Meagan Downey
Meagan has helped nonprofits of various sizes and mission areas realize aggressive growth and diversification in their fundraising programs for over two decades. She started her career as a “one-woman development shop,” leading fundraising and external affairs for human services organizations in the Chicago area. In her role as Vice President of Development and Marketing for two large federated health care organizations, she built and led teams focused on major gifts, capital campaigns, grant writing and annual fundraising. She is honored to bring her passion for human services, health and education to her role as Resource Development Director for the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.
Meagan has served both as a consultant and as a senior management team member to create and execute strategic plans, and has directed federally funded capacity-building projects regionally and nationally. In 2016, she directed capacity-building for grantees of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health and in 2019, provided capacity-building for grantees of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
In addition to serving as Resource Development Director for AARBF, Meagan provides counsel to nonprofit clients across the country in her role as Senior Vice President of Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, one of the nation’s top fundraising consulting firms. She also lectures at the undergraduate and graduate levels on nonprofit management, communications, and building a culture of philanthropy.
Her volunteer leadership experience includes serving as Vice President for the United Way of the North Shore (IL), board chair of a theater company, and Governor Phil Scott’s Appointee to the Vermont State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Meagan holds a Masters in Business Administration from Champlain College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from DePaul University. She obtained a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis in 2006 and has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) since 2009.
