HEAR FROM YOUR PEER
With Catherine Heitz New
Featuring Special Guest — Mary McFadden Lawson
Chief Philanthropy Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
This episode features Mary McFadden Lawson, Chief Philanthropy Officer with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, who highlights how team alignment and intentional planning, paired with a culture that celebrates every win, are the foundations of meaningful long-term donor success.
Listen today for clear, candid guidance from people who are doing the work every day, and to highlight the strategies, habits, and decisions that are moving arts organizations forward.
Read the full transcript below or click the button to listen.
ABOUT MARY MCFADDEN LAWSON
Mary McFadden (“Mary Mc”) Lawson is currently the Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, serving nearly 4 years in that role after being promoted from Vice President of Philanthropy since 2014. Mary Mc oversees contributed income for the largest arts institution in Cincinnati and one of the top ten orchestras in America. Under Mary Mc’s leadership, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has experienced an era of financial stability and success achieved through transformative fundraising campaigns that allow the CSO to fulfill its vision to become the most relevant orchestra in America. This has included raising almost $300 million in support of the Orchestra and its wholly owned subsidiary Music & Event Management, Inc. (MEMI).
She is frequently asked to lead workshops to share her expertise and insights and has presented at the League of American Orchestras Conference on mental health and burnout in the field of fundraising, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) on board diversification, Community Counseling Services (CCS) webinar on donor stewardship, and the Chartered Advisors in Philanthropy (CAP®) program to help study group participants. Mary Mc has received the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award and has earned the prestigious designation of Chartered Advisors in Philanthropy (CAP®), administered through The American College of Financial Services. She has also been noted nationally in USA Today for innovative fundraising.
In addition to fundraising priorities, she also serves as a primary staff liaison with the CSO Board of Directors, collaborating with Directors on a regular basis; engaging in Board governance work to reshape the leadership structure of the institution; and is the lead on government affairs and advocacy work at the local, state and federal level.
Prior to the CSO, Mary Mc served as Vice President of Philanthropy and Director of Special Campaigns from 2008 to 2014 at the North Carolina Symphony. Previous positions include fundraising for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and Opera Carolina. Mary Mc discovered fundraising more than 25 years ago during a college internship. Since that time, she has focused her career on fostering relationships with philanthropists who take the bold step to define their legacies.
Mary Mc earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from Wofford College. She currently lives in Wyoming, OH with her husband and two children, now ages 17 and 14. As a devotee of live music, when Mary Mc is not at Music Hall enjoying the Orchestra, you will likely find her attending other concerts and performances around the city.