amy abramson
Freelance/Contract Experience at Development and Client Relations
education | art | alumnus relation | development
creative collaborator focused higher education , foundation , corporate giving large educational , science , art , service health-related company organization . area expertise strategic planning corporate/community relation grant writing/management stewardship/client service fundraising alumnus relation event planning volunteer recruitment/supervision
Development and Client Relations
Chinese Fine Arts Society, Communications/Production Coordinator
• Drafted and edited 6-8 marketing pieces promoting Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu Beijing Troupe.
• Wrote and tracked communications for five-school educational event (275 attendees).
• Produced seven public and VIP events with civic, government, and nonprofit partners.

Metropolitan Family Services, Grant Writer								
•	Wrote 21-part grant application for MacArthur Foundation $100M competition, 100&change.
•	Achieved top 801 among 7,069 competition registrants.
•	Analyzed research and managed deadlines, technology and feedback from seven staff.

Sotheby’s, Fine Arts Administrator						 
• Handled sensitive communications for high net worth art collectors.
• Coordinated contracts, property and logistics for four auctions.
• Operated as first contact for public (10-15 inquiries/week).

Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Donation Processor and Communications Editor 
• Edited content for seven impact areas (e.g., education, health, child welfare) for 13 funds. 
• Used Raiser’s Edge to create acknowledgements for up to 1,100 donors/day from ten funds.

Ravinia Festival, Development Writer and Editor, Major Gifts and Foundations
• Researched content for grant, foundation and individual proposals, updates and appeals.
• Wrote acknowledgements, fellowship letters and appeals for $10,000-$50,000+ Circle. 

Rush Hour Concerts, Corporate Relations Consultant						
• Researched and wrote prospect reports and proposals.
 • Managed grant deadlines and wrote letters of inquiry/intent.
• Resulted in board member, new connections to financial institutions and $3,4000 in funds.

River North Dance Chicago, Development Manager	
• Proofed budgets and grant proposals, fed content to grant writer, wrote foundation updates.
• Engaged program officers and board members on behalf of Executive Director.
• Led individual giving (6,000+ donors), raising $17,260.
Greater Chicago Area
Freelance/Contract Experience
The University of Chicago/Smith College
The University of Chicago Alumni Careers Committee, Strategic Planner
• Wrote solicitation letters for 25-30 volunteer career experts for six networking events.
•  Engaged 350+ alumni, with 15 to 200  attendees per event. 

The University of Chicago Social Sciences Division, Speaker					 
• Spoke to 40+ graduate students on "Career Diversity for Social Scientists” panel.
• Shared stories, career advice and resources and connected with students post-event.

The University of Chicago College Admissions Office, Reader					   	 
• Evaluated 250+ domestic/international student applications for admission and financial aid.
• Learned about young adults from various regions, cultures and educational systems.

Chicago Smith Club, Vice President and Seven Sisters Liaison 
• Organized "class of"/family-oriented alumni events, partnered with Ivies and other schools.
• Negotiated budget and coordinated vendors, food, RSVPs and communications.
Greater Chicago Area
Higher Education Experience
Nonprofit Organizations
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Raiser's Edge Project Manager
• Researched and coded information for 2,000+ individual and organizational constituents. 

BackStage Theater Company, Assistant Development Director
• Solicited opening night sponsor ($2,500 gift) and managed closing night budget ($1,500). 
• Secured fundraising auction items ($1,000+ total).
• Re-launched annual fund, resulting in 44 donors ($7,500 total) with five major gifts ($250+).

