Desrene Walton

Lead strategic development and growth of REBNY’s Social Impact portfolio, shaping programs and partnerships that enhance inclusion, access, talent development, and community impact.

• Mobilize and lead REBNY’s Social Impact Committee, a network of 20 real estate professionals, driving advocacy, fundraising, relationship-building as active partners to expand engagement leverage expertise and resources.
• Shape and evolve the REBNY Fellows Leadership Program, setting annual program priorities and curating a comprehensive experience of industry tours, executive speakers, educational projects, professional networking opportunities designed to deepen industry knowledge serving 105 REBNY Fellows YTD
• Lead summer talent-development programming for 9 interns YTD and 400+ virtual students, crafting intern responsibilities and coordinating educational programming for 70–80 REBNY member firms annually.
• Conceived and launched the Future of Real Estate Dinner, creating a professional-development and recognition experience for summer interns; now in its third annual year.
• Develop strategic partnerships across real estate, nonprofit, education, and community sectors, leading fundraising and stakeholder engagement to support impactful initiatives.

• Design and re-develop The Apollo’s Individual Giving Programs creating tailored member benefits, donor experiences, and events for members and stakeholders
• Managed budget and income goals for department, focusing on financial reporting and growth impact
• Direct The Apollo’s Membership Program through recruitment and retention strategies and personal solicitation of individual and corporate gifts raising $250k post-pandemic
• Create and manage the budget and income goals for the department with hyper-focus on financial reporting on impact and growth
• Developed and led events that increased brand awareness and strengthened community relations in Harlem
• Created concepts and strategies for five fundraising campaigns, including copywriting, web content, donor communication, and giveaways
• Research corporate funding opportunities, prepare and manage proposals that support fundraising goals and guidelines
• Craft mentor experiences with The Apollo’s Education department for Apollo Theater Academy students (age 16 – 21)
• Liaise with Apollo’s senior management and Director of Major Gifts on fundraising and relationship building strategies

• Planned/Implemented eight successful fundraising and cultivation events with 150 to 500 attendees (virtually and in-person) annually, raising $1.4 million gross on a budget between $10k to $400k per event
• Coordinated logistical elements for regional and national virtual and in-person events, overseeing event conception, production, and budget management
• Secured in-kind donations and sponsorships between $2k to $150k per event while building relationships with partners and vendors
• Researched and created relationships with event donors and built relationships with partners and vendors resulting in multi-year vendor sponsorships and partnerships
• Secured in-kind donations and sponsorships ranging from $2k to $150k per event, fostering strong partnerships with vendors

• Managed and trained staff and event presenters on virtual event platforms (Zoom, BlueJeans); oversaw event management software tools for guest check-in, room design, layout, and guest tracking, enhancing virtual event experiences
• Negotiated and managed contracts and payments for vendors and consultants through six annual events
• Supervised and trained event team assistants, support staff, consultants, and volunteers, managing teams of 2 – 20 workers to ensure smooth event execution
• Administered post-event deliverables which include de-brief sessions, data analytics and reporting
• Organized and managed travel for high profile event talent and senior staff
• Collaborated cross-departmentally on event preparation needs – IT, Finance, Legal, Facilities
• Project Management for increasing data integrity – events, donors, and VIP files