EMILY LUNAK
TREX Hockey
Moorhead,MN
1
Certification
13
years of professional experience
Strategic fundraising and advancement leader with 13+ years of progressive experience in annual giving, donor engagement, volunteer management, giving day campaign strategy and leadership giving. Proven track record of building high-retention donor programs, leading cross-functional fundraising initiatives, and delivering record-setting fundraising results.
Work History
Associate Director of Annual Giving and Donor Connections
6 Years 2 Months- Lead strategy and execution for a cohort of 500+ Leadership Annual Giving prospects through segmented individual and cohort cultivation, solicitation and stewardship communications
- Manage the Impact Scholarship Program in collaboration with Development and Advancement Services teams
- Partner with development team to develop integrated outreach and engagement strategies.
- Reimagined athletics outdated 500 for 500 giving campaign and successfully launched Concordia's first Give to Grow Giving challenge
Owner
9 Years- Lead all operational, financial, marketing, and programmatic aspects of a youth hockey camp business.
- Manage three annual camps serving more than 300 athletes and coordinate over 25 coaches and registration staff.
- Oversee hiring, training, scheduling, communications, accounting, merchandise procurement, and strategic planning.
Associate Director of Annual Giving – Reunion Giving
4 Years 10 Months- Led the College's reunion giving program, volunteer management strategy, and reunion fundraising efforts while maintaining a major gift portfolio and collaborating closely with Alumni Relations and Development colleagues.
- Recruited, trained, and managed more than 100 reunion giving volunteers annually to support fundraising and alumni engagement efforts.
- Successfully migrated us from calling spreadsheets to a volunteer management CRM
- Developed fundraising strategies and volunteer structures that increased participation and philanthropic support during reunion cycles.
- Managed a portfolio of major gift prospects, conducting donor visits, cultivation activities, solicitation efforts, and stewardship planning.
- Partnered with alumni relations, annual giving, and development teams to align fundraising initiatives with institutional engagement goals.
- Provided volunteer leadership training, fundraising coaching, and ongoing support to maximize volunteer effectiveness and donor outreach.
Phonathon Manager
2 Years 3 Months- Directed all aspects of the student phonathon program, including hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management.
- Implemented donor outreach strategies and analyzed campaign performance to improve results.
Education
Bachelor of Arts
Skills
Contributed to a multiple record-setting annual giving fiscal years - Most recently in FY26 exceeding $6.5 million
Grew Impact Scholarship participation from 80 scholarships in FY20 to 159 scholarships in FY26 through steady growth and maintaining over 80% donor retention over time
Increased athletic Giving Day results from $38
000 and 220 gifts to $187
626 and 871 gifts through the newly imagined Give to Grow campaign.
Presented on Giving Day strategy and execution at the 2019 National Ruffalo Noel Levitz Fundraising Conference.
Certification
- Raiser's Edge NXT Certified Professional
- Core Team Member for Banner-to-Raiser's Edge Migration
- Presenter, 2019 National Ruffalo Noel Levitz Fundraising Conference – Giving Day Strategy and Execution
Timeline
Associate Director of Annual Giving and Donor Connections
Concordia College
04.2020 - CurrentRead More
Owner
TREX Hockey
06.2017 - CurrentRead More
Associate Director of Annual Giving – Reunion Giving
Concordia College
06.2015 - 04.2020Read More
Phonathon Manager
Concordia College
03.2013 - 06.2015Read More
Concordia College
Bachelor of Arts
Read More