Telesa Walton

TELESA A. WALTON 2134 Pecan Ridge Drive, Forney, TX 75126 | (404) 668 – 6523 |-| www.linkedin.com/in/telesa-walton-cvm STRATEGIC OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE Experienced operations professional with 25 years of experience in leadership roles, driving growth, and improving efficiency. Proven record in managing large teams and implementing innovative solutions. Skilled in project management, sales pipeline management, data analysis, marketing, and talent management. Strong collaborator with a focus on building relationships and fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity. CORE COMPETENCIES • Board Relations & Governance • Fundraising & Donor Relations • Data Management & Reporting • Budget Development & Oversight • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Learning Agility & Adaptation • Policy Development • Team Leadership & Development • Stakeholder Engagement • Resource Optimization • Project, System & Change Management • Content Strategy & Creation PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Third Sector Company, SPC REMOTE 2024 - PRESENT Consultant Successfully produced the 6-week virtual Interim Executive Academy conducted three times annually and graduating over 150+ participants. Developed financial models to forecast revenue and returns, improving projection reliability by 63%. Increased conversion rates by 51% through proactive communication and exceptional customer service to meet revenue goals. Crafted bi-monthly social media content, driving increased visibility and alumni engagement. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop co-marketing initiatives, generating new leads and sales. Develop alumni engagement survey, improving strategic operations related to placements, referrals, upselling and cross-selling efforts. National Diversity Council REMOTE 2024 - 2024 Vice President of Operations Oversaw program & fundraising operations with a 12-member team responsible for 300+ member engagement for a $5M budget. Redesigned member benefits to expand multi-point engagement opportunities: programming, professional development, and free merchandise. Redesigned events calendar to consolidate meetings and expand networking opportunities to engage over 3,000 people annually. Redesigned local/state sponsorship into national sponsorships over $1 million annually. Managed donor databases, streamlined donor communications, created dashboards, tracked fundraising performance, and ensured internal information flow. Managed the quarterly and annual departmental budgeting process, P&L responsibilities, and collections. Optimized SOP’s related to staff commissions policy, CRM dashboard reporting, invoice procedures, member onboarding process, renewals, and member experience. Served on cross-functional teams working on CRM system migration, online giving platform and marketing & communications. Implemented HR strategies to improve culture and employee satisfaction. Formed strategic alliances with key industry players, leading to increased market penetration. Responsible for consulting program lead generation, lapsed client re-engagement, discovery calls, drafting RFPs & client scopes of work, contract negotiations and staying informed of industry trends for a $1.5M budget. Created SOP’s; established sales strategy plan; revised marketing & website collateral; grew consultant network by 500% (25 seasoned experts); secured over $250K in new business in 9 months (25 clients); oversaw consultant work with clients. Crafted strategies to increase enrollment in monthly training classes that led to an 18% increase. Conducted market analysis and partnership cultivation; developed social media marketing content; managed CRM databases. Converge Consulting, LLC REMOTE 2023 - 2023 Principal Consultant Oversight of project teams’ execution of client projects, building strong client relations, lead generation, discovery calls, cross-selling and upselling, workload analysis reporting, SOP’s development, and systems management for a $3.2M budget of 20-30 clients. Developed and implemented tools, templates, automation processes, and methodologies that significantly improved productivity, work quality, addressed resource gaps and standardized processes. Synthesized complex data into actionable insights and recommendations, delivering clear results for client projects. Collaborated on securing $1M+ in revenue through proposal research & writing. Implemented a team upskilling assessment, achieving a 72% staff participation rate by Q3 2023. Introduced a performance tracking template to better monitor project time allocation across project teams, increasing staff utilization by 17% from Q2 to Q4 2023. Mitigated client churn by addressing low NPS mid-point scores, leading to improved on-time project completion and repeat business. Outlined quarterly marketing strategies focused on lead generation through conference presentations and sponsorship opportunities. Led an internal workshop to re-evaluate organizational values and provide recommendations adopted by the Senior Leadership Team. Diversity Crew, LLC REMOTE 2021 - 2023 Senior Director of Client Success Responsible for $2M budget of complex project management and vendor management of forty-five executive-level consultants in client deliverables that reinforced best practices in workplace DEI for thirty clients. Secured over $650K in new business. Facilitated quarterly and annual planning sessions, contributing to a 20% increase in operational efficiency and improved goal-setting processes. Oversaw business development, including prospecting, networking, qualifying leads, sales calls, follow-ups, proposal & RFP development, closing deals/negotiations and upselling. Designed and implemented a diagnostic tool to assess client challenges and opportunities through a DEI lens. Managed company operations, including the development of KPI’s, risk assessment monitoring, staff and vendor management, financial dashboard tracking, consultant payouts, event planning, website editing, new product development, go to market strategies/pricing, and social media content marketing. Created productized service offerings that lead to an 8% revenue growth in sales. Page 1 of 3 TELESA A. WALTON 2134 Pecan Ridge Drive, Forney, TX 75126 | (404) 668 – 6523 |-| www.linkedin.com/in/telesa-walton-cvm Southern Gas Association Dallas, TX 2019 – 2021 Director of Member & Volunteer Engagement Collaborated on overall $3M+ membership budget and operations, including recruitment, customer experience, renewal process, database management, volunteer management and retention of members and member services. Responsible for strategy development of member engagement tactics to increase value & participation, manage compliance with membership requirements, conducted monthly & 1-to-1 onboarding sessions, conduct annual membership satisfaction survey & report findings, collaborate on the collection and renewal cycle process, report on membership campaigns and year-round engagement, manage sales funnel of prospective and non-member event attendees, respond to information requests, and lead special projects. Implemented first Year-End Company Engagement Report with comprehensive overview of all member benefits & future strategies. Implemented first “All Access” conference price point to expand learning opportunities to 20+ member company full employee base (>100K). Secured 25-member renewals/new applicants resulting in revenue increase of $300K, $20K AD sponsorships and $100K+ sponsorships. Oversaw the design and implementation of a comprehensive volunteer engagement program designed to increase/retain member volunteers. Manage volunteer onboarding, stewardship, data analysis/committee health tracking, gathering member personas/social media promotions, creating committee activity plans, recognition/awards, volunteer recruitment campaigns, conference planning and curation content from committees for eight conferences, assist with keynote speaker acquisition, conduct program/event evaluation and track engagement metrics of 50+ committees representing 1,000 volunteers across USA and Canada. Supervisor of 2-4 employees and 1-2 periodic interns. Lead recruitment efforts that exceeded goals of 70% of volunteer committee leadership roles filled by Q3 annually. Make-A-Wish Foundation North Texas Dallas, TX 2018 – 2019 Director of Volunteer Services Responsible for strategic leadership of the Volunteer Services Department to increase capacity to meet wish granting needs, including the management of Raiser’s Edge CRM database, on-boarding processes oversight, developing training designs & conducting delivery, evaluating volunteer placements of individuals and corporate/civic groups, increasing stakeholder centric stewardship approaches, creating marketing materials & social media communications, implementing brand strategy, generating revenue opportunities, event planning, securing community partnerships and conducting program evaluation of 2,500+ volunteers across 161 Texas counties. Re-designed volunteer training materials introducing 3-tiered platform for volunteer learning growth; increased # of volunteers by 17%. Implemented skills-based volunteer program to increase capacity and completion of organizational priorities. Re-designed the volunteer application that increased data driven decisions, lead generation, stewardship opportunities and reduced expenses by 40%. Re-designed and managed year-round internship program including new community partnerships, target