Jennifer Freely

Jennifer Freely Malaysia and New York, USA C: - Email:- PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY A dynamic and talented advancement professional, with over 12+ years of donor relationship building, events management and board development experience. Primary focus on inclusive vision and strategic planning to manage the needs and expectations of the institution various stakeholders. Proficient in maintaining confidential information and with a diplomatic ability to interface at all levels of an organization. As a leader, places emphasis on a positive solution-based approach for day to day operations and talent development both one on one and in a team setting. HIGHLIGHTS • Core expertise in strategic alumni engagement and development plan design and implementation • Adherence to a strong practice of transparency and integrity in fundraising • Central belief in authentic coaching and relationship building methods with internal and external partners • • • Creative solution generating abilities for the immediate, mid-range and long-term goals A deep sense of diplomacy regarding sensitive and charged situations Excellent at fostering inclusive participation and stakeholder development EXPERIENCE Director, Alumni Relations Office 2/2017* to Present Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) – Malaysia *Worked remotely from February to May while visa was being processed. • Design of the five-year strategic plan for the university advancement operation. • Overseeing the implementation of the strategic plan with a focus on 25th Anniversary celebrations. • Creating an engagement model tailored to the unique needs of 16K+ alumni both domestic and international. • Constructing annual campaign strategy in partnership with the Yayasan UTP Director (university foundation which donations are made) to plan and execute an alumni development plan in alignment with the University’s strategic goals. • Co-chair of Tapestry of Colours Charity Dinner, a marquee fundraising event for the Yayasan scholarship program. • Leading development plan and increasing annual alumni giving (75% increase in FY2018). Crafted communication strategy vital in raising 4.1 million MYR (approx. 732K GBP) from alumni and friends of the University during 2018 holiday campaign. • Cultivated over 200 new donors and 60 alumni volunteers in the first 9 months of the strategic plan’s implementation. • Envisioning the Alumni Relations team’s strategic direction, while educating, and motivating the team’s efforts to create a robust calendar of programs, volunteer and prospect pipeline, and moves management to gift solicitation. • Overseeing a budget of 500K MYR (approx. 92K GBP) with concise cost saving strategies maximizing engagement opportunities while operating within budgetary parameters. • Reimagining and constructing the relationship between the Alumni Relations Office and the Alumni Association Board. • Partnering with internal senior colleagues for collaboration on UTP initiatives leading towards an increase in both regional and global recognition. • Founding member of Education Advancement Professionals Committee of Malaysia and Current University Chair. • Liaising with counterparts at peer institutions to enhance UTP’s profile in the field of higher education and lead the efforts to increase the awareness and value of advancement services in the ASEAN and Australian regions. Associate Director, Alumni Affairs 10/2013 to 08/2016 Columbia University, Columbia University Office of Alumni Affairs and Development - New York, NY • Liaised with the alumni communities, donors, volunteer boards and regional contacts for 33 Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) clubs in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Chicago, The Tri-State Region, and Washington, D.C. with a portfolio of 92,000+ alumni of the overall 313,000+ community. • Managed volunteer recruitment, elections and retirement process for the clubs, guide events strategies for best practices, and provide planning support. • Built the alumni volunteer and donor pipeline in each region, encourage alumni leaders to meet and facilitate connecting leaders as they travel and/or relocate. Engaged in prospect research and cultivation visits for development colleagues. • Developed European alumni leaders weekend program (17 clubs in the region with 12,500 alumni), planned logistics and staffed senior leadership team on regional travel. • Designed and implemented alumni leadership engagement from the Tri-State area (Fairfield, CT, Long Island, Northern New Jersey and Westchester with 59,200+ alumni) for peer to peer development. • Worked with 50% of the Columbia Global Centers (Africa (Nairobi), Europe (Paris), Turkey (Istanbul) and Middle East (Amman), to maintain alumni engagement and donor involvement in global issues. • Managed the legal incorporation and insurance acquisition of 24 domestic clubs. • Oversaw the on-boarding of 15 clubs to a