Our People

Lauren DeSimone, Certified Fund Raising Executive, serves as fundraising coach and counsel for a wide range of nonprofit organizations. With extensive experiences to draw from, Lauren can help nonprofit professionals leverage best practices and data to prioritize strategies that take fundraising to the next level. She welcomes the opportunity to partner with nonprofits as they make an impact in their community and for those they serve.

Lauren provides counsel in:

• Annual Giving Fundraising
• Major Gift Donor Relationship Management
• Wealth Screens
• Data Analytics
• Feasibility Studies
• Development Staff coaching
• Mobilizing volunteers
• Donor-Centered culture of philanthropy
• Community/phase of capital campaigns
• Donor retention through nonprofit partnerships/mergers

Lauren’s career spans nearly two decades including roles responsible for community engagement, annual giving campaigns, major gifts, donor relations, special events, private and public grant programs, capital improvement projects, CRM management and data analytics. Throughout her career, Lauren was honored to coach her development staff and cultivate career growth. She thrives on enabling and galvanizing others to achieve success. As a member of the Senior Leadership team, Lauren was part of the Joint Negotiating Committee as Family Shelter Service successfully joined forces with Metropolitan Family Services to ensure domestic violence survivors received even greater and more robust services and care.

Lauren is passionate about philanthropy. She shares this passion in her volunteer work. She currently serves as:

• Co-Chair of the Naperville YMCA Advisory Board leading the Board’s fundraising efforts to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.
• Mentor for the Teen Philanthropy Initiative with KidsMatter, a new initiative that develops the community leaders of the future. The Teen Philanthropy Initiative gives high school juniors a chance to enroll in a two-year program that will show them the steps to a successful future of charitable service, through the Three Pillars Initiative.
• Co-Chair of the Program Committee of West Suburban Philanthropy Network to bring quality education opportunities to over 160 nonprofit professionals.

Lauren holds a BA from North Central College; received her CFRE credentials in 2017; completed the Center for Creative Leadership’s “Ladder to Leadership” program in 2017; received Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce’s “40 Under 40” award in 2016; and completed the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Leadership Institute” in 2011.