Lenore McDonald

Lenore joined the Center for Elders’ Independence in October 2011 as the Director of Development and subsequently launched the Fund for Elders’ Independence, created to help raise awareness about CEI and to increase and diversify funding to support and grow the Center.

Raised near Boston, Lenore McDonald moved to San Rafael, California, in 1989 from New Orleans. Employed in private, not‐for‐profit higher education beginning in 1993, Lenore earned a BS in business administration at Dominican University in San Rafael while working there full‐time as a project manager and raising two children.

Lenore switched careers from operations to development in 2004 when she assumed the role of Alumni Services Manager at Golden Gate University and has “never looked back." As a fundraising professional, Lenore managed the GGU Alumni Association Board of Directors and eventually landed the position of Director of Development & Alumni Services, responsible for growing unrestricted annual giving and overseeing program activities for GGU’s 68,000 alumni. Her favorite part of fundraising is connecting people with the organization, engaging them in meaningful activities that they enjoy, then witnessing the magic that often results and ultimately wins their financial support. Lenore’s is excited about building strategic relationships and raising money for CEI through our new foundation.

Lenore strongly believes in the transformative powers of education and regularly seeks opportunities to expand her expertise. She achieved certification as a fund‐raising executive (CFRE) by the Association of Fundraising Professionals; she has been certified in project management by Project Management International since 2002; and she earned a certificate in Non‐Profit Leadership from Golden Gate University in 2010.

A long‐time recreational bicyclist and cycling advocate, Lenore organizes a popular bike ride and currently chairs the fundraising committee while serving on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the largest bicycle advocacy organization in the United States. She also serves on the board of the Friends of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, helping to end discrimination against women.