As I approach my two-year anniversary as Director of Philanthropy at Breakthrough Central Texas, I find myself feeling incredibly grateful and more than a little reflective.
Breakthrough is the region’s largest college access and success organization. If you care about educational equity, this is the place to be. Our mission is built on the belief that when you’re the first in your family to graduate from college, you won’t be the last. This idea continues to guide how we build relationships, grow resources, and expand opportunity for students across Central Texas.
My path to this work has been unconventional, and yet now it makes perfect sense! I began my career in the private sector, leading marketing and public relations for high-profile consumer lifestyle brands. This foundation taught me the importance of compelling storytelling, audience engagement, and relationship-driven strategy. I’ve brought that same mindset to the world of development, where authenticity and alignment matter more than ever.
Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to:
- Lead a $30 million growth campaign from concept to execution, partnering with a 16-member campaign committee and producing a range of donor events, from intimate gatherings to a public-facing campaign launch.
- Oversee a major gifts program supporting an $11 million annual operating budget, with a diverse and engaged portfolio of more than 150 major donors.
- Build out stronger systems for donor strategy, introducing tools and processes that replaced spreadsheets and shared drives with a centralized, actionable platform.
- Create donor communications that bring our work to life, including a campaign case statement, a campaign report, and a year-end “Yearbook” filled with student graduation stories and impact moments.
Across all of this, I’ve seen the incredible value of combining data with empathy, and strategy with purpose. Whether developing a stewardship plan or sharing a student’s journey, the goal is to inspire action through authentic connection.
I remain energized by the work ahead and deeply proud to contribute to meaningful change. As a West Coast expat with deep ties to my “favorite” coast, it is hard to believe it has been almost two decades that I have called Austin home. Reflecting on the last five years since my transition from private sector to nonprofit, my best work has truly been at the intersection of mission, equity, and storytelling.
Thanks for being a friend and colleague – your care and support really does mean so much to me.
In gratitude,
Kimberly
We're Pivoting 