Julie Graves
Memphis,TN
Summary
Passionate donor development and advancement strategist with productive coaching skills. Key experience and insights around the marathon of planned giving, the sprint of major gifts, the cadence of the ask, and creative capital campaigns. An engaged professional who is experienced in Community Development/Outreach, able to build community relationships with donors, corporations, faith-based communities, and effectively manage challenging situations. Crafting cross-functional cohesion and a sense of calm amid pressure, a respected leader who embodies remarkable results. Proficient in developing strategic leadership and operational management. Experienced in driving team collaboration and achieving results through adaptive strategies and clear communication. Proficiencies include project management, financial analysis, and process optimization. Known for reliability, flexibility, and strong focus on delivering impactful outcomes.
Multi-talented Senior Executive knowledgeable about sales, operations, and personnel management. Successful at stepping into diverse positions and making immediate positive contributions. Focused on optimizing operations and motivating employees while establishing market dominance.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
AVP INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LeMoyne-Owen College
01.2021 - 01.2024
- Managed staff-Director of Development, Director of Alumni Affairs and Donor Base Managers
- Increased annual funds by 20% from the previous year
- Managed Stewardship and cultivation of corporate donors, and increased stewardship activities
- Maintained a working knowledge of the aspects of cultivating, soliciting, and closing major outright gifts, bequests, charitable remainder trusts, trusts, gifts of real estate, and Annual Fund
- Managed high-stakes board member engagements through volunteering and committee work
- Attends monthly board meetings civic meetings, working closely with board members and within committees to grow community awareness of Annual Fund giving
- Collaborates with the board and management to establish strategic plans for capital campaigns while connecting to broader donor networks and building a community of supporters
- Increased donor stewardship by creating opportunities that celebrate donors giving commitment
- Implementation of Annual Donor Appreciation Event
REGIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
The Salvation Army Georgia Division
01.2020 - 01.2021
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
University of Memphis
01.2014 - 01.2017
- Bringing organizational knowledge and development experience, I was able to make an immediate impact
- I connected with donors, prospects, and conducted tours of the shelters and planned Officer Donor events to showcase programs with officers to Reached individual goal of $650,000
- Raised funds to enable the Mission of The Salvation Army by aggressively developing and nurturing current and prospective donors including individuals, foundations and corporations
- Responded to donor inquiries, advisory organization members, Salvation Army staff and Officers
- Identified prospects, cultivated perspective doors for implementing a giving plan for every donor in my portfolio to reach an annual production goal
- Frequently traveled to engage with major gifts donors and prospective donors throughout an established assigned region of Griffin, Warner Robins, Albany and Macon
- Bringing organization, leadership, and a magnetic connection that made people feel heard, cultivated more than triple the goal for estate and blended gifts in the western KY/TN area
- Channeled great grace and perseverance, making an interpersonal investment ultimately benefiting the organization in providing shelter and aid to the homeless and in disaster relief efforts
- Raised $5.5M in estate gifts, exceeding a $1M goal - by bringing both strategy and humanity to the market
- Prioritized in-person visits with a giving base that averaged 65+ years
- Built family-like relationships, sending hand-written thank you notes for time, conversations, and consideration long before any money was committed
- Led the division to No 2 finish among the 9 Southern Territory branches in 2020
- Partnered with the Communications Department to create a Magazine that kicked off the opening of the new School of Public Health
- Collaborated with faculty to write articles and provide pertinent public health topics of interest as well from faculty and alumni
- Maintained updates regularly on CRM system to increase numbers of donors
- A strategic plan was developed to lead all fundraising efforts
Education
Master - Public Affairs
Park University
Parkville, MOBachelor of Arts - Journalism/Mass Communications
Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MOSkills
- Advancement Strategy
- Capital Campaigns
- Coaching
- Community Development
- Donor Appreciation
- Donor Development
- Donor Stewardship
- Estate Gifts
- Financial Analysis
- Flexibility
- Fundraising
- Grant Writing
- Major Gifts
- Operational Management
- Outreach
- Process Optimization
- Project Management
- Prospect Cultivation
- Public Health
- Relationship Building
- Reliability
- Resource Development
- Stewardship
- Strategic Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Team Collaboration
- Travel Engagement
Timeline
AVP INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LeMoyne-Owen College
01.2021 - 01.2024
REGIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
The Salvation Army Georgia Division
01.2020 - 01.2021
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
University of Memphis
01.2014 - 01.2017
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism/Mass Communications
Lincoln University
Master - Public Affairs
Park University
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