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Accelerate Your Nonprofit & Higher Ed Philanthropy
Empowering Organizations To Raise More Money Without Years of Trial and Error

About Empowered Fundraiser Consulting

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Proven Fundraising Leadership
Hundreds of Millions Raised
Across 30 years of successful fundraising campaigns and initiatives in STEM, the Arts, open spaces, and social justice, we've led teams that raised significant funding to advance priorities.
10,000+ Donor Visits
From the millionaire next door to tech titans; women in philanthropy to families with generational wealth, we build authentic relationships with philanthropic people.
6 Successful Campaigns
Comprehensive campaigns of all scales over the past decades, always exceeding ambitious goals. Leading annual fund, digital fundraising, major gifts, principal gifts and other advancement disciplines.
Our Subject Matter Experts
We have the experience to guide complex fundraising initiatives
Planned Giving
Campaign Counsel
Volunteer Leadership
Fractional Major Gift Fundraising
Fractional Chief Advancement Officer
Enterprise-wide Responsible AI
Executive Coaching
Monthly Giving Programs
Capital Projects: Buildings, Renovation, Parks, Etc.
Anne Murphy, Founder, CEO, and Principal Consultant
Anne Murphy brings three decades of experience leading advancement strategy across higher education and the nonprofit sector. She has raised hundreds of millions for STEM education and research and guided executive teams through complex campaigns, leadership transitions, and strategic growth.
As CEO of Empowered Fundraiser Consulting and founder of She Leads AI, Anne helps organizations accelerate and integrate their growth through focused fundraising strategy, and in some cases, responsible AI adoption. Her approach blends data, judgment, and humanity — helping leaders see the full picture and act with clarity.

