Cathy Knowles Email & Phone Number

*Draft and manage strategic plan with a revenue goal of $3.4 million+: with a focus to support newsroom growth in South Asia and the Southeast United States with reporters covering New York, a continued partnership in Kenya, and California.*Manage and grow an everyday donor and major gifts program that successfully and strategically identifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards Fuller Project donors and prospects and supports Board, CEO and senior staff on strategic and tactical fundraising plans for individual and institutional donors. *Hire and manage Development Associate in professional growth and success across updating CRM system to cultivate and steward individual and institutional donors.

Los Angeles, California

*Provide strategic leadership and planning for all development activities, including major events, individual donor and major giving programs, corporate and foundation relations.*Strengthen and develop foundation grants by identifying, managing and stewarding foundation partners.*Collaborate and work closely with Governing Board and committees to recruit new board members, increase engagement and diversify funding sources and design Governing Board meetings that contain development, learning and relationship building--resulting in board members who are empowered and motivated to provide effective support.

Greater Los Angeles Area

*Lead corporate relations, community engagement and special events department in the conception, planning and execution of development department initiatives with an income goal of over $3 million. Increased revenues of the Annual Christmas Luncheon by 60% in the first year and revenue of The Sally Awards by 200% over two years.*Facilitate the engagement and growth of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Advisory Board through setting board terms, writing board bylaws and social agreements, and identifying areas of mission resonance.*Manage a portfolio of corporate relations and community engagement partners for various companies including: The Home Depot, Cheesecake Factory, Deloitte, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, KPMG, In-N-Out, Kaiser, Payden & Rygel, Union Bank, Planet Fitness & Walmart.

Venice, Ca

*Founder and president of a full-service fundraising company that provided clients with successful campaigns, event planning and event production and applied extensive planning experience to a wide variety of special events ranging from the Delete Blood Cancer Gala to the 60th Anniversary Celebration for Cornell University’s ILR Labor Extension Programs to a donor cultivation party at Stella McCartney, from a boisterous wedding in the Hudson Valley to the red-carpet movie premiere for Bella.*Served for-purpose and corporate clients including Helen Keller International, the American Cancer Society, DKMS Delete Blood Cancer, Bally, Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney, Advocates for Children, and Africare.*Managed two full time employees and up to twelve contract staff in execution of production design, marketing and communications and event logistics.

*Created and rejuvenated black-tie fundraising galas through establishing and managing corporate partnerships, everyday donors and major gifts, and fundraising leadership councils*Managed support staff, recruited high-level volunteers to join planning committees, identified and secured honorees and gala chairs, ran all event logistics, maintained budgets, and produced financial reports.*Created a new financial services industry gala, the Corporate Cares Gala, which raised $550,000 with 300 guests in its first year and rejuvenated the existing 28th Annual Wine & Spirits Industry Gala with a 26% fundraising increase in one year.

*Designed, created and planned fundraising events to meet development department budget goals with annual income goals of $750,000.*Worked closely with the board of directors and benefit leadership to provide individual fundraising strategy and leadership structure to meet and exceed fundraising goals.

New York, New York

*Coordinated logistics, fundraising, marketing and production of for-purpose special events with goals ranging from $400,000-$4,000,000.*Recruited and managed volunteer gala chairs and committee members from the corporate and NYC social sectors to generate fundraising for each initiative.

Bachelor'S Degree, Communication Studies & Cultural Anthropology

Activities and Societies: President, Anthropology Club Member, Honors Society, Lambda Pi Eta (Communication)

Education record

Master Of Arts - Ma, Peace Studies And Conflict Resolution