Dan Hreha

About Dan Hreha

I help Higher Education leaders connect philanthropy, finance, and stewardship into a single, trusted system—bringing clarity, accountability, and confidence through responsible, human‑centered AI.For more than 20 years at Blackbaud, I’ve worked alongside Higher Education leaders who are navigating constant change—shifting donor expectations, growing financial complexity, heightened compliance requirements, and increasing pressure to demonstrate impact with clarity and confidence.What I’ve learned is simple: technology alone doesn’t drive success—connected insight, trust, transparency, and relationships do.I partner with Higher Education Advancement, Finance, and Executive leadership teams to help institutions move beyond siloed workflows and see the full lifecycle of philanthropy—from the moment a gift is received, to how it’s accounted for, stewarded, spent, and ultimately reflected back to donors and stakeholders.When these functions are connected, something powerful happens:*Finance gains confidence and visibility.*Advancement strengthens stewardship.*Leadership sees impact—not just activity.Today, that work increasingly includes Artificial Intelligence (AI).I’m proud of Blackbaud’s responsible, human‑centered approach to AI—using intelligent Agent assistants to reduce manual effort, surface insight, and support decision‑making across Advancement and Finance, while keeping people firmly in the hero’s seat. Institutions using our AI‑enriched solutions are seeing meaningful results, including 44% fundraising growth, because clarity and trust scale when systems work together.My role isn’t about selling software. It’s about helping institutions connect strategy, stewardship, and financial truth—so leaders can lead with confidence and donors can give with trust.

Experience

1. Sr Principal Strategic Account Executive - Higher Education

   Blackbaud

   Jan 2009 — Present · Charleston, SC, US

   Serve as a strategic partner to Higher Education executive leadership, Advancement, and Finance teams—helping institutions connect the full lifecycle of philanthropy from gift intake and donor intent, through fund accounting and scholarship spend, to stewardship, reporting, and long‑term trust. Work across Advancement, Finance, and institutional leadership to replace siloed workflows with connected insight—enabling clearer decision‑making, stronger stewardship, and confidence across campus stakeholders. Key Focus Areas & Impact - Partner with Presidents, CFOs, Controllers, VPs Advancement, and Foundation leaders to align fundraising strategy, nonprofit‑specific fund accounting, and financial stewardship around a shared, trusted view of impact and accountability - Guide institutions through enterprise‑level CRM, fund accounting, and scholarship management strategies that preserve donor intent, support compliance, and create transparency for internal and external stakeholders - Help Advancement teams strengthen donor relationships by ensuring gifts, funds, and outcomes remain connected—from first contribution through long‑term stewardship and reporting - Support Finance leaders in modernizing nonprofit‑specific fund accounting to reduce manual effort, improve confidence in financial position, and deliver audit‑ready clarity across complex environments - Lead executive‑level conversations around cloud strategy, security, and compliance—helping institutions adopt innovation responsibly while managing risk and sustainability - Advise leaders on the responsible use of human‑centered AI, introducing intelligent assistants that save time, surface insight, and support better decisions—while keeping people and trust at the center. How I Measure Success Success isn’t defined by transactions—it’s defined by confident stewardship, trusted financial clarity, transparent reporting, and institutions that strengthen trust by connecting money, mission, and outcomes.

Education

• The Citadel

  Graduate Intelligence Analysis Certificate, All Things Cyber

• University of New South Whales

  Overseas Study from Michigan State University. Political Science and Criminal Justice

  1992

• Michigan State University

  BA, Psychology, Minor in Political Science

  1988 — 1992

• University of Detroit Mercy

  MBA, Business Administration

  1995 — 1998

Skills

• Professional Services
• New Business Development
• Sales Process
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Saas
• Crm
• Sales
• Software Industry
• Management
• Lead Generation
• Solution Selling
• Strategic Partnerships
• Cloud Computing
• Salesforce.com
• Enterprise Software
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Direct Sales
• Product Management
• Leadership
• Account Management
• Software as a Service (Saas)
• Business Development