations.

Managed foundation staff and fundraising for two colleges, exceeded annual $4M+ goals, supervised a $30M+ endowment, and launched outreach to 1.2M alumni to grow support.

Oversaw fundraising, marketing, and communications, managed three staff, designed two major events, and more than doubled fundraising revenue while expanding digital presence and donor capabilities.

Led major donor events, individual giving, corporate and foundation grants, and annual campaigns while exploring expansion into new markets to diversify revenue.

Led a $56M foundation covering a large regional territory, more than doubled assets from $22M to $56M through endowments and planned gifts and cultivated multi-million-dollar contributions.

Oversaw fund development, marketing, and PR for a $21M agency, directly solicited donors and secured the organization's first $1M gift, exceeding annual revenue goals by $1.4M.

Managed alumni programs and fundraising for 55,000 alumni, implemented systems for alumni board recruitment and strategic planning, and developed corporate outreach initiatives.

Managed an 18-person marketing team focusing on acquisition strategy, proposal analysis, competitive pricing, and implemented an incentive compensation plan to drive new revenue opportunities.

Managed a chapter with a $2.5M budget, 20 FTEs and 1,500 volunteers, increasing revenue and visibility through corporate collaborations and instituting strategic planning and board development processes.

Completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Cleveland State University.

Earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Minnesota.

Awarded a Master of Education degree from Memphis State University (now University of Memphis).

Completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Completed the Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG) certificate program.