Let’s “Ask a Fundraiser” in Episode 7 of The Nonprofit Lab, now live! Featuring Anna Barber and Rashida Peterson who have both served and helped countless nonprofits of all shapes and sizes create and execute holistic fundraising strategies to help raise millions of dollars.
In this episode we ask Rashida and Anna what it takes to be a successful fundraiser, the foundational work every nonprofit needs done, how to navigate the funding landscape, the importance of black philanthropy, and Rashida and Anna’s work to help close the fundraising skills gap.
ABOUT ANNA & RASHIDA
Anna Barber is a 20-year fundraising veteran who specializes in individual major gift training and campaign planning. She is the Founder and Principal Strategist Barber & Associates, a boutique fundraising consulting firm. Barber & Associates continues to work with a myriad of clients structuring campaigns ranging from $500K to $80M, conducting fundraising trainings, and advising on leadership level individual giving strategies. The firm has primarily worked with institutions of higher education, museums, social justice organizations, and healthcare entities. Prior to starting the firm, Barber was the first Central Major Gifts Officer at the Smithsonian Institution, and a member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s (NMAAHC) fundraising team that surpassed its private philanthropic goal of $350M. In 2017, her work there was featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, where she secured $42M in leadership ($1M+) and major ($100K) gift support, highlighted by the closure of 22 individual one million-dollar gifts, 90% contributed by first- time donors to the Smithsonian. Leading into Grand Opening in 2016, she led the effort to host a $1M per plate fundraiser at the home of Pauletta and Denzel Washington and a mid-level fundraising event that generated $5M from $25K donors. Prior to the Smithsonian, Barber spent 10 years working as a frontline fundraiser in intercollegiate college +athletics. She served as the director of major gifts for Michigan State University Athletics, the assistant director of development at Miami University in Ohio and Management Associate at Arizona State University. Barber earned a Juris Doctorate (Intellectual Property) from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science (Political Science) from Howard University.
Rashida Petersen is the CEO and Founder of 1847 Philanthropic. The catalyst to establish 1847 Philanthropic emanates from Ms. Petersen’s strong desire to create lasting impact in Africa by bringing the essentials of fundraising to their nonprofit institutions. Ms. Petersen’s career has been built on expertise gained from leading major fundraising and development initiatives in Africa as well as expanding U.S. trade and investment in developing countries. Working within the development departments of international nonprofits, she has been responsible for annual funding goals of over $16 million dollars in institutional funding and over $1.3 million dollars cumulative in unrestricted sponsorship dollars. Her steadfast focus on causes with strong community involvement and local impact enabled her to work with some of the major civil rights leaders of our time, including Ambassador Andrew Young, at GoodWorks International, an international management-consulting firm and she served as the vice-president for programs and business development at OIC International, this organization carries the legacy of the late Reverend Leon H. Sullivan. Ms. Petersen holds an International Business degree from the University of Maryland. She currently serves on the advisory board of the University of Maryland’s Hinman CEOs Program; is a member of Bridge Institute’s Africa Policy Group; active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a mentor for College Bound in Washington, D.C.