2024 Fundraiser of the Year Award: Shiree Skinner

By Kalie VanDewater

Fundraiser of the Year Award

Shiree Skinner

Director of Development and Communications
New Futures

While the number of dollars raised is at the heart of every fundraiser’s work, there is much more that contributes to the success of a fundraiser.

In the case of Shiree Skinner, this year’s winner of the NonProfit PRO Fundraiser of the Year Award, her experiences with strategic planning, development fund planning, major gifts, annual giving, foundation and corporate grants, sponsorships, special events, board recruitment and development operations has molded her into the fundraising leader she is today, according to her nominator.

Skinner began her fundraising career in 1991, having since worked in senior development positions across multiple nonprofits. Now, she serves as director of development and communications at New Futures, an organization dedicated to helping underserved people in the Washington, D.C., area access higher education opportunities.

According to her nominator, one of Skinner’s main accomplishments within the past year was spearheading New Futures’ efforts to secure a $2 million gift as part of MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call.

“This monumental accomplishment is just one example of her ability to navigate complex, high-stakes opportunities and turn them into transformative wins for the organization,” Skinner’s nominator told NonProfit PRO. “Her leadership in securing this gift has had a profound and lasting impact on New Futures, bolstering our financial stability and enabling us to expand our programs for systemically excluded young people.”

Another one of Skinner’s efforts this year was putting together New Futures’ 25th anniversary celebration. By putting her event planning and execution skills to use — and by rallying support from sponsors, partners and donors — the event saw a $150,000-increase in revenue generated. This made it one of the organization’s most successful fundraising events ever, according to Skinner’s nominator.

However, Skinner’s dedication to fundraising extends far beyond New Futures. She serves as a board member for several nonprofits that have causes close to her heart, including Montgomery Community Media and the fundraising committee for the East Coast Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.

She is also an advocate for the next generation of fundraising professionals. Skinner has led many workshops and educational sessions for the fundraising community, has presented at the Association of Fundraising Professional (AFP) International Conference and taught as an adjunct professor at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s Fund Raising School.

“What makes Shiree truly stand out is her ability to balance strategic vision with deep empathy for the people and communities we serve,” her nominator told NonProfit PRO. “She consistently centers the mission of New Futures in all her fundraising efforts, ensuring that the funds she raises are directed toward creating real, lasting impact for systemically excluded young people. She brings not only financial acumen but also heart and purpose to every project she takes on.”