John Linder Email & Phone Number

As a nonprofit consultant I work hand-in-hand with my clients to help them meet their fundraising, strategic planning, operations & management goals. I specialize in supporting annual operating revenue development, strategic planning, and board & staff mentoring and development. Over the last, almost 7 years, I have worked as both a contractor for a consulting group as well as a "solo-practitioner" working with a couple of clients at a time. I have been directly supporting the day-to-day development and communications for the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society since 2020 while also working with a few additional clients:• Brooklyn Kindergarten Society* (11/2019 to present)• Donkey Mill Art Center/Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture* (4/2022 to present)• Hawaii Contemporary* (2/2024 to present)• Global Kids (12/2021 - 1/2023)• Network Support Services, Inc. (2019)Clients while at JSC:• August West Foundation• BrightPoint Health/Community Health Action Staten Island• Correctional Association of New York• Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center• Forestdale• KidsRights/Friends of Kids Rights• New York Women's Foundation• NHP Foundation/Operation Pathways• Samaritan Daytop Foundation• Summit YMCA• Temple Kol Emeth• Worldwide OrphansPro Bono:• Children's Aid & Family Services, New Jersey• ComedyCures Foundation• One Tough Cookie• Rise Magazine

Brooklyn, New York, United States

I stepped into this interim role after working with BKS on several projects in the fall of 2019. BKS contracted with me to manage their fundraising and communications efforts through a period of leadership transition at the organization. My contract currently takes me through the end of 2023. I manage the website, social media, and email communications, as well as grant writing, event fundraising, and major gifts. I work closely with Board leadership and new Executive Director to achieve fundraising and communications goals. I work closely with finance to develop the annual budget projections for private revenue. It is my goal to get BKS’ fundraising and communications systems and activities routinized in order to be more responsive to donors and better meet organizational needs.

Greater New York City Area

At JSC I provided high-level strategic analysis and planning, as well as “hands on” tactical support to meet short- and long-term goals of our clients. I provided my clients with an array of services, including the development of strategic fundraising assessments, creating long-term fundraising plans, event planning, and day-to-day tactical support. JSC is a boutique firm, and as such, I routinely supported my colleagues with projects for their clients. These projects ranged from single “one-off” projects to long-term planning activities, including the following: writing & designing e-mail acquisition campaigns; drafting various mid-year and year-end campaign appeals; developing sponsorship packages for both special event & annual corporate sponsors, composing corporate & foundation grant proposals, crafting case for support statements & associated materials, as well as providing graphic design & lay out services on multiple projects.

Greater New York City Area

Responsible for leading, organizing, and building the Population Council’s philanthropic fundraising efforts from individuals, foundations, and events. Prior to 2014, the Population Council’s unrestricted and loosely restricted revenue had been sliding up to 30% year after year, to a low of just $643,000 in 2013. 2014 saw a slight reversal in the trend, raising just over $896,000 by holding the Council’s 1st fundraising Gala in its 60+ year history. The Director of Philanthropy position was created to change how the Council approaches fundraising and philanthropy more broadly, and help bring critical unrestricted and loosely restricted resources into the organization. In less than 1 year, I was able to increase revenue by more than 43% to just over $1.27 million in 2015. I am on track to raise $1.8 million in 2016. I developed a 2 year fundraising strategy to achieve these ambitious fundraising targets. As part of this strategy, I established groups of volunteer fundraisers/friend-raisers in both San Francisco and Seattle to leverage pockets of existing donors and institutional funders. As Director of Philanthropy, I am responsible for all mail and e-mail appeals, major gift solicitations, and programmatic talks/salons for donors. Lead a team of 4 staff and work with program staff based in 15 country offices around the world to communicate successes and milestones of our work to donors. I manage the Council’s Annual Ideas with Impact Awards Gala, and increased revenue by more than 13% in 2015 and on track to increase revenue by another 13% in 2016; all while keeping expenses flat. I managed a donor trip to our India offices in Feb. 2016 for approximately 20 donors. This donor trip included visits to multiple project sites in Mumbai, Jaipur, and Delhi. I am particularly pleased to have solicited and secured the Council’s largest individual donation (a gift of $250,000) in more than 10 years in 2015.

