Melissa S. Brown helps charities turn knowledge into action. Drawing on more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector, Melissa knows what drives charities to deliver on their mission. She uses research about giving trends and donor motivations to help nonprofit organizations plan effective fundraising.
Melissa began work in 1989 with the annual fund at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. She has also worked at the Arthritis Foundation national headquarters, an Indianapolis-based project called the Homeless Initiative Program, and what is now the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. While with IU, she edited ten editions of Giving USA.
Since 2011, Melissa S. Brown & Associates has aided clients globally, including through teaching online for The Fund Raising School. Other services include presentations, proofreading, in-person and online training, surveys, and program evaluation.
Nationally, she volunteers on the AFP Research Council and the Association of Philanthropic Counsel. Locally she is involved in a neighborhood food drive, the Master Gardener program in her county, and an alumni reading group for her college. She holds degrees from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Melissa & her historian husband live in southern Washington state, where they revel in the mild climate and being nearer to family. Her own giving focuses on climate change mitigation, the arts, and social justice.