Philanthropic Strategist Kim Verstandig Joins
Mackey Strategies as Vice President for Fundraising
Kim Verstandig—a visionary fundraising professional with deep experience in every aspect of the nonprofit philanthropic landscape—will join Mackey Strategies as Vice President for Fundraising & Senior Strategist effective September 1. Kim joins Mackey Strategies after 30 years of increasing leadership responsibility in the higher education and nonprofit sectors, most recently leading the largest and most successful campaign in the history of Connecticut College.
A results-oriented strategist and team builder, Kim brings our clients her knowledge and expertise in all aspects of fundraising, from assessing infrastructure to coaching frontline staff and volunteers, from developing effective campaign operations to securing principal gifts. As Vice President for Advancement at Connecticut College, Kim:
Built a campaign-ready and multi-faceted fundraising and alumni and parent engagement team.
Conceived and directed the Defy Boundaries campaign, which surpassed its $300 million goal and was so successful it finished a year ahead of schedule.
Led the way in securing five record-breaking fundraising years.
Helped secure six of the largest individual gifts the institution had ever received, ranging from $10 million to $30 million.
She also served for nearly a year as interim Vice President for Communications and Marketing. Prior to her service at Connecticut College, Kim served as Interim Vice President for Advancement and Associate Vice President for Advancement & Campaign Director at Skidmore College and held key leadership fundraising positions at The Albany Academies, Albany Medical Center, and Bucknell University.
Kim’s collaborative and creative approach, her integrity and professionalism, and her skills as a listener and communicator align with our values at Mackey Strategies, where we are committed to building meaningful and lasting partnerships with our clients. With her decades of experience as a hands-on fundraiser and communicator, and her passion for education and service, she will deepen and extend our ability to help clients with every aspect of communications and marketing, including our wide-ranging work on campaigns and fundraising.
Since our founding in 2016, Mackey Strategies has served more than 50 college, university, and other educational nonprofit clients across the country, with services encompassing institutional rebrands, campaign and admissions marketing, leadership counsel, interim communications leadership, communications audits, website and magazine redesigns, social media strategies, and more. Our range of clients has included the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Boston University, Brandeis University, Johns Hopkins University, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), Texas Tech University, and such leading liberal arts institutions as Amherst College, Furman University, Lafayette College, Smith College, St. Lawrence University, Trinity College, and Willamette University.
Last summer, Mackey Strategies welcomed Melanie Moran as our Vice President & Senior Strategist. This November, Pete Mackey, president and founder, will publish his next book, How to Change the Future: Lessons from Ireland on Revolutionizing Scientific Innovation and Economic Prosperity, co-authored with William Harris, founding CEO of Science Foundation Ireland and Science Foundation Arizona, as part of the renowned Strategic News Service briefing series.
Mackey Strategies also provides a free, searchable current and historical database of op-eds by higher education and educational leaders and a variety of training programs for communications leaders and their teams.
Learn more about our team and our services.