Reach for the Stars: The 2014 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards Winners

As the nature of fundraising changes and expands, the industry needs big-picture thinkers who are also masters at fundraising basics. We're honoring McCool for filling that bill perfectly.

Kristin W. McCurry,
principal and founder
MINDset Direct

Since starting MINDset Direct in 2005, Kristin McCurry has surrounded herself with some of the most creative women in fundraising, and it shows in the agency's fresh and nimble approach. Some of McCurry's most notable fundraising successes are evident in her work with:

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, especially in terms of monthly giving. St. Jude's monthly giving program is the largest of its kind in the United States, and its year-over-year growth is nothing short of phenomenal;
• the launch of Disabled American Veterans' DRTV efforts, which have hit or exceeded all the organization's goals; and
• continued work with fundraising powerhouse the Human Rights Campaign.

But even beyond those obvious successes, McCurry is an author, speaker, mentor and entrepreneur who is never hesitant to share her knowledge and insight. Her enthusiasm and passion for things that make the world a better place are refreshing and infectious. She's a consultant who represents a breed of fundraising stars who see beyond their own success and even that of their own clients, and push toward the health and well-being of the nonprofit sector as a whole.