R. Brian Elderton Email & Phone Number

Clarksburg, Md

Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team reporting to the President and CEO responsible for all fundraising and donor engagement programs. BrightFocus Foundation has developed an outstanding annual direct mail program which is national in scope, securing approximately 500,000+ gifts a year and a consistent number of bequests, in support of the world-class researchers BrightFocus funds who are seeking cures for Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma that the Foundation funds. In addition to managing the continued growth of the annual direct mail program, we have begun to direct our attention to the development of a Major Gift program, reaching out to our current donors to invite them to consider making Major and Planned Gifts. We are also actively involved in encouraging our donors to get more personally engaged in helping to advance the science at the heart of finding cures (i.e. clinical trials) and advocating for increased public awareness and financial resources devoted to these diseases.

Greater Chicago Area

GG+A and its consulting staff bring expertise in the most current best practice to all engagements. As assigned and working with key administrators and development executives, as well as key volunteer leaders I work as a guide and catalyst in the fundraising process. With over 25 years of fundraising leadership experience, I have the capacity to review and consult on all aspects of development operations, campaign feasibility, assessment and communication, volunteer leadership development and management and strategic planning. I can provide expertise across the spectrum of donor programs, including annual, major and planned giving.

Philadelphia, Pa

Served as a member of the Senior Leadership Team reporting to the University's President responsible for providing leadership for the University Advancement team which included, Development, Alumni Relations, Marketing and Communications, Government and Community Relations, and University Events. During my tenure we built an outstanding team of Advancement professionals and together brought unprecedented success to the University. In addition I managed my own portfolio of major gift prospects, which included members of the Board of Trustees. I actively and successfully identified, cultivated and solicited major gifts. In the latter years of my tenure I also managed the Major Gift Officer team. The Senior Advancement Team conducted and lead the University through a rebranding program; developed a major gift program and led fundraising campaigns that garnered the most in the University's history - more than $147 million, including $84 million in gifts and pledges from 37,000 alumni during the University's first-ever campaign. We worked with the national Alumni Board to re-invent itself, elevating its stature within the University community and successfully managed all University events to include: Commencement, Honors Convocation, Homecoming, Family Weekend, and fundraising events like the President's Cup golf outing, Charter Dinner fundraising gala, School of Business Economic Outlook luncheon in partnership with The Union League of Philadelphia and any number of small cultivation and stewardship receptions. In addition, I participated in the remake of the university's quarterly magazine, wrote remarks for the president and other members of the senior staff, wrote letters for the president, served as liaison to the Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees. Through the course of my 16 years in this position (15 years with the president who hired me) we experienced much less staff turn over than the average Advancement program.

Greater Philadelphia Area

Served as a member of the External Relations team reporting to the Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations and was responsible for all fundraising programs at Mercy Catholic Medical Center which became Mercy Health System. During my tenure we built a grateful patient program, a system-wide public relations/fundraising event which included sponsorship and the involvement of the Philadelphia 76ers, and successfully conducted the first-ever capital campaign securing the largest gifts in the Medical Center's history. Work with the senior leaders on development initiatives, training them and accompanying them on solicitation calls. Developed the platform for the creation of a system-wide Foundation,

M.Ed., Secondary School Administration, 4.0 Gpa

While working as a secondary school teach and coach I pursued and secured a Masters in Secondary School Administration.

B.A., Liberal Arts, Theology, Education, English, Summa Cum Laude

Pursued an undergraduate Liberal Arts degree with concentrations in Education, Theology, and English. Participated in intramural sports.