Are you feeling overwhelmed as an employee at a small nonprofit? Perhaps you’re the only one in your department – or the entire organization. Hear from our panel of nonprofit professionals from “small shops” on how to effectively manage your time to find success with limited staffing and resources. During this panel discussion, you will learn how to apply the best fundraising methods for maximum results, work effectively with board and volunteers, manage capacity issues, and identify and use free management tools and staffing resources.
Panel Includes:
Kate Garbarek, Director of Development & Communications at the Kenneth Young Center
Kate Garbarek is the Director of Development and Communications for Kenneth Young Center, a community mental health and senior service agency based in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. With over a decade of experience in fundraising and communications in both local and national nonprofits, Kate has spent her career in small fundraising teams with big dreams. With a degree in Strategic Communication from Miami University, Kate continued her education at the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and received her Certificate in Fund Raising Management. Through her time at Kenneth Young Center, the Friendship Senior Options Foundation, and Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago, Kate has worked on capital campaigns, branding overhauls, major gift campaigns, and transformative communication to create lasting impacts within organizations.
Jeannie Iseman, Executive Director at The GardenWorks Project
Jeannie Iseman is the Executive Director at The GardenWorks Project, a hunger relief organization that works to create gardening opportunities for households and community groups, thereby improving food security regionally. Previous to her role as Executive Director, she served as a board member and volunteer for GardenWorks. Her experience includes a background in social services, non-profit programs management, and public finance. She has a BA from Bowdoin College and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and spends much of her extra time working in her own garden and raising poultry with her husband and three children.
Raeann Olsen-Jackson, Director of Development at Almost Home Kids
Raeann Olsen-Jackson is a Chicago native and lifelong fundraiser. She began her fundraising career 25+ years ago at Loyola University Chicago as a prospect researcher. She established a planned giving program at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and later a Major Gift Program at La Rabida Children’s Hospital. Her specialties include major and planned gift fundraising, grant writing, board development, relationship management and best practices for non-profit management. Since 2010, she has served as Director of Development at Almost Home Kids, where she managed a Capital Campaign and helped form a Board for Chicago which ultimately became AHK’s President’s Council (volunteer fundraisers). Today the organization raises $1.5 million annually, has a well-defined philanthropic culture and is planning for its 20th anniversary milestone. Raeann was raised in Hinsdale, Illinois, has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago. She currently serves as President of the Bella Como Condo Association, is on the Membership Committee for the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago and was selected to join the 2019 Leadership Cohort, entitled Fundraising for Good, at Loyola’s Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility. Raeann is married and lives in the River West area of downtown Chicago.
Moderator: Kate Bousum, CFRE, Director of Advancement at Child’s Voice
Kate serves as the Director of Advancement at Child’s Voice, which provides education and support to children with hearing loss, teaching them to learn to listen, to speak, and to succeed. In her role, Kate is responsible for the Advancement Team including the goals of raising funds and awareness for the magic that happens at Child’s Voice! This includes grant writing, individual fundraising, corporate partnerships, and community outreach, as well as marketing efforts. Kate has been in the fundraising sector for her entire career. She received her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2017 and has completed the Civic Leadership Academy through Northern Illinois University with special endorsements in both Nonprofits and Community Development. In 2018, Kate received the Under 40 Leadership Award for Nonprofits by the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce. She has presented at the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Conference regarding the impact of outcome measures and related fundraising efforts and served on the faculty for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Fundamentals of Fundraising course. She is married and lives with her family in the western suburbs.
