Nonprofit Consulting: Who We Are

Susan Lee Walling has been professionally dedicated to nonprofit endeavors for four decades. She is the President & CEO of PhilanthropyWorks, LLC, a consulting firm committed to assisting individuals, organizations and corporations realize their charitable visions through strategic philanthropy. Client services, personalized to fit the needs of particular situations and characterized by the highest levels of integrity, expertise and objectivity, focus on building strong client-consultant partnerships to create dynamic strategies that achieve client-centered results. During the past decade, we have provided strategic fundraising and organizational development counsel to hundreds of philanthropic organizations through consulting, educational seminars and published articles.

As a skilled facilitator, Susan's highly sought-after workshops and seminars have focused on such issues as future trends for the nonprofit sector, strategic planning, the grant seeking process and proposal writing, establishing a development program, annual giving, special events, developing case statements, women as strategic philanthropists and ethics & accountability in fundraising. She has also served as a panelist on issues related to the philanthropic sector.

Susan co-developed the Executive Directors RoundTable (EDRT), and launched two pilot EDRTs in the Spring of 2003 in a collaborative with St. Luke's Health Initiatives in Phoenix. The EDRT is built on the concept of peer learning and peer support for Executive Directors/CEOS of nonprofit organizations. Creating a trusting and stimulating environment where each participant can learn and grow is key to the program. Since the program's inception, Susan has facilitated an average of three EDRTs each year, providing education, advice and support to dozens of nonprofit sector leaders.

Susan created PhilanthropyWorksAZ, a journal dedicated to encouraging and enhancing philanthropic pursuits throughout the state of Arizona, and served as its Publisher & Editor from 1999 to 2002. During that time, the journal supported Arizona's nonprofit organizations, philanthropically minded individuals and institutional donors in advancing their visions for a caring community through publication of articles that engaged and informed the heart, mind and spirit of philanthropic work as well as by presenting forums to stimulate strategic thinking, strengthen organizational capacity and encourage collaborative efforts.

Media have often sought Susan's opinions and perspectives regarding the state of philanthropy: her comments have appeared in several Arizona publications, an article on Board Development in the newsletter Board and Administrator's Board Fund Raising as well as interviews on KFNN News Radio. Her monthly column, "Philanthropy Matters", was published in Atterbury's Pennsylvania Nonprofit Report for nearly five years. She also served as a faculty member for the Bell Institutes for Nonprofit Excellence, the Templeton Institute and the Institutes for Nonprofit Excellence (PA).

Before establishing her consulting practice, Susan worked for nearly two decades in the philanthropic sector, holding various management and executive positions in higher education, healthcare and human service organizations. She also served as Chief Consultant in the start-up phase of the national magazine, The American Benefactor, a publication targeted to high worth donors with the aim of encouraging creative philanthropy. Previous positions include: Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Southeastern Pennsylvania; Vice President, Development, Community Health Affiliates; Associate Director of Development, Jeanes Health System; Campaign Director, United Way of Saginaw County; Executive Director, United Way of Isabella County.

Professionally, Susan is an active participant in the Health in a New Key Consultants Group sponsored by Phoenix-based St. Luke's Health Initiatives. She held the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation from 1989 to 2007 and chaired the Continuing Education Review Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals-International (AFP) for two years, while serving on that Board for nearly five years. She has also served as Vice President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of AFP, on the Delegate Assembly of AFP-International and as a mentor in the AFP-Greater Arizona Mentor Program.

Prior to working in the philanthropic sector, Susan held positions as Director of New Student Orientation & Student Activities at Cornell University; Field Coordinator for the Maryland 4-C Committee; and Director of Student Activities/Assistant Dean of Students at Towson State University.

Susan holds a Master's degree in Higher Education Administration and Counseling from Syracuse University and a B.A. in Sociology/Psychology from Brooklyn College. She has previously held licenses in real estate (Maryland) and life insurance (Michigan).

As a volunteer, Susan has been actively engaged with a wide variety of local nonprofit and political organizations, sharing her skills and expertise in board leadership positions as well as a facilitator and fundraiser. She is an avid yoga practitioner and loves to travel, read, play Scrabble and spend time with her family. Susan expresses her artistic side through jewelry making and watercolor painting.

Contact Information:
Susan Lee Walling, M.A.
623.544.3221 (phone)
philanthropyworks@cox.net (email)

Robert C. Walling serves as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for PhilanthropyWorks, LLC and is President of HigherEdAdvisors, a division of PhilanthropyWorks LLC. Bob has worked with the nonprofit community, specifically higher education, for 30 years. He has held various management positions directing the scholarship and grant programs of colleges and universities across the United States including Cornell University, Towson University and Central Michigan University.

Since 2001, Bob has served as President of HigherEdAdvisors, a division of PhilanthropyWorks LLC. In this role, he provides advisory services to higher education and public sector organizations including:

• Strategic Planning;


• Business Process Review of Student Services, Financial Affairs, Human Resource Management, and Alumni/Advancement services;


• Procurement strategy, planning, needs assessment, RFP development, vendor coordination, evaluation, due diligence and contract negotiation.

For the prior 15 years, Bob served in consulting and management positions with several technology and consulting companies serving the higher education and nonprofit communities. These include Systems & Computer Technology Corporation (SCT), CARS Information Systems (now known as Jenzabar), Buzzeo, Inc., KPMG LLP, The Isadore Group, Inc., CIBER, Inc., and PeopleSoft. Bob's work has focused on assisting organizations to develop improved organizational infrastructures through the application of technology that increases management capacity to serve their constituents. He has participated in processes to select financial, human resource, student administration and advancement software purchases for institutions. He has completed course work toward a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration at Michigan State University and holds M.S. and B.S. degrees from Illinois State University. In his community, Bob volunteers for the American Heart Association and is a frequent musical performer.

Contact Information:
Robert C. Walling, M.S., CFP®
623.544.3221 (phone)
higheredadvisors@cox.net (email)