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Melissa Berliner

Senior Vice President LinkedIn

“With more than 15 years of nonprofit experience, I understand how to work with organizations to translate vision into action. Coupling direct experience with an understanding of evolving best practices, I partner with leadership, staff, and volunteers to achieve their goals while building capacity for the future. In every engagement, I adapt my approach and find creative solutions to help clients across the country address their most pressing needs.”

About Melissa Berliner

As a Senior Vice President, Melissa Berliner has expertise in quickly identifying the core challenges facing clients and developing tailored, innovative strategies to address them. Collaborating with individuals who have a variety of personalities and skill levels, Melissa builds consensus among organizational leadership, staff, and volunteers to cultivate and execute carefully developed plans. In her client work, Melissa most values opportunities to:

  • Help clients develop successful major gift strategies to secure the high-level support to achieve their goals
  • Develop tailored systems and/or processes to help clients work more efficiently in areas ranging from maximizing return on investment to managing donor relationships
  • Interview donors and/or volunteers to determine their values, motivations for supporting an organization, and philanthropic needs
  • Create effective partnerships between board members and staff
  • Strengthen and sustain board effectiveness

Melissa is a leader of Campbell & Company’s arts and culture practice. Her work includes significant engagements with the Zoological Society of San Diego, Zoological Society of Milwaukee, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Joffrey Ballet. Melissa is also a seasoned guest speaker and lecturer on a variety of fundraising topics, and has spoken at the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Women in Development Professions, DePaul University, and Columbia College.

Prior to coming to Campbell & Company, Melissa managed multi-million dollar fundraising programs at the Columbia Art Museum, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre. She is the immediate past President of the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Melissa graduated from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in English.

Areas of Expertise

Arts and Culture Philanthropy, Education Philanthropy, Human Services Philanthropy, Campaign Management, Governance, Major Gifts Fundraising, Volunteer Development

Recent Clients Served

  • Actors Theatre of Louisville
  • Auditorium Theatre
  • Chicago Children’s Choir
  • Chicago Opera Theater
  • Chicago Shakespeare Theater
  • Cleveland Institute of Music
  • Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts
  • Joffrey Ballet
  • Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
  • National Tropical Botanic Garden
  • The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University
  • Signature Theatre Company
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • WTTW/WFMT
  • Zoological Society of Milwaukee
  • Zoological Society of San Diego
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