Announcing the results of the 2007 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

Cathy Lanyard
Executive director
American Friends of Alyn Hospital

In seven years, Cathy Lanyard grew AFAH’s donor base from 1,000 names to more than 20,000, increased annual giving by nearly 500 percent, doubled her staff and office space, and managed to keep overhead low. Impressive. And even more so, when you consider that AFAH raises funds to treat sick children in Israel, and that 90 percent of her donors never see the facility or its patients. Her devotion comes through in her appeal letters, thank-you notes and face-to-face meetings. Cathy is honored here for her ability — so essential in nonprofit fundraising — to put real faces on the stories of how donors’ contributions help.