New York, Ny

For 2.5 years, I have led the fundraising and communications efforts of a rapidly growing local service organization that works with vulnerable families in New York City to help parents access services to ensure that their families can stay intact and are not broken apart by foster care.At CFR, I developed and successfully implemented the first development plan for this 12 year old organization. I have doubled CFR’s private fundraising efforts in the last 18 months; this includes building, motivating, and supporting a team of 3 development professionals, doubling revenue from our annual Gala in just 2 years, more than doubling our foundation revenue, launching a new website, and building a major donor program from scratch. I have worked closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to recruit 9 new board members in 2 years, greatly increasing giving and board fundraising. I have also worked with the Executive Director to develop a new Leadership Council, which is both a policy and fundraising group, as well as recruited its first members. I directly support the fundraising efforts of my board, run monthly development committee meetings, and present fundraising updates at Board meetings. Additionally, I work with and leverage program staff and their expertise to successfully implement and track programmatic grants and outcomes for both public and private funders.

Greater New York City Area

formerly Doctors of the World-USA.I was responsible for all fundraising activities at HealthRight International, including managing multiple corporate, foundation, and public sector grants from USAID, and other international funders, as well as directly soliciting individuals for support. Direct all aspects of HealthRight’s annual fundraising gala - including contract negotiation; and, soliciting sponsorships, event leadership, volunteers, and honorees. Created an annual development plan and budget. I launched HealthRight’s major donor program and hired a major gifts officer. I directly solicited major gifts, including, qualifying prospects, preparing proposals, negotiating, and closing gifts. Negotiate and close major gifts. Supported volunteer fundraising efforts to raise annual and major gifts, and event sponsorships. Managed 2.5 staff and multiple interns, and worked with nearly 180 program staff in 6 countries to achieve fundraising goals and routinely reporting on public and private grants.

Greater Seattle Area

I was hired as PONCHO's first Development Director in its 45 year history. I ran PONCHO's three annual fundraising auctions, an International Wine Auction (300 attendees), Pacific Northwest Art Auction (750 attendees), and the Annual Gala (1,100 attendees). My main task was to begin to diversify PONCHO's fundraising, which had been entirely based on event revenue. I designed and developed PONCHO’s 1st annual appeal and tele-fundraising campaign which tripled the value of individual donations to PONCHO from 2006 to 2007, and doubled it again in 2008. I solicited and negotiated recognition agreements with sponsors, in-kind donors, and local arts organizations and increased event sponsorship by 166% by leveraging PONCHO’s affluent individual donor base. I directly solicited major gifts, developed proposals for individuals (including PONCHO’s first multi-year 5-figure gifts). Cultivated donor and increased overall individual support for PONCHO by 178%. Support volunteer fundraising committees in charge of auction procurement, event production, major gifts, and sponsorships. Managed 2 staff to achieve fundraising goals.

Greater Seattle Area

Lead & manage Event Team - planned and implemented special events. Develop & submit grant proposals to public and private funders. Developed successful 1st board solicitation - exceedparticipation rate & more than doubled the financial goals. Create corporate sponsorship program & materials for youth programs. Work with and provide support to a volunteer board that is responsible for making funding and policy decisions. Manage website re-development project and successful launch - making the site informative, easy to navigate, and update. Additionally, I managed several project grants and conducted performance monitoring of grantees, as well as provided detailed and concise reports to our funders on the work of our service providers.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Manage all aspects of prospect research, reporting, grant writing, and proposal development for morethan $3.7 million in grants annually from over 40 foundations, donor advised funds, & corporations. Worked with & secured funding annually from prominent funders like the Ford Foundation, the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Institute (now Open Society Foundations), Atlantic Philanthropies, among others. Developed & managed a cash flow accounting system. Worked with organization’s leadership to develop the 2002 Annual Appeal. Managed & implemented the 2002 annual appeal. Worked with the development team to research, develop, and steward major gift prospects & donors. Successfully lead a transition to a new donor database. Developed an extensive knowledge of IRS 501(c)(3) regulations and guidelines for funders & grantees alike.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Paid full-time internshipManaged corporate recognition program of $750,000 annually. Wrote corporate sponsorship solicitations & grant requests. Created and managed corporate fundraising database, as well asresearched and targeted corporations and foundations for support. Responsible for financial tracking of income from corporate sponsors. Partnered with volunteer board members and staff to ensure that sponsors received proper recognition & cultivation at 24 black-tie galas & numerous major donor events across the country. Helped design and facilitate volunteer fundraising training on sponsorship solicitation at HRC’s annual volunteer leadership conference. Served on planning committees for two consecutive National Dinners, each netting $250,000 and attended by 2,000+ individuals.

Mpa, Public Administration

Activities and Societies: GWU's Student Senate, GWU Student Senate Budget Committee, Master of Public Administration Association Board

Ba, Political Science, With Distinction

Activities and Societies: ASUW President, Vice President, Board of Control, Student Senate. Founding member of the Zeta Mu Chapter.