Karen S. Cochran, CFRE's Linkedin Analytics

I connect people with their passions and empower organizations to transform lives. As a dynamic advancement executive and now the founder of Philanthropy Innovators, I’ve led talented teams that have personally raised more than $1B—always with a focus on reimagining the ways they can have the greatest impact and with a commitment to sharing my knowledge through mentorship. While I didn’t grow up wanting to be a fundraiser, I was quickly hooked by the art of building relationships and philanthropy’s power to drive solutions for many of our global challenges. I have built powerful philanthropic partnerships and helped some of the world’s wealthiest donors see the impact of their generosity. Among these are: • Eliminating family income as a predictor of college success • Integrating whole-person care, including all aspects of lifestyle, into medicine • Exploring complex global issues through interdisciplinary initiatives like the environment and cancer • Using the polio virus to treat brain tumors Even after serving in multiple roles across different types of organizations, many of the best lessons I ever learned were from my first mentor, my Dad. He taught me the value of patience, practice, and perseverance; he encouraged me to reach further than I ever dreamed possible and to set my goals high and achieve them. It was from him that I learned the power of building networks of diverse perspectives that enrich our decision-making and our lives. Today, I'm sharing many of these lessons with organizations across the country to help transform their approaches to fundraising and advancement, providing a continuum of services and solutions that optimize organizations' processes, people, and ability to strategically plan in an ever-changing philanthropic world. Specialties: Nonprofit strategy; change management; growing internal talent; organizational structural design for maximum effectiveness and sustainability; leadership development and succession planning for advancement teams; identifying and encouraging diverse, young voices in their advancement careers; all phases of campaign management; strategic planning; community outreach; and global special event design Interests: Higher education access and equity; integrative medicine and whole health; cancer research; deaf education and sign language; staff and volunteer coaching; women executives and empowerment; and leadership development, mentorship, and team building