About the Editor:

Caren Friedman has spent more than two decades advancing philanthropy at internationally recognized nonprofit institutions. She is the Founder and Chief Storyteller at Caren Friedman Communications (CFC), LLC, where she helps nonprofit and mission-driven organizations increase engagement through audience-centered communications and inspired storytelling. Since launching CFC in 2018, she’s been engaged by nonprofits across the sector, earning repeat contracts with leaders in higher education, arts and culture, and social services. She has helped raise millions of dollars for nonprofits of all sizes, including writing thoughtful, persuasive cases for support for The Ark Chicago, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI), Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, and Waldorf School of St. Louis. Prior to launching CFC, Caren was Director of Development Communications at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she built the museum’s first donor-centric communications team and raised the bar for messages befitting a world-class institution. As Director of Annual Giving at the renowned Lincoln Park Zoo, Caren brought in more than $7 million in unrestricted gifts. She has held fundraising and volunteer board roles at Chicagoland nonprofits including Spertus Institute, Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, Reading in Motion, and Erasing the Distance—all of which utilized events to strategically steward, cultivate, and fundraise. Caren graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Washington University in St. Louis, where she also earned her Master of Social Work. A Development Leadership Consortium (DLC) Management Fellows alum and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Caren lives in Chicago. Want to elevate your donor communications? Does your nonprofit need a compelling story that raises more money? Reach out to Caren here or at [email protected].