Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Career Achievements
Skillsandtools
Languages
References
Timeline
Generic

Kathryn Baron

Hackettstown,NJ

Summary

Accomplished Foundation Relations Officer at FellowshipINC., adept in CRM Systems and relationship building, significantly increased resident engagement by 30%. Expert in leveraging data analytics and storytelling for impactful donor management and community development, I have a proven track record of fostering sustainable growth and exceeding fundraising targets through innovative multi-channel campaigns.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience

Work History

Content, Marketing, and Engagement Strategist

Baron Strategic Content Marketing
NYC Metro Area, Remote
01.2021 - Current
  • Developed and executed strategic plans for a new 501(c)(3), including mission statements and stakeholder engagement strategies, laying a foundation for organizational growth
  • Led digital transformation from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce by creating customer-centric narratives, resulting in a 15% increase in average order value
  • Improved mobile app engagement for a UNESCO World Heritage site by writing and tailoring content for international audiences, achieving a 60% boost in ratings and downloads
  • Developed and implemented strategies to optimize customer experience.
  • Analyzed industry trends and identified opportunities for business growth.
  • Created presentations to showcase strategy results, insights, and recommendations.
  • Conducted research on competitors and their marketing activities.
  • Performed cost analysis on potential investments or initiatives.
  • Recommended new approaches based on best practices in the industry.
  • Synthesized complex information into actionable insights for decision makers.
  • Identified appropriate key performance indicators, reporting on key metrics from digital campaigns.
  • Prepared and presented reports to update stakeholders about success of each strategy.
  • Managed tracking and reporting of search-related activities to provide analyses to marketing executives.
  • Optimized text, graphics or multimedia assets for SEO or display and usability on internet-connected devices.
  • Identified methods for interfacing web application technologies with enterprise resource planning or other system software.

Foundation Relations Officer

FellowshipLIFE
Basking Ridge, NJ
06.2022 - 04.2024
  • Increased resident engagement by 30% by partnering with local community leaders to create in-house educational initiatives, fostering stronger community ties, and collaboration.
  • Co-led a Gala event, raising $22,000 by engaging community and resident stakeholders, cultivating key relationships and laying the groundwork for a 2025 Capital Campaign
  • Overcame a 95% budget cut by developing non-financial collaborative opportunities and maintaining critical community support and engagement despite financial constraints
  • Successfully lobbied FellowshiLIFE Leadership to include resident-requested spaces in architectural plans, enhancing community well-being and strengthening resident relationships
  • Orchestrated donor identification strategies by conducting resident research and aligning stakeholder buy-in to identify and engage potential donors

Development & Fundraising Manager

PNP Staffing Group
New York, NY
04.2022 - 03.2023
  • Created and implemented comprehensive development strategies for membership drives and annual appeals, increasing donor retention and achieving a 75% renewal rate for high-value donors at NYC nonprofits
  • Increased donor renewals to 95% for the Entertainment Community Fund (donors >$9,999) by crafting strategic, mission-driven content communications
  • Built strong partnerships with nonprofit leadership to align development initiatives with organizational missions, fostering long-term, sustainable growth
  • Improved donor retention by 20% across NYC nonprofits by managing membership drives, event solicitations, annual appeal strategies, and leveraging CRM analytics
  • Developed and implemented successful fundraising strategies to maximize donor engagement.
  • Coordinated with marketing team to create effective promotional materials for campaigns.
  • Established relationships with key stakeholders in the community to increase visibility of organization's mission.
  • Analyzed data on past donations to identify trends and areas for improvement.
  • Reviewed existing processes related to fundraising operations making recommendations for improvements when necessary.
  • Created and wrote content for annual fund brochures, direct mail appeals, e-solicitations and phonathon scripts.
  • Cultivated strong relationships with board members, donors, prospects, and philanthropic community to keep institution's financial needs in forefront.
  • Liaised with business and community members to increase awareness of fundraising programs and causes.

