Fundraising Is Not a Dirty Word with Jill Vorndran

What if fundraising isn’t a “necessary evil,” but a powerful act of bridge-building?

Jill Vorndran leads a 75-person team raising over $85 million annually for Covenant House International. In this episode, she shares what most conferences leave out: how to lead with both relentless joy and accountability, why excellent CEOs still struggle with fundraising, and what it really takes to sustain a high-performing development culture.

We dig into what it takes to sustain fundraisers in a time of budget cuts and uncertainty, how to thrive inside federated models, and what leaders can do to stop apologizing for fundraising—and start owning its power.

Topics We Cover:

• Reframing fundraising as a superpower, not a burden
• Leading a large, international fundraising team
• Retaining fundraisers through culture, clarity, and joy
• Supporting non-fundraising CEOs
• How to lead through turbulence and funding shifts
• Learning through trial, error, and radical honesty

About Jill Vorndran:

Jill Vorndran leads a 75-person fundraising team at Covenant House International to raise about $85 million/year and support the fundraising work of Covenant House's sites throughout the United States, Latin America, and Canada. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Jill graduated from Rutgers College and Seton Hall School of Law but developed her superpowers of fundraising, leadership, and raising amazing kids through trial and (a lot of) error. Jill and her husband Sean blended their families in 2013 and are now raising four young adults who fill their hearts and empty their fridge.

🧰 Resources & Links:

•  https://www.covenanthouse.org/ 
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-vorndran/ 

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