Partner with an expert to illuminate solutions and guide your team down a well-lit path to success
Supercharge your efforts with a fundraising consultant who knows how to make big things happen.
With experience in every frontline fundraising role at universities, I know how every effort influences the entire donor pipeline. Let my experience be your guide!
“Jen's energy is boundless. Her laser focus and ability to tackle complex projects and deliver outstanding results are among her greatest strengths.”
-Patty Shilling, Director of Campaign Engagement, Santa Clara University
Getting the puzzle pieces in place can be challenging.
Are you building, launching, or closing a campaign or fundraising initiative?
Do you have an annual giving, major giving, or other giving team that isn’t raising as much as you think they could?
Are you looking to optimize your fundraising efforts and board engagement?
Bringing in a fundraising consultant can do wonders for getting the team, leadership, and the board on the same page—and achieving the impact your students and community deserve!
I’ve got you.
After teaching fourth grade in an underresourced community, I landed an L&D training role in philanthropy at Stanford’s Office of Development without really knowing what philanthropy was.
It ended up being my first masterclass.
I met phenomenal fundraisers whose approach was more like counseling than sales, shaping my own relational approach to fundraising.
In working with donors, I truly enjoy one-on-one coffees, listening to people’s motivations and aspirations, and developing trusting partnerships that result in joyful giving.
Over the course of almost two decades, I learned how to inspire donors to make a huge difference through investing in universities and the students they serve, a skill I further honed in my roles at two Silicon Valley universities, eventually coaching others to do the same.
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At Santa Clara University (my alma mater!), I held virtually every fundraising role possible, including frontline jobs in annual and major giving, building a parent giving program from scratch (raising over $9M annually), managing volunteers and boards, and launching a $1B campaign that ultimately surpassed its goal despite having to pivot campaign priorities to respond to COVID-19 pandemic needs.
Through this successful comprehensive campaign we:
Opened the world-class Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation, one of the largest STEM education facilities in the country
Raised $280M in new scholarships and financial aid
Inspired 46,000 donors to invest in our students, programs, faculty, and community
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As Associate Vice President of Development and Executive Director of Campaigns at San José State University, I managed a team of over twenty colleagues in major, planned, principal, and annual giving, as well as corporate and foundation relations. I drove impact by leaning deep into mentoring, team-building, campus-partner collaboration, and influencing the culture in positive ways.
My biggest contributions were:
Launching a Principal Giving program to drive top-of-the-donor pyramid cultivation strategy, stewardship, and Presidential engagement
Rebooting Annual Giving with fresh approaches and new technology to achieve record-breaking success
Retooling stewardship pieces and donor communications to center them on impact stories
Breathing new life into a stalled comprehensive campaign with a brand-new model and better-aligned priorities.
In 2024, I launched Brighter Philanthropy to bring higher ed fundraising consulting to a multitude of deserving educational institutions, including private K-12 schools, community colleges, and public and private universities.
If your team is understaffed or underresourced, I’d love to help you guide your high-priority projects over the finish line!
“Jen isn’t afraid to say the hard things, and she says it in the nicest way. She can be that voice of reason that internal people can’t really be. She brings out the best in people, especially in up-and-coming leaders like myself. Her mentoring and her belief in people is amazing—she’s the blueprint of what a leader should be.”
-Jen Jurgensen, Senior Director for Leadership and Annual Giving, San José State University
More about me:
I was born, raised, and educated in Silicon Valley and have spent my entire professional life here.
I’m warm, approachable, and personal. (See my testimonials for proof!)
I bring multiple perspectives to my fundraising work, including that of a board member (I serve on boards myself) and donor (I’m also personally a major gift donor to several institutions). It’s easier to strategize when I can put myself in the shoes of those on the other side.
I’m deeply driven to work with institutions that have great people on their teams and a mission to make the world a more kind, just, equitable and humane place.
I’m an optimistic realist (magical thinking is not a fundraising strategy!)
I believe stewarding donors through personalized impact stories should be the underlying drumbeat of all fundraising work.
People are always telling me that I get more done in an hour than anyone they’ve ever met.
I am Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) through CFRE International.
“I couldn’t more highly recommend Jen. You’re going to get someone passionate about what she’s doing for you. She’s smart, compassionate, and has a deep understanding of the industry. If you’re thinking about working with Jen, stop thinking about it, sign the contract, and go to work!”
-Doug Hupke, Associate Vice President, Alumni and Community Engagement, San José State University