Manager of Direct Response & Communications

Citymeals on Wheels
New York, NY
05.2014 - 09.2019
  • Company Overview: 2nd largest Wheels on Meals in the US
  • Orchestrated over 14 direct response campaigns, exceeding annual targets with $6M in revenue by utilizing data-driven strategies and compelling storytelling, managing every aspect from concept to execution
  • Constructed multi-channel content using research, interviews, and data analytics to attract target audiences
  • Advocated for and deployed predictive modeling software integrated with CRM systems, resulting in a 15% increase in average gift amounts and improved donor retention rates
  • Analyzed donor behavior patterns and optimized gift amounts and retention rates by 6% through targeted testing, segmentation, and data analytics with comprehensive data management in Raiser’s Edge
  • 2nd largest Wheels on Meals in the US
  • Created monthly reports for senior management summarizing operational performance metrics.
  • Coached, mentored and trained team members in order to improve their job performance.
  • Monitored budgets and expenditures to ensure cost-effectiveness while maintaining quality standards.
  • Initiated new projects that resulted in increased productivity across all departments.
  • Implemented new technologies to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve customer service.
  • Analyzed customer feedback data to develop action plans for improving services offered.
  • Collaborated with other departments to ensure timely completion of projects within budget constraints.
  • Reviewed contracts before signing them on behalf of the organization.
  • Managed vendor relationships by negotiating contracts and ensuring timely delivery of goods and services.
  • Established and monitored KPIs to evaluate performance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction through the development of a customer service excellence program.
  • Resolved customer complaints and issues promptly, maintaining a positive brand image.
  • Analyzed business performance data and forecasted business results for upper management.

Manager of Direct Marketing

City Harvest
New York, NY
04.2009 - 11.2014
  • Company Overview: NYC’s largest food rescue organization, rescuing 77 million pounds of food annually
  • Led direct multi-channel marketing campaigns that surpassed all targets, generating $6 million in annual revenue and expanding the donor base by 10%, while managing the entire donor lifecycle, project timelines, and strategic execution
  • Optimized departmental budgets, forecasting, and performance metrics to maximize resource allocation and ensure a high return on investment (ROI)
  • Developed cohesive brand narratives across multiple channels, ensuring consistent mission-aligned messaging and impactful marketing collateral through close collaboration with cross-functional teams, vendors, and stakeholders
  • Supervised and mentored a two-member Database Team, maintaining data integrity for nearly 2 million gifts and enhancing operational accuracy and efficiency
  • NYC’s largest food rescue organization, rescuing 77 million pounds of food annually
  • Developed and implemented direct marketing strategies to increase customer engagement.
  • Created and managed email campaigns, social media posts, and other digital advertising initiatives.
  • Analyzed results from all direct marketing activities to identify areas of improvement.
  • Conducted research on current trends in direct marketing and made recommendations for changes accordingly.
  • Oversaw the production process for direct mail pieces, ensuring quality control standards were met.
  • Managed a budget for all direct marketing efforts, staying within allocated parameters while achieving desired outcomes.
  • Coordinated with vendors regarding printing, mailing services, and other related tasks.
  • Identified potential partners that could help expand reach into new markets or demographics.
  • Attended trade shows, conferences, and events related to the field of direct marketing.
  • Identified key influencers who could help promote brand awareness through their networks.
  • Drove key brand, communication and digital marketing tactics to serve business partners with strong results.
  • Influenced strategy, audience segmentation, and customer journey optimization with expert knowledge of market.
  • Developed direct to consumer roadmaps for projects and worked with team to build skills for achieving campaign success.
  • Aligned direct mail plans, campaigns and pieces with broader corporate strategic objectives.
  • Designed and implemented ways to integrate complex, multi-channel triggered communications.
  • Planned and facilitated meetings to share marketing plans and explain future business goals.
  • Assessed projects against budgets and timelines, keeping team and assignments on task.
  • Negotiated with vendors to obtain most cost-effective pricing for product distribution.
  • Collected and analyzed market research data for use in forecasting.
  • Conducted research to determine ideal markets for products and services.
  • Prepared marketing campaign budgets with finance personnel.
  • Interviewed and hired talented individuals to add value to marketing team.

Associate Director, Membership

Museum of Arts & Design
01.2006 - 01.2009
  • Directed New York's MAD Museum's most extensive marketing campaign in its history, tripling membership and establishing the museum as a thought leader in the arts community with its opening at
    2 Columbus Circle.

