Mary Benedict Vasse
Silver Spring,MD
Summary
Outcome-driven fundraising leader with 20 years of experience crafting fundraising strategies that bring individual, foundation, government, and corporate donors to the mission.
Skilled in fostering team and board empowerment to achieve fundraising results.
Robust commitment to donor stewardship and partnership across nonprofit programs, natural resource managers, and communities.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President, Development
Potomac Conservancy
10.2020 - Current
- Oversee fundraising for an organization budget of $2.6 million, including individual donors, foundation, corporate and government support
- Orchestrated systems that have enabled budget growth by an additional $1.4 million over six years
- Growing the individual donor community giving $1,000+ a year by 250%
- Manage portfolio of 300 mid and major-level donors, and coordinate donor cultivation for President and board members
- Created a series of donor cultivation and fundraising events that spur organic growth through friends and neighbors including an annual fundraising event that has seen income leaps of 18 - 20% a year
- Created a new online end of year giving campaign, tripling online giving from 2017 to 2022
- Oversee robust use of Every Action database, segmentation, targeted messaging, and analytics-driven communications
- Managing a team of three staff, four contractors and support dispersed fundraising roles with staff of 10
- Co-leading whole-organization management as a member of the VP Strategy Team.
Director of Development
Potomac Conservancy
06.2016 - 09.2020
- Oversee fundraising for an organization budget of $2.6 million, including individual donors, foundation, corporate and government support
- Orchestrated systems that have enabled budget growth by an additional $1.4 million over six years
- Growing the individual donor community giving $1,000+ a year by 250%
- Manage portfolio of 300 mid and major-level donors, and coordinate donor cultivation for President and board members
- Created a series of donor cultivation and fundraising events that spur organic growth through friends and neighbors including an annual fundraising event that has seen income leaps of 18 - 20% a year
- Created a new online end of year giving campaign, tripling online giving from 2017 to 2022
- Oversee robust use of Every Action database, segmentation, targeted messaging, and analytics-driven communications
- Managing a team of three staff, four contractors and support dispersed fundraising roles with staff of 10
- Co-leading whole-organization management as a member of the VP Strategy Team.
Director of Development
Anacostia Watershed Society
01.2015 - 05.2016
- Lead fundraising with corporations, high net worth individual donors, membership, and foundations
- Helped the organization grow from $1.9 million in 2012 to $3.4 million in 2015.Created a new annual fundraising event to activate individual donor community and boost visibility
- Diversified and increased corporate giving 13% over two years and created a new base of corporate donors giving up to $100,000 annually
- Directed the 25th Anniversary & The Future Is Now fundraising campaigns
- Increased donor customer service, including customized promotion, donor data accuracy, faster acknowledgement processing, and personalized volunteer and donor follow-up.
Major Gifts Officer
Anacostia Watershed Society
01.2012 - 12.2015
- Lead fundraising with corporations, high net worth individual donors, membership, and foundations
- Helped the organization grow from $1.9 million in 2012 to $3.4 million in 2015.Created a new annual fundraising event to activate individual donor community and boost visibility
- Diversified and increased corporate giving 13% over two years and created a new base of corporate donors giving up to $100,000 annually
- Directed the 25th Anniversary & The Future Is Now fundraising campaigns
- Increased donor customer service, including customized promotion, donor data accuracy, faster acknowledgement processing, and personalized volunteer and donor follow-up.
Fundraising Consultant
Self Employed
09.2009 - 01.2012
- Supported staff in raising $100K for the 2012 Earth Day Cleanup volunteer event
- Crafted fundraising strategy.
Director, Northwest Field Office
National Forest Foundation
03.2004 - 05.2009
- Founded the first regional field office, forging partnerships between the US Forest Service, local community leaders, nonprofits, and corporate sponsors in Oregon and Washington
- My successful leadership of this pilot field office spurred the NFF to open three new field offices in 2010
- Created and scaled the Foundation’s corporate-sponsored volunteer program, Friends of the Forest Day, as an entry-point for corporate funders, 44 events, 2,000 volunteers, 36 corporate donors
- Developed a $2.2 million, 5-year restoration project package in Oregon’s Deschutes Basin
- This project was a model as the first Western site of the national Treasured Landscapes capital campaign
- Served as Interim Co-Director of the Mount St
- Helens Institute – rebuilt and managed finances, established new leadership board, cultivated donors in partnership with the Forest Service Supervisor
- Evaluated grant proposals from Pacific Northwest grantees, worked with grantees to implement $2 million in restoration and recreation projects
- Provided technical and partnership support to grantees.
