Fernanda Valentino

Assistant Director, Development @Big Shoulders Fund

Chicago, IL, US

As Assistant Director, Development at Big Shoulders Fund, I help strengthen relationships with key donors, Board members, and trustees by preparing personalized donor profiles, supporting executive leadership for meetings, and coordinating strategic follow-up and event engagement including our Annual Gala, and Golf Outings, and the biennial 2025 Humanitarian Awards Dinner which raised $11.6M.I also support leadership to develop and implement stewardship strategies for donor-advised funds (DAFs), planned giving, and corporate/foundation partners. I support the NextGen Board and attend high-impact events such as our Networking Speaker Series and annual State of the Union, ensuring donor and partner engagement stays strong and mission-aligned.I attend school visits with Patrons and Scholarship donors, whereby they engage with students and staff, and experience firsthand the tangible outcomes of their generosity, and ensure timely and impactful follow up.Externally, I represent Big Shoulders Fund in the philanthropic community through professional organizations. I serve on the AFP Chicago Continuous Learning Committee, where I co-led a virtual seminar on Using AI in Fundraising, and I recently joined the Membership Committee to help expand networking and engagement opportunities for members. I\'m also an active member of Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP), contributing to both the Annual Luncheon Committee—which exceeded its $160K fundraising goal—and the CWIP GIRLS Mentoring Committee, where I co-led sessions on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and career pathways for youth.I’m passionate about building bridges between supporters and the mission-driven work that we do to provide access to a values-based education for children in underserved Chicagoland areas and NW Indiana. I especially enjoy creating meaningful moments that inspire long-term commitment.

UCLA

Certificate in Fundraising, Institutional Advancement

The University of Western Australia

BA, Dip Ed, Languages (French, Italian) and Education

The University of Western Australia

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Foreign Language Teacher Education

Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris

Certificate, Political Science