Christina Ritchie
About
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Lead Director, Donor Development and Engagement, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Résumé
Jobs
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Lead Director, Donor Development and EngagementBig Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaJun 2026 - Current (5 months)- Senior Director, Individual Giving and FoundationsMeals on Wheels AmericaMay 2025 - May 2026 (1 year 1 month)Lead a team of 6, including 3 direct reports, to raise $9M+ annually from individual and foundation donors.
Secured the largest gift in Meals on Wheels America’s history in 2025, a $6.3M grant to support unmet need in 20+ local communities.
Increased giving from major donors in 2025 by 82%, exceeding goal by 57%.
Consistently met or exceeded quarterly revenue benchmarks every quarter in every donor segment in 2025.
Grew end of year campaign revenue by 42% and number of donors by 26% in 2025.
Manage vendor and consultant relationships and contracts for direct mail, stewardship calling, planned giving strategy.
Lead direct mail strategy and implementation for both Meals on Wheels America and the Meals on Wheels m - Senior Director, Individual GivingMeals on Wheels AmericaAug 2023 - May 2025 (1 year 10 months)
- Annual Fund DirectorMeals on Wheels AmericaMar 2022 - Jul 2023 (1 year 5 months)
- Senior Director of Individual GivingAmericans for the ArtsJan 2022 - Feb 2022 (2 months)
- Director of Individual GivingAmericans for the ArtsMay 2014 - Dec 2021 (7 years 8 months)As Director of Individual Giving, I manage the organization’s annual giving programs, including oversight of the Annual Fund, Friends of Americans for the Arts, and National Patrons Council, as well as special campaigns for restricted project funding from individual major donors.
In 2020, we welcomed 872% more individual donors to our Annual Fund compared to when I started in 2014 (yes, you read that right), and we raised 55% more money from those donors.
How? A digital-first, multi-channel integrated fundraising campaign, sustained over years and refined through testing.
- Following years of limited, targeted appeals, launched a full scale direct mail campaign in 2019, methodically testing packages, insid - Development Officer, Foreign PolicyThe Brookings InstitutionFeb 2011 - Apr 2014 (3 years 3 months)As a Development Officer embedded in the Foreign Policy Program, I managed donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship for four centers: Center for the United States and Europe, Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, Energy Security Initiative, and India Initiative. This included everything from staffing donor briefings with senior scholars, to drafting and developing seven-figure proposals for endowed chairs, to researching and developing new prospects for specific projects and events, to producing grant reports.
For the Foreign Policy Program overall, I solicited Corporate Council membership gifts ranging from $10,000 to over $100,000 annually and managed individual donor groups. - Associate Director, Patron Program and MembershipThe Metropolitan OperaJul 2007 - Jan 2011 (3 years 7 months)Managed annual gift renewal solicitation for 4,000 Patrons ($2,000 - $20,000), including mail, tele-funding, and email efforts that raised over $11 million annually. Managed administration of Young Associates Program: solicited renewal of annual gifts of $500 to $2,000 for 300 households; planned, executed and hosted 20 member events each season; prepared and tracked expense budget; wrote print and web membership materials. Worked closely with Met Board member who serves as Young Associates Chairman on program strategy, event planning, and member acquisition and retention. Power user of Tessitura database for list creation, reporting, and solicitation management. Recommended and implemented changes and improvements to use of Tessitura accor
- Manager, Membership and Individual GivingNew York City CenterJul 2006 - Jun 2007 (1 year)Managed 1400 donor membership program. Developed strategy for short- and long-term growth of membership and individual giving program. Designed and implemented ongoing donor acquisition campaigns.
- Development Coordinator--Major Gifts and Planned GivingWashington National OperaMar 2005 - Jul 2006 (1 year 5 months)Managed membership renewal and acquisition for the 220 member Camerata Patron Program. Planned and executed patron receptions, behind-the-scenes tours, lectures. Designed, implemented and trained staff in comprehensive solicitation tracking system using Tessitura database.
- Assistant to the Director of Development and Director of Planned GivingWashington National OperaNov 2003 - Feb 2005 (1 year 4 months)
Education
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- Certificate, Image ConsultingFashion Institute of TechnologyJan 2008 - Jan 2010 (2 years 1 month)Course work in Image Consulting, Media Styling and Color Theory.
- General Course, EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science LSEJan 2001 - Jan 2002 (1 year 1 month)
- BSFS, International EconomicsGeorgetown UniversityJan 1999 - Jan 2003 (4 years 1 month)
Projects (professional or personal)
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- RRaiser's Edge Consultant - New York Public LibrarySep 2013Provided comprehensive assessment of the use of Raiser's Edge database by the development department. Identified areas for more advanced use of the database and recommended topics for robust staff training.
- TTessitura Consultant - The Studio TheatreJul 2012 - Sep 2012 (3 months)Designed development campaigns and appeals structure for fiscal year 2013. Mapped funds to general ledger codes. Provided documentation of recommended campaigns and appeals to development and financial staff. Set up campaigns, appeals, funds, and acknowledgements in live Tessitura system. Trained development and gift processing staff on new campaign structure, acknowledgements and pledge billing.
Publications
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- AYoung Patrons Programs in the Arts: How to Build a lot of Future Potential with a Little Bit of ResourcesArtsU AugMany arts organizations have established or are considering starting programs to engage young professionals to build a future audience and/or donor base. However, the arts administrators responsible for managing these programs often work in isolation and with little dedicated training in how to make these unique programs successful and efficient. Learn how to manage a young professionals program in concert with other job responsibilities and competing priorities, use resources effectively, and work with volunteers who contribute to the program’s success.
Learning Objectives:
Identify core program objectives in audience or donor development for your organization and align program features and deliverables with those - AA Year of Rapid Change: The Arts Put People First in Response to COVID-19ArtsLink AprOf all the discoveries of 2020—positive and negative—the most impactful is perhaps the most obvious, but too long overlooked: organizations are made of people and exist for people. We explore two areas where arts and culture organizations are taking the lead and making progress towards more equitable practices for their communities and staff: equitable grant-making, and operationalizing a person-first mentality.
- APreparing Your Organization and Your Donors for Shifts in the Charitable Tax DeductionARTSBLOG FebOn January 1, the 2018 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act went into effect, a substantial change to the U.S. tax code which has the potential to negatively impact arts and culture nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. One of the most significant impacts will come in changes related to the thresholds and amounts associated with the charitable tax deduction. So, what’s changing, and how (and who) will it impact? And, most importantly, what can artists, arts and cultural organizations, and the nexus organizations who support them, do about it?
- AActivating Support for the Arts from Donor Advised FundsARTSblog AprHere's the story of how a #HalfMyDAF grant helped Ashland New Plays Festival in 2020. Could this growing movement do even more for the arts in 2021?
- DThe Style of PoliticsDECA blog about the influence of wardrobe and image on political communication. What women (and men) in politics are wearing, and what they should be wearing instead.