new community online platform, with calendar, communication and volunteer management functions. Assistant Director, Alumni Affairs 09/2008 to 10/2013 Columbia University, Columbia College Office of Alumni Affairs and Development - New York, NY • Created and facilitated the alumni education programs in the Arts and Sciences. • Cultivated and maintained relationships with members of the faculty for programming opportunities. Collaborated with the Chief Creative Officer to construct four public intellectual lectures during the 2012 undergraduate reunion weekend. • Established a volunteer board for two to three reunion classes annually to coordinate logistics, reunion and program and giving goals with development partner. Designed and executed marquee 25th and 50th reunions which yielded record breaking attendance and secured class gift goals. • Coordinated the 2010 John Jay Awards Dinner and acted as liaison for the dinner honorees (Brian Krisberg, CC ’81, Sidley Austin LLP, Frank Lopez-Balboa, CC ’82, a managing director of Goldman Sachs, Tracy Maitland, CC ’82, president and chief investment officer of Advent Capital Management, and David Rosand, CC ’59, the Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History, and Julia Stiles, actress, CC ’05)and dinner chairs; grossing $1+ million for the John Jay National Scholarship Program. • Planned themes, oversaw logistics, and evaluated the 12 Core Curriculum lectures that occurred over the course of the Alumni reunion weekend in June and three larger courses, annually. Manager, Conference Housing 01/2005 to 09/2008 Columbia University, Housing and Dining Department - New York, NY • Oversaw annual revenue of approximately $2 million and worked closely with financial colleagues to ensure fiscal accuracy and timely close of fiscal year end budget. • Planned and prepared logistics for the 15-week summer conference housing program (May to August), which included operating 12 buildings on campus (consisting of approximately 3,900 beds with occupants arriving and departing both weekly and monthly). • Scheduled dates of occupancy, coordinated arrival and departure times, negotiated pricing and any additional on campus space needs, prepared all license agreements, and collected payments. • Designed orientation and training modules for 15 to 20 college intern staff. • Hired, trained and directed 50 full-time and part-time housing staff. • Planned long-term and short-range program objectives and schedules for conference housing in partnership with facilities campus projects. The Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Program and Lucent Global Science Scholars Program Assistant Program Coordinator - Watson Fellow 06/2003 to 09/2003 Institute of International Education (IIE) - New York, NY • Created Yearbooks for The Goldman Sachs Foundation Global Leaders and The Lucent Technologies Global Science Scholars programs, which consisted of photographs and bio information for 100 student participants. • Handled planning and onsite logistics for The Goldman Sachs Foundation United Nations Luncheon; Ambassadors from 12 countries attended. • Managed daily programming and logistics for both programs. Various Seasonal Roles including - Special Projects Coordinator (June 2010 to October 2016) and Advance Tickets and Group Sales Manager (2000 to 2005) 6/2000 to 11/2016 New York Renaissance Faire / Renaissance Entertainment Partnership (REP) - Boulder, CO • Managed special projects (i.e., high profile visitors to the site) and training of new staff. • Past responsibilities included planning all group visits to the Faire site and making sure the schedule complimented clients’ age and physical abilities. • Managed annual review of the Faire’s approximately 150 artisans on their gross and net earnings for the General Manager. EDUCATION BRIEF Academy – Singapore & Switzerland: Intensive Coach Certification (course work completed; credentials November 2019) HEC Paris – Paris, France: Inspirational Leadership: Leading with Sense Specialization (projected completion December 2019) Columbia University in the City of New York - New York, NY: M.S. in Fundraising Management (2011) Pace University - New York, NY: B.A. in Psychology (2004) Jeannette K. Watson Fellow, Class of 2003 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION • Community Service: Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE) Board Member; Columbia Alumni Association of Malaysia (CAAM) President; CASE Asia-Pacific Volunteer; UNICEF Next Generation Volunteer • Computer Skills: Proficient and highly experienced in all MS Office Suite applications. Other proficiencies include Eventbrite, Skype, GoTo Meeting, Zoom, NationBuilder, Blackbaud (Raiser’s Edge) Harris, and Salesforce event managements programs, CAA’s internal alumni and event management system Athena and UTP’s internal system GENESYS • Language Skills: Italian/Intermediate; French/Beginner REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST