Penelope Burk, Contributing Editor, Donor-Centred Fundraising

Penelope Burk, author, trainer and President of Burk & Associates Ltd., has over 30 years' experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, marketing and research. A native of Montreal, Quebec, she began her career in public relations with leading arts organizations followed by senior positions with social service and recreation organizations including The Commonwealth Games and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Her company, with offices in Canada, the United Kingdom and Chicago, has been serving clients, conducting innovative training programs and publishing leading edge research for fifteen years.

As well as being a senior researcher, fundraiser, consultant and corporate executive, Penelope is an accomplished writer. She has written over forty seminars, most of which feature scenes and short plays about real-life fundraising situations portrayed by The Burk & Associates Players, a lively troupe of professional actors who perform to the delight and amazement of delegates. Burk & Associates’ seminars have been acclaimed as unique, engaging and among the most effective training programs in the nonprofit sector today.

Penelope is especially well known for her leading edge research in donor communication. Author of two major North American studies on the subject, Penelope’s work is the only statistically-based research ever published on the effect of communication on donor retention and gift value. Her first research study was published in a book called, Thanks!...A Guide to Donor-Centred Fundraising which has garnered unreserved accolades from critics and readers. In fact, two editions of Thanks! have sold out in just over two years. Results of a larger, all-American study were published in early May, 2003.