Rasa Dawson Email & Phone Number

Richmond, Va, Us

Guatemala City, Guatemala, Guatemala

Leading strategic growth, impact evaluation, communications and fundraising.

Richmond, Virginia, United States

A global leadership team member making strategic decisions affecting StrongMinds, ensuring stability over long-term change and development. Ensuring the ongoing growth and success of StrongMinds fundraising in order to continue to reach - and exceed - our annual revenue goal. Overseeing StrongMinds communication strategy. Overseeing and building StrongMinds advocacy campaigns. Managing dynamic Communications, Development and Advocacy teams. • Envision, lead, and implement a multi-year development strategy that contains short- and long-term measurable goals and is aligned to StrongMinds’ strategic plan.• Raise awareness of the organization through outreach efforts, events, publications, and media relations.• Advance the organization’s mission by promoting and amplifying its vision, people, research, and impact with a wide variety of audiences through a diverse mix of communication tools, platforms and partnerships.• Develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan to advance brand identity; broaden awareness of its programs and priorities, and increase the visibility of its programs across key stakeholder audiences.

United States

Providing strategic fundraising leadership and spearheading the fundraising growth of the organization to support it's scaling strategy. Work with existing funders, identify and establish new strategic relationships, and develop creative strategies for individual and foundation donors. Leverage communications to increase brand, digital presence, and awareness of the organization.• Maintain and grow StrongMinds' current philanthropic portfolio. • Cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major individual gift prospects.• Oversee all development activities including oversight of donor research, identifying new major individual donors and constituent management. • Grant proposal and report writing.• Oversee communications department with an emphasis on increasing brand awareness, digital presence, and supporter communications.

Provided leadership network advisory in recruiting, engaging and mobilizing high profile and respected women leaders in visible leadership network (Sisters on the Planet) that brings international attention to Oxfam initiatives.Managed projects for critical organizational initiatives to ensure effective, visible, well-executive public events that elevated Oxfam programs • Managed strategic projects; created specific project plans; defined objectives, goals and metrics.• Built effective teams, assigned and coordinated appropriate staff to duties, delivered projects in time and on budget.• Stewards close relationship with media team to shape the most impactful, media worthy events and circumstances.• Managed logistics, assigned appropriate staff to cover, ensured details are paid attention to.• Managed communications by briefeing leaders on talking points and strategies; shared information and pulled in necessary individuals for agency wide investment in initiative; provided transparent and clear communication for maximum effectiveness and efficiency of team members.• Leveraged women leaders to promote agency brand on Capitol Hill, social media and in the press.

Richmond, Virginia Area

-Point person for the unit for cross departmental collaboration around key moments.-Work to blend digital and offline engagement by working with a cross functional team to create comprehensive ecommunication, use of social media, identifying resources and materials needed and activating on the ground organizers.- Manage personal fundraising pages (PFPs)- Design and implement promotion plans to increase the online traffic driven to PFPs and the amount of money donated.-Oversee the outreach and promotion of the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet, a community organized event that educates attendees on the issues of hunger and poverty. - Determine strategic audiences to target to increase the usage of the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet and create a marketing and promotion plan to access these audiences (via online and offline means). Create specific/directed messaging to target audience.- Managing two seasonal staff to execute online Oxfam America Hunger Banquet outreach and promotion.-Creative thinking. Constantly evaluating what is working for other organizations, how do we keep our ideas fresh, how do we keep our constituents engaged.-Managed ACT FAST, Oxfam America’s activist website for 5 years. -Created and implemented digital marketing plan and online promotion of feature issues on ACT FAST (4-6 feature issue per year).

-Public speaking on behalf of Oxfam America at press events, community events and conferences -Organize and oversee in-state meetings with legislators; develop relationships with each legislative office.-Coordinate and/or conduct press conferences and media relations including editorial board meetings, authoring opinion editorials, TV and radio interviews. -Develop strategy for building support for Oxfam campaign objectives and mission in the target states. -Build and maintain relationships with networks of allied organizations.-Plan special events designed to reach targeted audiences and build awareness of Oxfam.-Coordinate field-based volunteers and interns. -Develop opportunities for deeper engagement and leadership for significant number of supporters.-Extensive national and international travel.

Environment and Health ProgramManage all field campaigns and grassroots organizing activities;Identify new partnerships between the national office, chapters, and local governmental and non-profit organizations;Organize and oversee meetings with legislators in home states and in Washington, DC. Organize and speak at press events. Develop and train leadership teams in key target states on media, advocacy and field organizing;Manage PSR’s participation and speak on behalf of PSR in professional conferences;

Foundation Fundraising: maintaining relationships with Foundations; write proposals and reports. Direct Marketing: creative meetings; review and approval of direct mail copy.Systems Management: manage contractors for timely and accurate processing of mail. Member Services: provide personalized attention to donors, draft correspondences. High Dollar Donor Program: Execute high donor fulfillment and cultivation and generate regular updates and reports; advise on various planned giving options. Publications: Participate in formation and writing of quarterly newsletter, annual report.

Assisted in day to day workings of the development dept.

Data entry.

Worked in Primate Cognitive Neuroscience LaboratorySpent 3 months in Puerto Rico conducting fieldwork on semi-free ranging Rhesus macaques investigating number representation and conducting focal studies.Training and overseeing of interns and volunteers.

Master Of Science (Msc), Conservation Biology, Durrell Institute Of Conservation And Ecology (Dice)

Activities and Societies: Dissertation field research on elephant-human conflict over water resources in a semi-arid pastoral area.

Ba, International Development; Africa

Wrote senior honors thesis on wildlife management strategies in Africa, using Kenya and Zimbabwe as case studies. 1996 The School.