As vice president of product strategy, fundraising solutions, Becca Widmer shapes the vision and roadmap of Encoura+RNL’s new and existing services in the fundraising sector. Her leadership will help the firm’s fundraising solutions better serve institutions as they look to increase engagement with their donor populations and create sustainable fundraising pipelines. Before this position, she served as vice president and senior consulting of fundraising management.
Previous Experience
Becca offers nearly 20 years of experience in the higher education, healthcare, and nonprofit industries at diverse institutions, including the University of Iowa, Columbia University in the City of New York, Rollins College, and Drake University in Des Moines, IA where she is currently located. Her time at each of these has granted her skills, insight, and expertise into strategic planning and operations, identifying areas of opportunity to create efficiency, and combining aspirational vision with innovative execution and sheer elbow grease to achieve departmental, unit, and institution-wide success.
Education
Becca holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wartburg University, and master’s degree in fundraising management from Columbia University.
Connect with Becca on LinkedIn
Insights and Content
Quotes from Becca
“I was raised in rural Iowa as the daughter of public-school teachers. What my family and community taught me is that if we want to get something done, we need to come together to make it happen. That’s the way giving works: the combined efforts and contributions of passionate people to make something happen. We need to communicate this group effort and the way it can transform lives, open doors to opportunities and better the world for all of us. This will greatly influence our success with donors. I recognize the life-changing impact of education, and I know from experience that our alumni and supporters are ready to step up to support that transformation.”
“Great donor engagement strategy includes a smart marriage between data and storytelling. Numbers, combined with the emotional intelligence to really connect with donors on a personal level is key. When these two sides work in harmony, we can ensure that we are communicating the right story and need to a receptive and invigorated audience who are ready to help. As fundraisers, we are the conduit to make things better in the world, and smart strategy is key.”