Calvin Blaylock

About Calvin Blaylock

Chief of staff who partners with nonprofit executives to optimize their fundraising strategies. Experience at public policy and humanitarian organizations. Skilled in executive support, strategic communications, talent pipelines, and donor relations. Published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Philanthropy Daily, The Daily Signal, and more.

Experience

1. Chief of Staff

   Invictus Strategies

   Jul 2023 — Present

   Advise a network of high-net-worth ($50M+) philanthropists and foundations on making strategic investments in high-ROI projects to advance conservative principles. Organize multi-day retreats for ~25 principal philanthropists to hear from movement leaders, discuss emerging trends in philanthropy, and build relationships with peer givers• Advise conservative nonprofits ranging from $2M start-ups to $130M global nonprofits, helping them build initial fundraising infrastructure, optimize major gift strategies, and create strategic plans for year-over-year growth. Work with senior executives to secure transformational, eight-figure gifts and manage their fundraising teams• Design and implement comprehensive donor engagement frameworks, including giving levels, benefits, engagement plans for all donors (with timing, sender, topic, audience) and specific moves management plans for top investors• Produce collateral to facilitate high-impact partnerships between nonprofits and philanthropists, ensuring alignment between organizational priorities and donor intent. For one nonprofit, wrote a donor-facing proposal that raised $13M in one month. For another, wrote a campaign case for support as the chief piece of collateral for a $300M campaign• Conduct feasibility studies and design campaign implementation plans. Including internal assessments, campaign collateral (one-pager, case for support, video script, gift officer FAQ sheet), external assessments with key stakeholders, and trainings for staff and Board members on how campaign fundraising differs from ongoing fundraising efforts• As a founding member, helped build Invictus from a new organization to ten clients through: business development to identify potential clients, writing proposals and contracts, serving as the main liaison between Invictus and clients, overseeing project execution and tracking, and other strategies to position Invictus as a trusted philanthropic advisor

Education

• University of Missouri-Columbia

  Business (emphasis in Marketing), Public Service minor; Social Justice minor; Multicultural Certificate

  2014 — 2018

Skills

• Communication
• Fundraising
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Social Media
• Management
• Team Building
• Strategic Communications
• Leadership
• Critical Thinking
• Social Networking
• Brand Development
• Marketing
• Customer Service
• Marketing Campaign Management
• International Relations
• Teamwork
• Human Rights
• Public Speaking
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Creative Writing
• Public Relations
• Business Strategy
• Social Media Marketing
• Public Health
• Mentoring
• Event Planning