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Fundraising Mentor Captain, Team in Training
• Received “best fundraising mentor” award.
• Led 280-person volunteer fundraising team.
• Mentees raised over $20,000 in four months, 30% over fundraising requirement.
• Personally raised $20,000+ as a charity athlete for eight campaigns.
• Participated in five marathons, four triathlon and one Century over six years.
• Wrote weekly fundraising email reports and newsletters.
Select Pro Bono Development Work
University, Liberal Arts and Professional Institutions
• Taught 100+ undergraduate and graduate students.
• Presented research related to social development, gender and middle childhood.
• Mentored students, collaborated with faculty and managed classroom dynamics.
Chicago and Beloit, WI
Educator
Ph.D.
• Wrote grants (NSF, Dept of Education, Searle Funds/Chicago Community Trust). 
• Awarded $108,000 in research grants and academic fellowships.  
• Taught Advanced Professional Writing. 
• Solicited subjects and created and analyzed large database using SYSTAT.
Human Development
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D0BAQHbp_dv8CAlpQ/company-logo_100_100/0/1596203153156?e=1655942400&v=beta&t=EukebTIATeA8f0h0B6lpma_qu64wciGIjkzWK4kUfiQ
University of Chicago
https://www.linkedin.com/school/uchicago/
Doctoral student, Psychology
•	Managed Harvard Project on Women's Psychology and Girls' Development. 
•	Liaised between high profile faculty member and nationwide faculty consortium.
•	Addressed public inquiries, created brochures, and distributed publications. 
•	Mentored at-risk adolescent girls for Project Athena/Center for Ventures in Girls' Education.
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E0BAQF5t62bcL0e9g/company-logo_100_100/0/1519855919126?e=1655942400&v=beta&t=5fyYqKTduVNijdmIxPJbYS5CjT2Ox3Jkb7aOaa7bBGY
Harvard University
https://www.linkedin.com/school/harvard-university/
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Honors. Junior Year at Wesleyan University
• Played Division III varsity sports for six seasons. 
• Tested language development among pre-K and deaf children for two Psychology faculty.
• Interned in media planning at Young & Rubicam New York.
Psychology with additional studies in Anthropology and Linguistics. 
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D0BAQFu1fnqOFaiJQ/company-logo_100_100/0/1581371007401?e=1655942400&v=beta&t=7O5s_e8_cqm_788wwq7zRKTpF4XSP69TtwZckyLFfx8
Smith College
https://www.linkedin.com/school/smithcollege/
Have held nearly all Toastmaster's meeting roles, including Toastmaster, Joke Master, Grammarian, Time Keeper and Speech Evaluator.
Toastmasters
Member
Recovered stolen bikes through volunteer subgroup (2010-2011).
Chainlink
Member
The University of Chicago Alumni Club of Chicago - Careers Committee
http://www.careers.uchicagoalumni.org/article.html?aid=192
One of eight panelists invited to speak on "Career Diversity for Social Scientists."
Social Sciences Division - Emerging Leaders Initiative
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0CVqSe9053xV2QwaG54a2N0R00/view?usp=sharing
Human Rights
Friends of the North Branch Park & Nature Preserve
•	Friends of the Parks 2019 VIP (Volunteers-in-Parks) Advocacy Award. 
•	Advocated for citywide public green space along the Chicago River.
•	Testified at City Hall and at other community events.
•	Wrote letters to public officials. 
•	Helped create strategic planning and execute plans on-site.
•	Liaised with allies advocating for housing, education, small business, transit.
•	Completed Chicago United for Equity (CUE) facilitation training.
•	Participated in Racial Equity Impact Assessment of mega-developments.
Community Organizer
Animal Welfare
Chicago Animal Care & Control
•	Registered 100+ cats and dogs at monthly high volume, low-cost vaccine clinic.
•	Served pet owners from local community, in Spanish and English.
•	Tended to 100+ dogs as part of weekly in-kennel enrichment (IKE) team.
•	Worked with cat and dog adopters.
•	Fostered CACC cats and dogs.
•	Walked dogs, played with cats.
Volunteer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-l-brunnbauer
Sheboygan Falls, WI
Jessica L Brunnbauer
Administrative Professional | Operations Support | Data Entry | Mental Health Advocate
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-von-ferstel-a77045b
New York, NY
Alexandra von Ferstel
General Counsel at Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurkewicz
Batavia, IL
Katie Yurkewicz
Science Writer and Communicator
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyelundeen
Greater Chicago Area
Lesley Lundeen
Well-Being Manager at Northwestern University
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-katcher-23700a88
United States
Melissa Katcher
Freelance Model
https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-wall-398812138
Carlstadt, NJ
Isabel Wall
Special Education Teacher at Pierrepont Upper Elementary School in Rutherford School District
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deb-prohaska-137b6072
Greater Augusta Area
Deb Prohaska
Nuclear Inventory Administrator in Procurement
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-witt-cpa-115a705
Deerfield, IL
Zach Witt, CPA
Vice President - Senior Tax Manager at Bessemer Trust
https://www.linkedin.com/in/traci-panizzi
Chicago, IL
Traci Panizzi
Director of Finance at Braven
https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-farrar-7675a62a
Orange, VA
Donna Farrar
Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Special Educator VA certified: ID, ED, SLD, SD, VI
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-garrison-funderburk-9237693b
Edmond, OK
Kelly Garrison-Funderburk
1988 Olympian, Women’s Gymnastics Color Commentator
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micky-baer-52035425
Deerfield, IL
Micky Baer
Executive Director at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-ercoli-27164236
Greater Chicago Area
Gina Ercoli
Director, Accounting at Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenhattenbach
United States
Ellen Hattenbach
Executive Director of Illinois at Jewish National Fund-USA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-reynolds-862a184
La Canada Flintridge, CA
Meredith Reynolds
Owner, Head Start College
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-siegel1
Greater Chicago Area
Andrea Siegel, CPA
Account Manager at New World Natural Brands
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-rankin-04
Riverside, CA
Emily Rankin
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Development, UC Riverside, Chair-elect CASE District VII Cabinet at Council for Advancement and Support of Education
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-frew-3475769
Boston, MA
David Frew
Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Relations at Boston University Questrom School of Business
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dkevinhurst
United States
Kevin Hurst
Corporate Philanthropy, Communications, Public Relations, and Employee Engagement
Maria Kellner, M.S.
      
