Elissa Schneider

Elissa is an accomplished and integrity-driven professional offering 20 years of impressive results building relationships and creating solutions that move nonprofit missions forward. She is recognized as a leader with strengths in creating strategies and communications that yield fundraising results while building coalitions and movements that passionately support an organization’s mission.

Elissa’s fundraising experience started in her early career as she assisted political campaigns with fundraising. From there she built a nonprofit fundraising career working principally with community colleges and human services organizations.

Throughout her career she has generated support from businesses, foundations, individuals, and government entities alike. Additionally, she has created many successful fundraising campaigns that have targeted membership and alumni groups effectively to increase philanthropic giving while maintaining their existing relationships within each organization.

During Elissa’s tenure at Columbus State Community College, the school completed a successful $5 million capital campaign amid The Great Recession. At Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Elissa embraced a focus on donor- and data-centered strategies to build the organization’s major gifts initiative into a robust program that significantly increased donor retention. She also built a full pipeline engagement program that increased year-over-year giving by 15 percent.