Education

MA - Nonprofit Management & Museum Studies

Seton Hall University
NJ

BA - American History, Double Minors in Law & Journalism

The College of New Jersey
NJ

Skills

  • Identifying emerging opportunities, unlocking value, and implementing innovative project solutions to achieve organizational goals
  • CRM Systems (Raiser's Edge, DonorPerfect)
  • Data Analytics
  • Creating targeted, unified messaging based on analytics, driving growth, engagement, and audience retention
  • Content Strategy
  • Adept at synthesizing operational processes and diagnosing gaps to develop tailored, scalable solutions that enhance organizational effectiveness
  • Audience Engagement
  • Strategic Vision & Project Leadership
  • Communicate Complex Subjects Effectively
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Project Management
  • Innovation Management
  • Relationship building
  • Organizational Impact Optimization
  • Community Development
  • Revenue Generation & Strategic Growth
  • High Impact Brand Messaging
  • Transformational Marketing Leadership
  • Donor Lifecycle Engagement
  • Transformational Marketing Leadership

Career Achievements

  • Revenue Generation & Strategic Growth, Expanded donor support for Citymeals on Wheels and City Harvest to implement multi-year, data-driven strategies. Devised and executed comprehensive fundraising initiatives, leveraging data insights for targeted campaigns, and raised over $50 million, significantly improving donor retention and acquisition.
  • Transformation Marketing Leadership, Directed, researched, and orchestrated a major marketing campaign to expand the Museum of Arts & Design’s membership in NYC. Directed the largest campaign in the museum’s history, tripling household memberships, and solidified the museum’s leadership status in the arts community.
  • Engagement & Capacity Building, Developed strategic collaborative initiatives and engagement efforts for organizations to increase revenue streams. Managed targeted engagement strategies tailored to the audience, achieving up to a 35% increase in contributions and generating a sustainable revenue stream of $6 million.
  • Programmatic Operations & Growth: Directed over 14 multi-platform campaigns annually to an audience of 2 million. Generated over $6 million per year with over $50 million in total revenue by leveraging data insights, compelling content, implementing donor lifecycle strategies, and optimizing multi-channel engagement.
  • Event and Convening Management: Planned and executed large-scale events, including high-profile donor engagements and community-driven initiatives, raising over $22,000 individually, and achieving sustained growth despite significant budget constraints.
  • Communications Program & Stakeholder Management: Developed comprehensive communications for internal and external audiences, including board materials, newsletters, and leadership reports, ensuring clarity and alignment across diverse stakeholders.
  • Strategic Alignment & Leadership Support: Partnered with leadership to craft and implement strategic plans, resulting in measurable organizational impact, integrating predictive modeling software increasing xxxxxx, choice of vendors and more
  • Process Optimization & Technology Integration: Implemented predictive modeling and CRM system optimizations, increasing revenue by 10% and ensuring operational efficiency through data-driven decision-making.

Skillsandtools

Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint), Outlook, Adobe InDesign, CRM Systems (Raiser’s Edge, Donor Perfect), Data Analytics, Cloud Collaboration Tools (Asana, Teams, Slack, Zoom), Social Media, Multi-Channel Campaigns, Content Strategy, Storytelling, Audience Engagement, Data Analysis, Narrative Creation, Messaging, Analytics, Knowledgeable Across Sectors & Current Events, Verbal Communications, Written Communications, Communicate Complex Subjects Effectively, Team Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Budgeting, Project Management, Innovation Management, Stakeholder Management, Relationship Building, Community Development, Donor Management, Adaptable & flexible, Easily Pivot, Critical Thinker & Decision Maker, Analytical, Resilient, Self-motivated, Work Cross-functionally, Conflict Resolution

Languages

English
Native/ Bilingual
German
Professional
Italian
Limited

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Foundation Relations Officer

FellowshipLIFE
06.2022 - 04.2024

Development & Fundraising Manager

PNP Staffing Group
04.2022 - 03.2023

Content, Marketing, and Engagement Strategist

Baron Strategic Content Marketing
01.2021 - Current

Manager of Direct Response & Communications

Citymeals on Wheels
05.2014 - 09.2019

Manager of Direct Marketing

City Harvest
04.2009 - 11.2014

Associate Director, Membership

Museum of Arts & Design
01.2006 - 01.2009

MA - Nonprofit Management & Museum Studies

Seton Hall University

BA - American History, Double Minors in Law & Journalism

The College of New Jersey
Kathryn Baron