The Giving Outlook:
Strategies for Fundraising Success in 2025–2026
October 3, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. | Virtual
WID Members FREE | Non-Members $20
This event will not be recorded
Giving USA 2025 recently reported on a reassuring upward philanthropic trajectory. However, since then, new developments affecting both local and international nonprofits, have occurred in 2025. What are the implications of the findings and subsequent events on the philanthropic landscape and fundraising? Prasad Consulting & Research President Poonam Prasad, who serves on the board of the Giving Institute, Editorial Review Board of Giving USA will coordinate a conversation on findings and trends from the 2025 Giving USA report and other recent surveys. She will be joined by a leading expert in wealth and philanthropy who will offer perspective on donor behavior and emerging trends in high-net-worth giving. A panel of senior development executives will share their reactions to the data and discuss best practices for driving philanthropic success throughout 2025 and into 2026.
Moderator
Panelists
- · Jamila Baucom- Rosal, Vice President for Advancement, The Children’s Village
- · Karaugh Brown, Chief Advancement Officer, Whitney Museum of American Art
- · Melanie Buhrmaster, Vice President, Philanthropy, Food Bank For New York City
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· Elaine Chu, MPA, CPA, Vice President, Philanthropic Strategies, Private Donor Groups, Fidelity Charitable
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Panelists
Jamila Baucom- Rosal is the Vice President for Advancement at The Children’s Village. Jamila has devoted her entire professional career to working in public service. With over 20 years of experience in fundraising and communications, she has often chosen to utilize her talents in support of organizations that focus on children, women, and families, including Planned Parenthood, the United Way, and the Children’s Defense Fund. Jamila has a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a Masters in Public Administration from NYU.
Karaugh Brown joined the Whitney in 2024 as the Chief Advancement Officer leading the planning, management, and success of the Whitney’s comprehensive fundraising efforts, including individual and planned giving, corporate membership and sponsorship, special events, foundation and government grants, donor stewardship, and Board of Trustee relations.
Prior to the Whitney, Brown mostly recently served as the Vice President of Development and Partnerships at World Monuments Fund (WMF) where she oversaw all aspects of fundraising at WMF's global headquarters in New York. She has also held positions at The Frick Collection, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA where she was part of the team that opened the museum’s Renzo Piano-designed wing in 2012. She serves as co-chair of the Career Advancement Network for the Economic Empowerment Program at Sanctuary for Families; vice chair of the American Board of Ambassadors for An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland; and is a volunteer guide for Achilles International. She holds a B.A. in English and Art History and an M.A. in art history, both from Boston University.
Melanie Buhrmaster is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 30 years of experience driving mission-focused strategies that deliver measurable impact. With deep expertise in fundraising, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement, she has led transformative campaigns and donor initiatives that have fueled organizational growth. Her career has been defined by a passion for addressing food insecurity and expanding access to education—causes that deeply resonate with her own life experience. Known for her collaborative leadership style, Melanie excels at aligning teams, board members, and donors around a shared vision. She has a proven ability to turn high-level strategy into actionable plans, consistently exceeding goals while cultivating strong, trust-based relationships. A dedicated mentor, she is committed to empowering the next generation of nonprofit professionals. Melanie’s unique blend of heart and strategy continues to make a lasting difference across the philanthropic landscape.
Elaine Chu is a vice president of Philanthropic Strategies for Fidelity Charitable®, an independent 501(c)(3) public charity that has helped donors support more than 433,000 nonprofit organizations with more than $100 billion in grants.1 The mission of Fidelity Charitable® is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective.
Since 2022, Elaine has led a team of Philanthropic Strategists in the Private Donor Group that advises Fidelity Charitable’s most generous donors on how they can use their charitable resources to meaningfully advance the causes they care about. This involves structuring giving designs and approaches, clarifying values, mission, and goals, exploring family philanthropy such as next-generation engagement and succession planning, and identifying new funding opportunities to achieve the greatest social impact.
Elaine has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with various leadership positions centered on collaborative partnerships, fundraising, and organizational development. Prior to joining Fidelity Charitable, Elaine worked at Seattle Foundation, one of the nation’s largest community foundations. She was the director of Philanthropic Services, serving as the expert in family and next-gen philanthropy. She developed frameworks for collaborative funding and learning as well as family and youth philanthropy. Currently, she is a board member for Green River College, a public community college focused on global workforce development and civic engagement.
Moderator
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Poonam Prasad
Founder and President, Prasad Consulting & Research
Poonam Prasad is a nationally recognized fundraising strategist and president of Prasad Consulting & Research, which has helped hundreds of nonprofits worldwide raise billions of dollars from individuals, foundations, and corporations. A past president of WID-NY and recipient of AFP-NYC’s 2024 Chamberlain Award for Distinguished Service, she serves on the Board of the Giving Institute and advises Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy and the Women’s Coaching Alliance. A former professor at NYU and Columbia University, and a sought-after speaker at nonprofit conferences nationwide she has trained and mentored thousands of fundraising professionals. Before her nonprofit career, she worked internationally as an investigative journalist, advertising copywriter, and public relations professional.