          



            
              
        
              
  

    
        Amy is very passionate about causes that are important to her, and this comes through in her work. Her friendly demeanor allows for successful interactions with everyone from patrons to volunteers to VIP donors. She is extremely detailed and thorough when it comes to fundraising and development, and eager to pitch in whenever/wherever to help the team succeed. Amy has a wealth of volunteer experiences with several cause-related organizations of various sizes, adding to her professional development experience.  Tovah Domenick
      
          



            
              
        
              
  

    
        Amy Abramson was a wonderful mentor to incoming participants of the Team In Training program.  She truly cared about each volunteer she worked with and worked with them to customize a fundraising plan to help them succeed in their fundraising goals.  Amy was very passionate about the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and always had a can-do attitude!
Liked by Amy Abramson
https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join
Vornado's theMART: Still Relevant at 90
Shared by Amy Abramson
https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join
https://lnkd.in/gVHCAPJ
Liked by Amy Abramson
https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join
So yesterday I became an AMERICAN 🇺🇸  officially! It’s so hard to put my feelings in words. I feel so happy, honered, proud! 5 years and 7 months…
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyholtzapple
Orlando, FL
Amy Holtzapple
Sales and Business Integration Coordinator at The Walt Disney Company
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/amyabramson17
Toronto, ON
Amy Abramson
Social Media Manager, Sporting Life
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-abramson-05ba044
White Plains, NY
Amy Abramson
CPA at TFMG, LLC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyabramson
Davis, CA
Amy Abramson
Accounting and Finance Consultant
Smith Business Network: Careers, Connection, Community
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E07AQHpEw1x_ixQJg/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1645817967475?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=KEOFo762FTGlVg3uX5cFQp0tb7VFNRQLIgMSlTG0lYY
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4385379
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQFw1j_N9neKag/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1630998891581?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=TpkgLRPlHPqoWNl-ekr2jQlEjrlQXVUsliurxnlbMe0
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1538517
YOU are the LIGHT!
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C5607AQF26hxDJETbmA/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631428804427?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=5e10Io6lqEMRCYfqpSTWe6ENbgfTUpehEHZ9toxPSW0
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7300844
Smith College Alumnae of Chicago
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E07AQERSPnjTRw79A/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1631007553602?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=naJiDBNUiWwDO2fNFPFldU52OT6XIB2SmvJofDXnyac
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2331911
Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP)
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQGG8LaLwDSWbw/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631366696341?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=5uuVqrjtADNQgp6A3m_6K--nnew2E8N27TPSF4rydqI
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2839853
The University of Chicago Alumni
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQF2WhRdz4ChcA/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1631009175305?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=vvy21Qjqo4NDBORYGWZoS2opYMOzcr6IMA7QKBg11ec
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/71846
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQEmyWDbEZT-WA/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631375089459?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=aqlTmthbxy7fI2vJOV-DzwgRuMZafHlL2cA0ycptusM
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1188667
Chicago Foundation for Women
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C5607AQFvRnnMgQmTxw/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631438073441?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=BHC05801kYXkaFtFAeri5APQJoXnWRuxb37wHlepnh0
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2777319
Smith College
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQEDxYfoDtydhw/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631361071130?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=2lHxqEzAaxsdnY9vO1ydsKu5rYiL_sIdh-dVLvSVOd4
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/83564
Nonprofit & Philanthropy Jobs, Powered by ImpactFlow
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQHC-d2sfKpLFg/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631362218910?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=HWVQXe2J0WjAZY_EKOs5DcLERY-qTh5hdsmNMdAiNTc
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1227037
Smith College - Working or Volunteering for Non-Profits
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQFjCUqN3N7wDA/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631357919069?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=WOH_Ey8HizcWzP9s95ZDleR8xmu9HogohFidM9yzSIs
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2779621
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Chicago Chapter
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E07AQH7H7LNDYr4Dw/group-logo_image-shrink_200x200/0/1631005037472?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=bDNeZRudXeoM8SK2DRwHhb7rw2UnWezC0ETeHClBvxg
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1926283
NorthShore Executive Networking Group (NSENG)
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E07AQHnCTi-vopZyQ/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1630996310833?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=SaWYjCDi77tSVUVMzAGz-GHi1dZm7ZV5du-Za_sUfgo
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4788306
Seven Sisters Alumn Club
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D07AQGvcdelNm7g6w/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1525133187025?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=swvtQ44RMkvvwI4N-_0x2ZzvyiR1CgYI1dIVHwFY-dQ
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/157470