Virginia "Ginny" Wallace Email & Phone Number

Buffalo, Ny

1990 Main Street Buffalo, Ny 14208

Note: Reason for brief tenure - In the Spring of 2019 one of Forest Lawn's sister cemeteries experienced a flooding disaster. As a result of the financial fallout from that natural disaster, all nonessential programming at the cemetery, including my role managing all educational and entertainment programming, ceased. No programming has run since the onset of Covid 19. As Director of Community Engagement I managed the renowned cemetery tours that bring the history and lives of Buffalo's former business, social and political giants to life through actor portrayals and superb storytelling. I developed relationships and collaborated with leaders from other local cultural institutions, and expanded the Forest Lawn brand by cultivating and stewarding relationships through interaction with numerous individuals, groups and organizations regionally and across the US.I sharpened leadership skills by managing and engaging cohorts of actors, volunteers and staff and by being an active member of the Forest Lawn leadership team working on strategic and operational planning and implementation.

795 Main Street, Buffalo, Ny 14203

In this third role within the department I collaborated with over 70 academic leaders and on-site coordinators participating in the STREAM Education Initiative, (STREAM = STEM + A for Arts and R for Religion) I managed logistics for trainings, workshops, meetings and special events; researched, wrote, and managed grants to support programming and cultivated relationships with leaders from cultural institutions and corporate organizations to become active participants or financial supporters of STREAM programming within the schools.

795 Main Street, Buffalo, Ny 14203

As the population in WNY continued to decline, so did enrollments in schools, to address this new normal my role changed from Alumni Relations to Community Relations, and my focus became coaching leadership teams, paid staff and parent volunteers on topics of marketing, donor relations, fundraising, traditional and digital communication, public relations, social media, customer service, volunteer acquisition and development of community partnerships.I helped build synergy among schools by hosting regular roundtables, associations and by creating cohorts for principals, teachers, advancement directors, STREAM coordinators, and parent/guardian volunteers to meet and learn. This multi-layered approach targeted the influencers, policy makers and families. The workshops, trainings and events provided opportunities for groups to build camaraderie, develop trust, show support, share successes and challenges, brainstorm solutions, create strong professional and personal bonds and effect real change. I further developed my writing skills through writing and editing marketing and promotional content for the department website and social media, and collaborated with other members of the Diocesan Marketing Committee on messaging for diocesan level TV, radio, billboards and lawn signs.I wrote quarterly newsletter for over 7,000 alumni, sent a weekly full page informational newsletter to principals and advancement staff and edited a monthly, SEO boosting blog targeting current and potential new families.And researched, wrote and edited grants and Annual Appeal solicitations to help fund professional development, the STREAM Initiative, after school and other student support programs.

795 Main Street, Buffalo, Ny 14203

During my tenure at the department of Catholic Schools I was a liaison between the diocese and our school leaders. I was an advocate and champion of quality education for all. My initial responsibilities included coaching school leadership teams on tactics to differentiate and brand themselves, engage alumni, market their schools, diversify their fundraising strategies and forge relationships with community leaders for program participation. I collaborated with academic leadership teams, parent organizations, advancement staff and alumni within my defined cohort of 29 campuses from Buffalo to Niagara Falls.Utilizing social media, email marketing and direct mail I created a plan to renew dormant relationships with alumni and encouraged them to become active contributors to the vitality and sustainability of their alma maters.I wrote and edited annual appeal letters seeking financial support for programming and professional development. After completing several certification courses on Raiser's Edge, I managed the donor acknowledgement and stewardship processes for donors within my cohort.