With an eye for growth and organization, Jerry Clevenger, MBA, CFRE has enjoyed a 30-year career as an advancement executive. His passion for, understanding of and success in nonprofit management and fund development are a powerful blend.

"Start in the center with those people closest to your organization," Jerry says. "Then ask the question 'Who cares about this program and has the resources to make this campaign happen?' The answers will determine the next step in your campaign. The answer should not necessarily be 'the Board of Directors;' it should, however, reveal the pool of constituents to whom you should be communicating. Likewise, it should trigger the Board to open the doors of communication."

Jerry lives near Sarasota, Fla., and serves Hartsook clients nationwide. His expertise is as varied as his background, spanning capital and annual and endowment campaigns, board development, communications, corporate relations, membership recruitment and more.

He most recently served as interim executive director for the Sarasota Ballet of Florida. There he developed a long-range fundraising plan to help guide their financial growth.

Before that he was the director of development for the Florida State University Foundation working with the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. While there he led the planning, implementation and completion of a 12-month campaign to raise $10 million for endowment - they raised more than $14 million, excluding qualified state matches.

During his tenure at Washburn Endowment Association (Topeka, Kan.), where Jerry served as president and CEO, he grew its endowment from $54 million to $108 million and increased annual donor commitments by 225 percent. In his career Jerry has also enjoyed successes with the University of Missouri, the American Soybean Association and the Missouri Pork Producers Association.

Jerry holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Central Missouri State University. He is a member of CFRE International and accredited as a Certified Fund Raising Executive through the same. Jerry is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (where he served as 2001 president of the Topeka, Kan., chapter) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.