Sara White

About Sara White

Experienced advancement services and operations leader with over 25 years experience, including 16+ years driving fundraising strategy and operational excellence in nonprofit and educational settings. Skilled in building and leading high-performing teams, optimizing systems, and leveraging data to strengthen donor engagement and maximize impact. Recognized for aligning strategy, technology, and people to create scalable, efficient advancement infrastructure in support of mission-driven organizations.Core Strengths:• Translating and creating impactful data stories through dashboards, visualizations, and analytics to guide strategy and engagement• Designing prospect development systems and performance metrics to support major gift strategy, portfolio optimization, and campaign planning• Project management and execution of strategic initiatives across diverse teams• Driving cross-functional collaboration to align goals, streamline workflows, and enhance communication• Leading talent development, team growth, and operational transformation in fast-paced advancement environmentsAbout me: I have an entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to strategically think \"outside the box\" about business process change and implementation. With an analytical mindset and a creative vision I am always thinking about new ways to present data to advance fundraising efforts, from prospect research profiles & moves management tracking to fiscal year reporting and analysis. It all starts with the recording of information in an orderly fashion - the result is a clear understanding of your data and the story behind it.Recognized as a fast-paced executive leader using a blend of analytical and strategic thinking skills, I have a proven ability to build and lead teams to meet complex requests, matching powerful deliverables with robust ideas around prospect engagement to exceed expectations and improve productivity and fundraising results.I offer a customer-centered approach to advancement operations with a track record of collaboration and strong partnerships with leadership and frontline fundraisers. Professional development experience includes advancement staff and resource allocation, budgeting, strategic planning, prospect pipeline development, prospect research, performance metrics, stewardship and donor relations, special events, gift administration, technology and advancement solutions, fundraising reporting, and financial analysis.

Experience

1. Interim Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement

   Bennington College

   Sep 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Vermont

  Business Administration

  1995 — 1997