ISM Advancement Consultant | Director of Advancement Services & The Academy Fund at Norfolk Academy
Expertise
Gigi provides expertise in the areas of development policies, procedures, and data management.
Current Role
As a member of ISM’s Advancement Team, Gigi:
- Serves on the ISM Advancement Faculty for ISM’s weeklong summer Advancement Academy
- Provides database expertise as part of the Advancement Team
- Leads workshops and speaks at educational conferences on schoolwide data sharing and cooperation, effective development office management, and benchmarking and reporting
She holds the Senior Certification through ISM’s International Advancement Program (IAP−S).
Gigi also currently serves as the Director of Advancement Services & The Academy Fund at Norfolk Academy, an independent coeducational day school serving 1,200 students in grades 1–12 in Norfolk, VA.
Gigi coordinates and implements the data-driven processes that are essential elements of the school’s overall fundraising strategy, including gift accounting, gift reporting, research, prospect management, and donor stewardship. She effectively reorganized the database to provide accurate benchmarking and assessment of fundraising results, and established policies and procedures for overall operations.
Her expertise includes detailed data analytics to acquire new donors and improve donor retention for annual giving programs. She currently manages Norfolk Academy’s $65 million comprehensive capital campaign, which includes identifying and evaluating prospects, developing individual cultivation strategies, and tracking and reporting on campaign progress.
She has received the following recognitions:
- CASE Educational Fundraising Award, 2017—Awarded to Norfolk Academy for overall performance and notable achievement in leading staff and volunteers to advance the mission of the school
- Handbook of Philanthropy at Independent Schools, 4th Edition, 2015—Contributing author for the chapter on Advancement Services and the role of data in precollegiate fundraising
- CASE Circle of Excellence Award, 2009—Awarded to the Norfolk Academy Development Team for overall improvement in school fundraising
- Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame, 2002—Selected for membership for athletic accomplishment and alumni leadership
Prior Experience
Before joining Norfolk Academy in 2003, Gigi worked as a fundraising consultant in Atlanta, GA, and as Director of Annual Giving at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.
Education
Gigi earned her master’s degree in administration from the College of William & Mary, VA, and her bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, NC.