audience, business case, HR management and alumni engagement. Oversight of departmental budget, expenditures, and vendors. Serve as spokesperson at various external community events. KIPP Dallas-Fort Worth Public Schools Dallas, TX 2016 –2017 Director of Advancement Manage a $5.9M annual fundraising campaign, $350K department budget, day-to-day development operations, marketing, and volunteer engagement of the Advancement team. Created and implemented a comprehensive annual fundraising plan, built community awareness, and engaged stakeholders in the district. Increased 2017 Holiday Campaign giving by 255%. Developed three year-round volunteer projects for corporate and civic partners that align with needs of organization. Coordinated signature fundraising event yielding $400,000 in sponsorships, ticket sales and night of contributions. Increased exposure of KIPP DFW through support of two media coverage from NBC5 and FOX4, yielding more social followers. Monitored team portfolio progress toward revenue goals, tracked grant compliance, solicited corporate sponsorships/matching gifts/major gifts, managed donor retention & acquisition data analytics, collaborated with Finance on monthly reconciliation and processed all donations in Raiser’s Edge. Developed volunteer engagement opportunities, key internal/external messaging, website re-design & management and lead coordination of collateral materials. Reading Partners North Texas Dallas, TX 2013 – 2016 Director of Community Engagement Member of the executive leadership team responsible for the development of a 3-year strategic growth plan related to community relations that identified district diversity, board recruitment/stewardship tactics and improved administrative procedures. Evaluated data/trends/dashboards in Salesforce CRM, developed marketing & communication strategies, managed thirteen community engagement team members, cultivated community partnerships with civic leaders, CEO’s, Superintendents, and key school district officials. Proactively assess, prioritize, develop, and source volunteer resources available to achieve annual regional goals. Developed strategies to increase brand through paid and earned media, managed media relationships, and created outreach collateral materials. Oversaw engagement of 1000+ volunteers across 10-25 sites, 100+ community partners and 15+ events annually. Grew volunteer base from 500 to 1200 volunteers annually in 3 years with a 32% retention rate year-over-year. Formulated new engagement opportunities that materialized $50K+ in sponsorships. Increased media exposure across digital, broadcast and print yielding a 30%+ increase of sign-ups. Worked cross-functionally to improve administrative functions that lead to an increase in volunteer-to-donor conversion rate from 3% to 70%. EDUCATION Georgia State University Wilberforce University Degree: Master of Science Degree: Bachelor of Arts Major: Urban Policy Studies Major: Social Work Page 2 of 3 Minor: Nonprofit Management TELESA A. WALTON 2134 Pecan Ridge Drive, Forney, TX 75126 | (404) 668 – 6523 |-| www.linkedin.com/in/telesa-walton-cvm TECHNICAL SKILLS • CRM (Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, Insightly) • Marketing (Word Press, Constant Contact, Canva,) • Productivity (Microsoft 365, Google Workplace, Trello, Monday) • Workforce Management (Harvest, Clockify) • Collaboration Tools (Slack, Zoom, Teams, Go To, Doodle) • Data Analysis (Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, Google Analytics) • Financial (Sage Intacct, Concur, Classy, BidPrime) • Document Management (Dropbox, DocuSign, PandaDocs, SharePoint) PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS • Independent Sector: Conference Workshop Peer Reviewer (2025 – Present) • Forney Independent School District: Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member (2020 - 2022) • American Society of Association Executives: Member (2019 - 2021) • OneStar Foundation: AmeriCorps Grant Reviewer (2018 - 2020) • Dallas Association for Directors of Volunteers: Conference Co-Chair and Vendor Chair (2009 - 2011) PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS • Change Management Foundations – Issued by LinkedIn • HR Foundations: Core Human Resources – Issued by LinkedIn • Consulting Foundations – Issued by LinkedIn • Operations Management Foundations – Issued by LinkedIn • Marketing Essentials – Issued by Cornerstone Nonprofit Ready.org • Financial Management Essentials – Issued by NonprofitReady.org • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Issued by National Diversity Council • Raiser’s Edge Fundamentals – Issued by Blackbaud • Fundraising - Issued by The Center for Nonprofit Management • Volunteer Management – Issued by Leadership 101, LLC Page 3 of 3