As a fundraising leader for an organization, you’re tasked with:
- building, launching, and managing successful campaigns
- fine-tuning strategies so that all teammates and initiatives hit their goals
- engaging your board and inspiring them to action

Without sufficient expertise, staffing, or bandwidth to accomplish all of the above in-house, you may be considering outside support.

I’d love to partner with you to fill this need!

My name is Jen Stirling and my mission has always been to propel a new generation toward a brighter future.

I found my home in education early as a fourth-grade teacher before working up the ranks of higher ed fundraising at Stanford, Santa Clara, and San José State Universities.

A few career highlights:
- Created a parent giving program at Santa Clara University that raised over $9M annually
- Launched a $1B campaign at Santa Clara that surpassed its goal
- Managed a team of 20+ at San José State, building a campaign and team culture

With experience in virtually every frontline fundraising role, I founded Brighter Philanthropy in 2024 to support a variety of deserving educational institutions.

As your partner, I’ll bring my considerable expertise, high-energy efficiency, optimistic realism, relational approach, and fresh perspective to guide your team and help your institution reach its goals, enabling more students and families to thrive.

Here’s how I can support your team:
- Planning, launching, and ongoing management of campaigns
- Audits to identify opportunities for improvement throughout the development organization
- Building boards, boosting engagement and philanthropy, and facilitating board meetings and retreats
- Coaching staff, administrators, and board members to continually improve their skills

I’ll hit the ground running on day one to help you bring in the best results!

Are you interested in exploring working together? Please DM me or reach out via my website at brighterphilanthropy.com, and let’s chat!

Brighter Philanthropy

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