Barbara L. Tesner

Experience

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  Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust (B.E.S.T.)

  Jan 1997 - Jan 1999

  Director of Development

  Developed, managed and executed fundraising plans and activities. Administered successful annual campaign consisting of letter appeals, personal solicitations, grant proposals, and fundraising gala event. Worked closely with Board of Directors development committee. Developed and edited annual report, case statement, and pertinent development materials. Administered donor acknowledgments. Configured and managed Raiser’s Edge donor database.

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  University of Maryland Baltimore County

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2003

  Senior Major Gifts Officer / Director of Annual Giving

  Member of UMBC's leadership development team that executed the University's first-ever capital campaign, which exceeded its goal by greater than 30 percent.2001 - 2003, Senior Major Gifts Officer: Identified, engaged, solicited, and stewarded individual major gift support for the University. Consistently exceeded annual visit and dollar goals. Increased major donations from individuals. Worked collaboratively with the University President on the solicitation of leadership gift prospects. 1999 - 2001, Director of Annual Giving: Produced the highest annual giving participation rates for alumni, parents, faculty, and staff in the history of the University. Directed a wide range of fundraising activities that included a comprehensive plan for securing annual gifts with a focus on strategic segmentation and retaining and upgrading current donors. Visa mindre

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  The George Washington University

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2013

  Assistant Vice President of Development

  Most important - - matching donors’ philanthropic goals and passions with fundraising priorities for the College and George Washington University. Strategic planning meshed with donor engagement resulted in a variety of gifts that support Columbian College’s mission and achieved donors' philanthropic goals including scholarship and fellowship endowment funds, planned gifts, annual gifts, gifts in kind, and institutes. Built and led GW's Columbian College of Arts & Sciences fundraising team and maintained my own portfolio of major prospects and donors with a focus on high 6 and 7 figure commitments, including significant planned gifts and endowments. During my tenure, raised over $100 Million and directed the College's work in GW's $1 billion campaign. Columbian College of Arts & Sciences is the largest of GW’s academic units with more than 40 departments and programs including the School of Media & Public Affairs and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration as well as 27 research centers and institutes. Visa mindre

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  BLT Philanthropy Services

  Jan 2014 - Jan 2020

  Principal

  • Areas of specialty: building major gift and planned giving programs; training staff and volunteers on solicitation; campaign management including feasibility studies; endowments; board development and engagement; program assessment; donor engagement and stewardship programs.Client highlights include:• American College of Osteopathic Internists: in collaboration with Barbara Ciconte, Donor Strategies, Inc. – providing counsel for planned giving.• Arlington Academy of Hope-Uganda: in collaboration with Barbara Ciconte, Donor Strategies Inc. – Performed an organizational infrastructure assessment and fundraising study: delivered a comprehensive action plan which increased organizational effectiveness and improved fundraising results.• Meals on Wheels America: created custom webinars, broadcast live to national audience “The Happy Marriage of the ‘Blended Ask’” & “Developing an Organizational Culture of Philanthropy”.• Atlantic Council: in collaboration with Mary Robinson, Capacity Partners Inc. & Pam Larmee, Strategic Philanthropy Services – Provided broad fundraising training & personalized 1:1 coaching to post-9/11 veterans transitioning to careers as nonprofit and thought leaders in the policy field.Speaking engagements:• American College of Osteopathic Internists National Convention, Phoenix, AZ: "Mindful Estate Planning: A Fresh Perspective"• AFP DC CFRE Study Group: “Securing the Gift”• Meals on Wheels America Conference, Nashville, TN: "Turning Leadership Transitions Into Positive Opportunities"; & "Developing an Organizational Culture of Philanthropy"• Panel Moderator AFP DC: How to Make a Successful Call on a Major Donor Prospect• Panelist Joint AFP DC-NCGPC: Tips and Techniques to Opening Doors to Personal Contact with Donors• Panel Moderator AFP DC: What You Need to Know About Planned Giving When Planned Giving Is Not All That You Do• Panelist AFP DC: Opening the Door to Major Gifts: Mastering the Discovery Call Visa mindre

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  INaturalist

  Mar 2020 - now

  Member/Contributor

  iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature - connecting people to nature, getting people to feel that the non-human world has personal significance, and is worth protecting.