Lauren Nelson, MNM, CFRE

Lauren Nelson has a diverse and extensive work experience in the nonprofit sector. Lauren is currently serving as the Vice President of Philanthropy at Quest, Inc., where they started in February 2023. Prior to this, Lauren founded their own consulting firm, Nelson Nonprofit Consulting, LLC, in November 2020. As the Founder/CEO, they provided strategic planning, philanthropy and resource development, grant writing, and other customized services to nonprofit clients.

Lauren has also worked as an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Central Florida since January 2015, teaching courses on Resource Development for Nonprofits and Volunteerism. Lauren consistently ranked above median scores in student perception surveys.

From February 2021 to October 2022, Lauren served as the Director, Impact & Operations | Major Gift Officer at the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida, where they played an active role in defining growth strategies for the center's operations and major gift and grants strategies for the new museum/capital campaign.

Prior to that, they worked at Nemours as a Philanthropy Associate from May 2015 to November 2020. In this role, they led major gift efforts, developed cases for support, and contributed to a 75% growth in philanthropic revenue over three years.

Lauren's previous positions include Director of Development, Individual Giving at the Orlando Science Center, Area Director at Best Buddies International, Development Director at the Orlando Repertory Theatre, and Sr. Community Representative at the American Cancer Society. Lauren also served as the Colleges Program Manager for Best Buddies International in Florida.

Throughout their career, Lauren has demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, fundraising, donor relations, grant writing, and program management, making their a valuable asset to any nonprofit organization.

Lauren Nelson, MNM, CFRE completed their Bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications at Elon University from 1999 to 2003. Following that, they pursued their Master's degree in Nonprofit Management at the University of Central Florida, which they completed between 2008 and 2010.

In addition to their formal education, Lauren obtained the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification from CFRE International in March 2017.