Annasha Hamilton Ferrara
Rockville Centre,NY
Summary
SENIOR-LEVEL NONPROFIT FUNDRAISING AND DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL MANAGED MULTIPLE SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES THAT GENERATED OVER $25 MILLION IN REVENUE CLOSED 1,000+ GIFTS AT THE MAJOR AND LEADERSHIP LEVEL INCLUDING MULTIPLE GIFTS OVER $150,000 CONDUCTED RESEARCH, DEVELOPED TARGETED COLLATERAL AND CREATED TAILORED DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Development
Community Access, Inc.
New York, NY
01.2020 - 08.2025
- Achieved an annual fundraising goal of $2-3 million across major gifts, foundations, and special events.
- Oversaw portfolio of 100+ donors with ask ranges between $5,000-$125,000.
- Conducted on average 5-10 zoom and in person donor meetings weekly.
- Managed Development Associate, responsible for overseeing donor databases (Raiser's Edge, Blackbaud) and department-wide administrative tasks.
- Engaged directly with consultants to identify potential foundations to solicit, support and assist with the development and approval of grant proposals.
- Collaborated with communication consultants to align and execute departmental and organizational vision effectively.
- Conducted prospect research to identify and engage new potential major gift supporters.
- Organized and coordinated several special events each year, including the annual gala, Board of Director and Trustee Dinner and Social, two spring receptions, and one Foundation Community Engagement event.
- Reviewed and approved time sheets and activity logs for team members and consultants.
- Key accomplishments: Exceeded goal during first four full FY years in role, raising: $2.2 million on a $2.0 million goal in FY21, $2.7 million on a $2.5 million goal in FY22, $2.9 million on a $2.7 million goal in FY23, $2.7 million on a $2.7 million goal in FY24, $2.8 million on a $2.8 million goal in FY25. Increased giving in portfolio by 23% in FY22 compared to FY21, 7% in FY23 compared to FY22, and 23% from FY23-FY25. Raised over $435,000 for our FY23 annual gala, achieving 145% of goal. Raised over $582,000 for our FY24 annual gala, achieving 116% of goal. Launched brand new fundraising initiative, the Howie the Harp Advancement Fund, and exceeded the $250,000 target for this program. Oversaw three new special events in FY25, including two spring receptions and one Foundation Community Engagement Event. All these events were extremely well received and raised a grand total of $361,000. Assisted in the launch and implementation of 'GiveSmart', a program that helps to streamline event donation collections and follow-up outreach.
Principal Gift Manager, Cardinals Annual Stewardship Appeal
Archdiocese of New York
New York, NY
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Managed a portfolio of 314 high net-worth individuals with a combined ask amount of $1.4 million.
- Developed cultivation and solicitation strategies to sustain and upgrade donors.
- Identified and engaged new philanthropic individual prospects through wealth screening and targeted research.
- Built positive relationships with donors to generate gift opportunities through direct mail, strategic communications, 1-1 meetings and events.
Campaign Manager, Renew + Rebuild Campaign
Archdiocese of New York
New York, NY
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Managed Renew + Rebuild campaign in 13 parishes raising over $7.5 million.
- Worked closely with pastors to identify, qualify, and close major gifts; 13 parishes secured 136 Major and Leadership gifts totaling $2.5 million (average gift of $18,300).
- Recruited Campaign Executive Committees for portfolio of 13 parishes; interfaced and strategized weekly with high-end donors to execute campaign plans.
- Established strong relationships with committee members to generate, retain, and increase Major and Leadership gifts.
Business Analyst, New Business
DeVito/Verdi
New York, NY
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Planned and executed strategies to secure new clients; analyzed and documented data, consumer insights on products and trends, and worked across different databases, and project types, and developed qualitative sales/marketing presentation.
- Liaised among stakeholders to promote understanding of structure, policies and operations, and recommended solutions that enabled the organization to achieve its goals.
Program Analyst, Ethiopia Peace Project
National Committee on American Foreign Policy
New York, NY
01.2013 - 12.2013
- Identified the organization's strategic needs and recommended solutions; managed day-to-day execution of activities for the project.
- Assisted in the development and designs of performance objectives and implemented and monitored programing to standardize the organization's workflows.
- Managed fiscal operations including budget development and modifications and tracked expenditures.
- Documented and analyzed data and interpreted government rules and policies to contribute to publications in the peace building field, wrote interim and project narrative reports for USAID, liaised with high-level diplomats and other prominent partners.
Education
Master of Science - Global Affairs
New York University
New York, NY01.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ01.2006
Skills
- Campaign planning
- Team leadership
- Donor database management
- Capital campaigns
- Major gifts solicitation
- Board relations
- Major gift fundraising
- Donor relationship management
- Event coordination
- Prospect research
- Fundraising strategy
Events And Presentations
- Putting Equality on the Map: Influential Voices of Women and Girls Cooperatives, Facilitated panel discussions that brought together global and national gender experts to discuss gender equality and empowerment of women through improved economic opportunities, and increased role of women in policy-making and government reform at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women57(CSW57)., New York, NY, 01/01/13
- Demonstration and Discussion of Millennium Earth Project: A Visual Framework for Creating Sustainable Development, Facilitated session among corporate executives and leaders to explore the dimensions, achievements and challenges related to empowering rural women and achieving food and nutrition security., New York, NY, 01/01/13
- United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth 2013: Innovation and Youth, Moderated panel discussion and presented research and data on youth unemployment, and widening wealth and income inequality with special emphasis on strong initiatives to address and provide avenues of redress for mismatch of skills among youths and changing labor market., New York, NY, 01/01/13
Timeline
Director of Development
Community Access, Inc.
01.2020 - 08.2025
Principal Gift Manager, Cardinals Annual Stewardship Appeal
Archdiocese of New York
01.2018 - 01.2019
Campaign Manager, Renew + Rebuild Campaign
Archdiocese of New York
01.2017 - 01.2018
Business Analyst, New Business
DeVito/Verdi
01.2013 - 01.2016
Program Analyst, Ethiopia Peace Project
National Committee on American Foreign Policy
01.2013 - 12.2013
Master of Science - Global Affairs
New York University
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
Rider University