Director of Community Programs
Sustainable Northwest
01.2001 - 10.2003
- Directed forest and agriculture sustainability initiatives in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
- Coached local leaders as they brought conservation and development interests together around sustainable natural resource-based industries
- Facilitated pilot projects to gain multi-stakeholder agreement on contentious forest management early in the Northwest’s natural resource sustainability movement
- Conceived, funded and implemented projects totaling $1.3 million for sustainability initiatives
- Built a portfolio of community sustainability partnerships and raised an annual $600,000 budget to support community sustainability projects
- Co-hosted 12 peer-to-peer learning and Congressional staff tours to share sustainability best practices.
Community Program Officer
Sustainable Northwest
09.1998 - 04.2001
- Directed forest and agriculture sustainability initiatives in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
- Coached local leaders as they brought conservation and development interests together around sustainable natural resource-based industries
- Facilitated pilot projects to gain multi-stakeholder agreement on contentious forest management early in the Northwest’s natural resource sustainability movement
- Conceived, funded and implemented projects totaling $1.3 million for sustainability initiatives
- Built a portfolio of community sustainability partnerships and raised an annual $600,000 budget to support community sustainability projects
- Co-hosted 12 peer-to-peer learning and Congressional staff tours to share sustainability best practices.
Planner
Columbia River Gorge Commission
09.1994 - 08.1998
- Guided landowners to apply Gorge Area regulations and reviewed development within the federally-protected Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
- Directed reviews for the $10 million Economic Development Fund
- Designed monitoring of impacts from land use regulation on forest and farmland within the Scenic Area.
Program Associate
National Park Service
01.1993 - 08.1994
- Designed and led citizen-input processes to inform National Park development including the re-design of Philadelphia’s Independence National Park, protection of industrial sites for Pennsylvania coal country heritage areas, and Civil War historical resource protections in the Shenandoah Valley.
Education
Planned Giving Training -
National Capital Gift Planning Council
Washington, DC2022
Environmental Leadership Program -
Senior Fellow
Washington, DC2013
M.A. - Regional/Environmental Planning
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA1993
B.A. -
Hobart And William Smith Colleges
Geneva1990
Two Cities Program - New York/Paris -
Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture
New York1989
Skills
- Team leadership
- Development strategy and innovation
- Gift cultivation and HNW donor relationship stewardship
- Grants and foundation/corporate engagement strategy
- Database (EveryAction/DonorPerfect), Microsoft Suite, Project management (Asana, Basecamp, ClickUp)
Volunteer
Silver Spring Day School, Board member
Albert Einstein High School PTSA, Board member
Timeline
Vice President, Development
Potomac Conservancy
10.2020 - Current
Director of Development
Potomac Conservancy
06.2016 - 09.2020
Director of Development
Anacostia Watershed Society
01.2015 - 05.2016
Major Gifts Officer
Anacostia Watershed Society
01.2012 - 12.2015
Fundraising Consultant
Self Employed
09.2009 - 01.2012
Director, Northwest Field Office
National Forest Foundation
03.2004 - 05.2009
Director of Community Programs
Sustainable Northwest
01.2001 - 10.2003
Community Program Officer
Sustainable Northwest
09.1998 - 04.2001
Planner
Columbia River Gorge Commission
09.1994 - 08.1998
Program Associate
National Park Service
01.1993 - 08.1994
Planned Giving Training -
National Capital Gift Planning Council
Environmental Leadership Program -
Senior Fellow
M.A. - Regional/Environmental Planning
University of Pennsylvania
B.A. -
Hobart And William Smith Colleges
Two Cities Program - New York/Paris -
Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture