Ingrid Parker
Arlington Heights,IL
Summary
Fundraising expert with a proven track record in strategic donor engagement and campaign management. Skilled in building strong relationships and driving successful fundraising initiatives. Demonstrated ability to lead teams and negotiate effectively to meet and exceed objectives.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Major Gifts
The Chicago School
Chicago, IL
12.2023 - Current
- Lead fundraising activity for the university, with an emphasis on scholarships and educational innovation.
- Manage a portfolio of 60+ prospects, cultivating six-and seven-figure gifts to support a new medical school launch.
- Collaborate with university leadership and trustees to align fundraising with institutional priorities.
- Develop and execute strategic fundraising plans and budgets with measurable outcomes.
- Serve as ambassador to donors, family offices, and national funders.
- Represent the institution at events and donor meetings.
Director of Advancement, Institutional Giving
Adler University
Chicago, IL
08.2019 - 11.2023
- Directed corporate, foundation, and government fundraising across U.S. and Canadian campuses.
- Supervised and mentored a team of five fundraisers, fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture.
- Secured transformational gifts and grants, tripling institutional giving.
- Designed and launched a $15M capital campaign and successfully completed a $10M campaign.
- Expanded institutional partnerships with mental health and education stakeholders.
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Adler University
Chicago, IL
10.2017 - 08.2019
- Managed a portfolio of corporate and foundation donors.
- Cultivated and stewarded funding relationships to secure multi-year commitments.
- Oversaw grant proposals, compliance, and donor reporting.
- Facilitated professional development workshops for faculty and administrative staff.
- Championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across campus operations.
- Recruited, trained, supervised, evaluated and mentored staff members.
- Collaborated with senior leadership to set long-term objectives for the company.
Associate Director of Corporate, Foundation, Government, and Civic Relations
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
01.2009 - 01.2017
- Built and stewarded strategic partnerships across corporate, foundation, municipal, state, and federal agencies, aligning external funder priorities with SAIC's mission of art and design education.
- Secured new and renewed scholarship funding that increased access for students who are underrepresented in art and design fields.
- Secured multiple major gifts and competitive institutional grants, directly supporting academic programs, capital improvements, and student-centered initiatives, including contributions that helped drive the successful completion of SAIC's $55M capital campaign.
- Led cross-departmental collaboration with faculty, deans, and senior leadership to develop compelling proposals that elevated SAIC's visibility within national arts, culture, and education funding communities.
- Expanded the school's institutional funding pipeline through intentional prospect identification, targeted cultivation, and long-term stewardship strategies that strengthened donor engagement and retention.
Associate Director of Major Gifts, Scholarships, and Research
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
01.2007 - 01.2009
- Developed and executed major-gift prospect strategies to advance SAIC's fundraising priorities, with a particular focus on expanding scholarship support for undergraduate and graduate art students.
- Led assessment efforts to evaluate program effectiveness and student satisfaction.
- Maintained positive relationships with stakeholders by responding promptly to inquiries, requests and complaints.
- Identified opportunities for improvement in processes, procedures, systems and services.
- Conducted meetings to lead discussions as subject matter expert on assigned projects.
- Coordinated with other departments to ensure successful completion of projects within established timelines and budgets.
Assistant Director of Student Affairs
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
01.2004 - 01.2007
- Managed and mentored a team of 12 staff, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, student-centered services within a fast-paced art school environment.
- Improved departmental operations by implementing new systems, assessment methods, and communication practices that strengthened support for SAIC's diverse artist-student population.
- Oversaw staff recruitment, training, and performance evaluations in the department.
- Analyzed feedback from students to improve course offerings and experiences.
- Managed daily workflow of personnel by assigning tasks, tracking progress and providing assistance when needed.
- Supervised recruitment process including interviewing candidates, making hiring decisions and onboarding new hires.
Education
M.A. - Art History, Theory and Criticism
School of The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL05-2004
B.A. - English Literature
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL05-1998
Skills
- Team leadership
- Collaborative fundraising
- Campaign management
- Major gifts fundraising
- Strategic planning
- Board development
- Fundraising analytics
- Donor CRM platforms: RENXT and Salesforce
- Budget management
- Prospect research
- Grant writing and compliance
- Donor stewardship
Affiliations
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
- Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
- Social Responsibility Chicago
Timeline
Director of Major Gifts
The Chicago School
12.2023 - Current
Director of Advancement, Institutional Giving
Adler University
08.2019 - 11.2023
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Adler University
10.2017 - 08.2019
Associate Director of Corporate, Foundation, Government, and Civic Relations
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
01.2009 - 01.2017
Associate Director of Major Gifts, Scholarships, and Research
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
01.2007 - 01.2009
Assistant Director of Student Affairs
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
01.2004 - 01.2007
M.A. - Art History, Theory and Criticism
School of The Art Institute of Chicago
B.A. - English Literature
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign