Meet Cathy

Welcome to Cathy Brown Philanthropy. I get to do the work I love most: coaching, facilitating, and training the people doing the work for causes that matter, and helping nonprofit staff and boards build the skills, confidence, and strategy they need to grow. I'm genuinely excited about what's ahead.

Looking back, it's a winding path that got me here, and I'm grateful for every part of it. It started in a rural elementary school classroom, raising money for my students and families to have what they needed to succeed. That instinct followed me through leading two Indiana nonprofits. At Hendricks College Network, I helped connect more than 17,000 adults with higher education and workforce opportunities. More recently, I spent nearly five years building the Broward Center for Nonprofit Excellence into a resource more than 2,500 South Florida nonprofits have leaned on. Every chapter taught me something I still carry: the best work happens when you listen first, build relationships before programs, and create things sturdy enough to outlast your own involvement.

That same belief in building people, not just programs, is what's kept me teaching for fifteen years at The Fund Raising School at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. I spent ten years as The Fund Raising School’s first full-time faculty member, and I still teach there today in an adjunct role. I’m also a contributing author in Achieving Excellence in Fundraising.

Now I bring all of that experience into my consulting work. I hold a Master of Arts in Education and a Graduate Certificate in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University, along with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Hanover College, the Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM), and standing as an Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD). I also stay connected and give back as Board Chair of Gilda's Club South Florida, and by advising on education committees for the Grant Professionals Association of South Florida and the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Social Impact Committee.

If your organization is ready to strengthen its fundraising, leadership, or capacity, and you want someone who builds people, not just plans, I'd love to talk.