Our speaker will share their key takeaways, lessons learned, and best practice strategies used during their first year at Green Empowerment, a 25-year-old international nonprofit. With over a decade of experience in Fundraising, serving as the first Development Officer and building a Philanthropy department for this nonprofit has been an exciting challenge. These lessons and strategies can be used to identify gaps and opportunities with nearly any nonprofit, and you’ll hear specific ideas and examples for navigating fundraising issues common in the nonprofit sector. 

Key Learning Objectives:
-  Strategies for assessing strengths, gaps, and opportunities at a nonprofit
-  Change management tactics for implementing these strategies
-  Best practices for fundraising, especially with events and individual giving

About the Speaker:
Raven Walsh grew up in Seaside, Oregon before completing a degree in Biology from Pacific University. Through volunteering in Rotary, Raven learned how to plan events and fundraise for local and international service projects, and in 2016, she began her professional career in Fundraising as the Development Director of an Oregon housing nonprofit. When a project arose to fundraise and manage a $5 million renovation project to convert a never-used Portland jail into Oregon’s largest homeless shelter, Raven relocated to take the opportunity head-on. Raven raised a total of over $10.5 million dollars for homeless services, growing the organizational budget from $279,000 in 2016 to over $3.4 million in 2022, and the organizational capacity from 150 beds in 3 counties to nearly 700 beds for the homeless in 5 Oregon counties.

Finding alignment with her expertise for mission-based fundraising, her education in Biology, and her passion for creating access to clean water, Raven was thrilled to accept a position as Philanthropy Director for Green Empowerment in 2022. Raven is the first Development Officer for this Portland-based nonprofit working to bring access to clean water and renewable energy to rural and indigenous communities in developing countries throughout Latin America, Africa, and SE Asia.

Raven continues to volunteer as a member of the Lake Oswego Rotary Club, and serves as the District 5100 International Service Chair 2023-25. Raven and her husband Patrick –  a Theater Director and official book nerd AKA Library Board Member – live in Lake Oswego, OR and have a beautiful 18-month-old son named Ronan and a mischievous 10-year-old chiweenie named Cora.