She is a professional public speaker, known for her engagement of diverse audiences, centering the goals of the event organizers.
She lives in Corvallis, OR with her family and three doggos.
Is This You?
Planning a Fundraising Campaign or Special Initiative?
You have big goals, but need expert guidance to ensure success. You may be considering expanding your development staff, but you're unsure how to approach.
In a Growth Stage — in Need of Thought Partnership?
You're ready to scale but need strategic insights to guide your expansion. Your board may need training, staff may need coaching, you may need a boost in your confidence.
Under Pressure to Produce Results?
Your board expects significant outcomes, and you need a proven approach. Perhaps a project is underway, but fundraising is expected to fill the gaps.
You Need Interim Fundraising Leadership
Fundraising is a notoriously high turnover role, but momentum is all-important. Don't let fundraising stall while you're searching for the next professional. Hire a fractional Empowered Fundraiser on an interim basis.
Campaigns: Our Core Strength
At Empowered Fundraiser, campaigns are where we do our best work. Our team of consultants brings deep experience guiding organizations through every stage of the journey—from the earliest feasibility conversations to the final public push. Our zone of genius includes:
Feasibility Studies
that align strategic initiatives with donor capacity to set realistic goals
Campaign Counsel
that delivers structure, strategy, and the right pacing
Professional Development and Upskilling
scaling talent to advance organizational goals
Special Initiatives
designed around your mission
Feasibility Studies
Assess Readiness
Feasibility studies assess your organization’s readiness for a major fundraising campaign.
Test & Analyze
We test goals, messaging, and donor interest through confidential interviews and data analysis—
Deliver clear insights, strategic recommendations, and the confidence to move forward wisely.
Campaign Counsel
1
Planning Phase
Begins with campaign readiness assessment and feasibility study.
2
Quiet Phase
Leadership gift strategies and major donor cultivation to secure 50% of campaign goal before launch.
3
Public Phase
Broad engagement strategies and tactics to stay on pace to achieve campaign goals.
Professional Development for Successful Campaigns
Donor Visits 2.0
From initial contact through gift conversation follow-up, the old way of doing this doesn't work anymore. Learn a modern approach to securing meaningful gift conversations.
Skills-Building Workshops
We focus on developing the soft skills that differentiate excellent fundraisers from those who get by. Time management, debunking imposter syndrome, managing up and more.
1:1 Executive Coaching
For cultivation partners like executive directors and department heads, high achieving fundraisers, and middle managers thrust into leadership roles. We offer a trusted partner subscription in increments of three months.
Complimentary Fundraising Executive Strategy Session
We’ll discuss your goals, current momentum, and how Empowered Fundraiser can help accelerate progress.
What Really Sets Us Apart
Fractional Fundraising Leadership &
Fractional Major Gift Fundraising
Senior-Level Expertise On Demand
A fractional fundraising executive brings senior-level strategy, leadership, and execution without the need for a full-time hire. They step in to stabilize programs, lead campaigns, mentor teams, and build systems that sustain growth long after their engagement ends.
May represent organization with partners, negotiate contracts, build teams, travel, speak, work with campaign counsel, etc.
Fill a Gap in Fundraising Staff
When turnover happens, we step in to keep momentum steady. We pick up donor conversations where they left off, re-engage prospects, and identify new opportunities to strengthen your pipeline. We partner with internal staff to create meaningful engagement opportunities that deepen relationships. Our goal is to maintain continuity, preserve trust, and ensure every donor feels valued through transition.
Responsible AI Education and Enterprise Integration
As founder of She Leads AI, Anne brings unmatched expertise in ethical, human-centered AI for fundraising. Stakeholder trust is our north star—every system, policy, and training is designed to strengthen transparency and protect relationships that sustain philanthropy.
We help advancement teams:
  • Reduce confusion and anxiety around AI tools and policies
  • Strengthen data ethics and donor privacy practices
  • Build confidence in using AI for research, writing, and analysis
  • Align AI adoption with organizational values and equity commitments
  • Develop clear governance systems and staff training plans
  • Turn AI from a compliance risk into a strategic advantage
We Unite Accomplished Women to Advance AI for Global Prosperity
Fundraising Professional Development
Evolving the old way of securing gift conversations into how constituents actually engage now. Schedule, facilitate, and follow-up in the modern era.
Soft skills are everything—diplomacy, self-awareness, self-confidence, time management, and a collaborative spirit. We offer workshops to develop these skills.
1:1 Coaching
Coaching builds clarity, confidence, and strategic focus. Together, we tackle real fundraising challenges and you deliver stronger results.
Ready to Accelerate Your Fundraising?
Get in Touch
Reach out to schedule your executive strategy session and learn more about our services.
45 Minutes of Clarity:
Executive Fundraising Strategy Session
A strategy session for leaders ready to take action
Praise for Empowered Fundraiser Consulting
Our clients consistently achieve transformational results through our professional development programs. Here's what fundraising professionals are saying about their experience with Empowered Fundraiser.
"Anne is an ideal fundraising partner to any university leader. With over two decades of experience, she has a clear understanding of the academy and the balance leaders bring to their position one minute an administrator the next meeting with a donor seeking a million-dollar gift. Anne provides a great deal of guidance and coaching to the leaders can ease into the fundraising role. Anne guides her coaching with aplomb, humor and proficiency."
- Julie B., Oregon State University
"Anne's approach is more personal and committed to our personal growth. Her unique blend of extensive higher education fundraising insights into AI and enthusiasm for achieving excellent results truly changed my perception of what is possible."
- Molly S., University of California Santa Cruz
Is This You?

I know we need a campaign, but that's all I know.

We conduct program assessment and feasibility to ensure you set a goal based on reality. We work with you on your internal systems to support donor engagement. We'll help you develop the team and the skill set required for your ambitious goals.

Our development team needs to grow.

We support clients in professional development and upskilling with the current team. We will also map out an organizational structure, roles, responsibilities, and a plan for recruiting top talent. We offer fractional fundraiser and executive leadership services in cases of turnover.

I know I need to implement AI, but it's overwhelming.

We are global experts in responsible AI for stakeholder trust. You have access to certified AI educators, operations experts, and authorities on ethics and governance. We can guide you through the unknowns of an AI-powered future.

I am tasked with fundraising, but my skills are underdeveloped.

If this is your first campaign, you may be a candidate for our executive coaching program. We work side-by-side with you on day-to-day challenges while guiding you through a series of skills-building milestones.

Request Info On Speaking Engagements
Keynote talks, conference sessions, and custom engagements on topics including:
Fundraising in the AI era: what's hype and what's useful
Leading through transition: tools and habits that sustain you
Donor engagement that works (with or without a big budget)
Building team confidence around AI, data, and decision-making
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