Get to know Karen
A seasoned strategist and fundraising executive with a passion for innovation in philanthropy.
Meet Karen S. Cochran, CFRE
After a 30-year career in fundraising and executive development roles, Karen launched Philanthropy Innovators to transform the ways we think about and practice raising money for missions, connecting with donors and our communities, and nurturing the next generation of fundraising professionals.
WHY WORK WITH KAREN
Our Chief Philanthropic Innovator
Certified Coach
Karen is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach, supporting her clients to bring courage, humility and discipline to the process.
Mentor & Team Builder
Karen has developed programs for attracting and nurturing homegrown, diverse talent to become fundraisers.
The MOST™ Model
Karen's MOST™ Philanthropy Model offers teams a way to innovate across key philanthropic pillars and practices.
Fundraising Strategist
Karen spent 30 years in health care, higher ed, and nonprofit fundraising, raising more than $7.5 billion.
Mindfulness Practitioner
Committed to well-being, Karen has a daily meditation practice and brings more than two decades of learnings to her work.
Women & Girls Champion
Karen has a passion for supporting and developing women and girls on their leadership journeys.
Why Philanthropy Innovators
Today, Karen and Philanthropy Innovators offer a continuum of strategic services to meet organizations where they are and partner with them throughout their transformation journey. Karen combines her deep knowledge of fundraising with a proprietary innovation model, a virtual service approach that pulls from her network of resources and talents as needed, and one of the world’s foremost leadership coaching methodologies: Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching.
No matter the size of your organization or your challenges, Karen is committed to helping each client reimagine what's possible.
Karen has a knack for empowering teams, sparking innovative thinking, and helping organizations expand their vision and impact. She truly embraces the maxim 'big swings lead to big hits.' This motto underpins her belief that yesterday's conventional tactics can't solve today's fundraising challenges.
“We don't talk enough about the ways we can change in philanthropy, how we can have a greater impact by trying something new. Innovation comes from growth and change."
MORE WISE WORDS
Karen's Personal Philosophy
If you ask Karen which quote best sums up her philosophy to life and her career, it comes from the Dalai Lama: "Once a year, go someplace you have never been before." Since her college days as a student caller at her university's advancement shop, Karen has always looked for new opportunities to expand her horizons and appreciate the differences all around us—whether that's at work or traveling the world.
Karen has a gift for analyzing and accessing realistic, tangible, and effective solutions to complex situations. She also is an invaluable mentor, coach, trusted advisor, and thinking partner.
