Melissa is a philanthropic advisor with decades of experience guiding businesses, nonprofits, individuals, and families in developing effective strategies to achieve their goals. In her role, she empowers new donors to clearly define their objectives and shows them how to use their philanthropy as a powerful tool to create meaningful change. She also collaborates with established philanthropists to refresh their giving strategies in response to changes in their relationships, areas of focus, or ability to give. Families and couples trust her to help them navigate decision-making and find a path forward together that reflects the interests of each person.
Throughout her career, Melissa has forged partnerships to support mission-critical initiatives. At Yale University, she collaborated with major donors and their families to find giving opportunities that aligned with their goals and met the institution’s needs, showing them how to use a variety of funding vehicles to make the greatest impact. In 2017, Melissa joined the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art to revitalize donor relationships and energize the board of trustees, successfully securing funding for new initiatives and core priorities. Driven by her passion for fostering successful connections between donors and nonprofits, Melissa now uses her experience to inspire philanthropists to make a meaningful and significant impact.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Brown University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissarollenhagencristal/
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