Ken Liszewski Email & Phone Number

Buffalo, New York, United States

As the Associate Director of Institutional Giving for Shea's Performing Arts Center, I lead a $30+ million fundraising initiative aimed at transforming the venue in time for its 100th Anniversary in 2026. This role encompasses strategic campaign management, donor cultivation, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure the project's success. I report directly to the Vice President of Development and work closely with the President/CEO and Capital Campaign Committee to drive all efforts.Key Responsibilities:Capital Campaign Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for the Capital Campaign, managing all operational aspects of the campaign, including budgeting, event planning, and reporting.Fundraising Strategy and Planning: Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy targeting individual donors, corporations, and foundations. Oversee the research and cultivation of new prospects, ensuring sustained momentum in donor outreach and engagement.Donor Relations and Solicitation: Collaborate with the VP of Development and Campaign Committee to create personalized donor engagement plans, prepare solicitation materials, and organize donor meetings. Maintain donor records and ensure follow-up actions.Committee Management: Coordinate and attend all campaign committee meetings, ensuring materials are prepared and accurate records of discussions are kept. Lead post-meeting follow-up actions.Gift Acknowledgment and Stewardship: Ensure timely acknowledgment of all campaign gifts and pledges, while tracking ongoing gift agreements and recognition activities in donor databases.Communications and Public Relations: Work with the Campaign committee and communications teams to keep the campaign visible and maintain its momentum. This includes preparing public-facing materials, managing web/social media content, and planning special events.

Niagara County, New York, United States

Maintain a portfolio of at least 150 donor prospects. Solicit assigned prospects for gifts at $25,000+. Proactively develop and execute cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plan for each major gift prospect involving university administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers as appropriate. Use multiple means of communication throughout the year to advance each prospect's relationship with the university and expand support for the mission and vision of the university. Meet and exceed key performance indicators and metrics to include, a monthly target of face-to-face, meaningful prospect contacts, phone calls, and touchpoints. Promote planned giving as an integrated part of portfolio management. Maintain appropriate records for assigned prospects in the donor management system, including contact reports and cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans. Participate in weekly prospect management review meetings. Coordinate, with the Annual Fund office, a strategy for securing annual unrestricted gifts. Assist with alumni and university events, including identifying key participants and encouraging the attendance of prospects.

Buffalo, New York, United States

Responsible for the 5.5 million-dollar FeedMore WNY Annual Fund.Manage a team of five professionals that design and develop data base systems and donor acknowledgement processes. Oversee annual giving solicitation program (snail mail and digital), with the assistance of an external vendorManage the portfolio of planned and monthly giving prospects/donors, from prospect solicitation to post gift managementCollect, organize and record through Raiser’s Edge all relevant donor data, prospecting, demographics, communications, giving history and activities in a standardized, timely and accurate mannerPrepare materials for use in cultivating major or planned gifts and conducting individuals prospect researchConduct training programs for staff on database development and producersServe as an ambassador for FeedMore WNY to corporate and civic organizations, in making presentations, and in accepting and recognizing support

Buffalo, New York

Responsible for the 1.1 million-dollar Canisius High School Blue Doors Annual Fund. Create all annual giving pieces, traditional and electronic. This includes working with printing/mail vendors. Ensure CHS is successful in carrying out a timely and meaningful stewardship plan. Work directly with the faculty, staff, and students to lead school wide fundraising initiatives like the Walk for Canisius. Coordinate fundraising events with parent and volunteer committees to benefit the school’s sports teams. Work in conjunction with the vice president of advancement and major gift officer on cultivating certain annual fund donors to become major gift prospects.

Buffalo, New York

Hired to oversee all grant requests for the organization. The job is to ensure all requests are written and submitted on time, and all grant reports are submitted. Prospect new foundations and opportunities for the organization. Ensure there is proper communication and stewardship with our current and future funding partners. Assist with the organization’s special event, Dining in the Dark, in securing sponsorship's, gifts, donations, and day of support to the team. Work directly with the Senior Vice President on cultivating new donors and board members. Develop the annual appeal campaign for the organization. Experience with gift processing and record keeping.

Buffalo/Niagara, New York Area

Expanded role in 2017. Responsible for all major fundraising and development efforts. The Council has a 2.2 million dollar budget, which I am directly responsible for. Project manager for all our major Council special events, which bring in a total of roughly 300,000 dollars, between the three. Work directly with the Executive Board and event committees to plan and execute special events. I also lead all major gift and cultivation efforts, using the Benevon method of fundraising (major gift cultivation). I still remain as the lead person on all media and marketing materials for the Council.

2860 Genesee Street Buffalo Ny

2860 Genesee Street Buffalo Ny

Hired to oversee all Scouting activities, fundraising efforts, membership recruitment, and volunteer and community relations for the City of Buffalo Scouting District. Our job performance is based on membership, manpower, and money. I consistently exceeded in all three of the above areas, especially in terms of fundraising. I was able to leverage my previous community contacts from working in politics to acquire large gifts from both private individuals and foundations and government agencies. I was also given full marketing responsibilities for all of the Council’s service region, which is all of Erie County and 1/3 of Niagara County. Was a key staff member in putting together our three largest special events, which in total grosses roughly 250,000 dollars for the Council. I have appeared on numerous local television programs that includes AM Buffalo and WBBZ Talk of the Town Program. Membership has increased by 30 percent in the city of Buffalo since taking over, and had the largest growth in the Northeast Region.

Not For Profit Management And Governance, Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

Master Of Science - Ms, Communication And Leadership, Integrated Marketing And Non-Profit Management Concentration

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Political Science And Government

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Communication And Media Studies

Activities and Societies: President and Founder of the Canisius College Ultimate Frisbee Team

Education record