Senior Director of Philanthropy, Shriners Children’s New England; Age 38
Kerri Tichy
Kerri Tichy doesn’t see her role as senior director of Philanthropy at Shriners Children’s New England as work, instead calling it a “passion.”
Actually, it combines two passions.
One involves philanthropy, and the other involves the Shriners, its many organizations, its children’s clinics, and especially the one in Springfield, where her daughter, Kelsi, is a patient.
“My father was a Shriner, and I grew up in the daughter organization called the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, and from that, I went into the Ladies of the Oriental Shrine of North America — the ladies with the white fezzes,” Tichy said. “Shriner’s Children’s is my passion and my purpose; it’s part of who I am.”
As for fundraising, Tichy has made it a significant part of her career.
Indeed, she worked in the private sector — for Aero Fastener Co. in Westfield and also MassMutual and Babson Capital — before joining the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, managing more than 430 philanthropic funds and driving strategic donor-engagement efforts.
She enjoyed that work, but when there was an opportunity to join Shriners Children’s New England, she jumped at it. And since arriving in 2022, she has excelled, while also moving up in the ranks, from Development officer to associate director to director, and now senior director.
Last year, for example, she oversaw the team that raised just over $8 million, 272% above the goal of $3 million, an achievement she attributes largely to one large, anonymous $10 million donation split with the Boston clinic, but mostly to hard work.
“There were a lot of events, a lot of speaking engagements, and meeting with donors,” Tichy said, adding that she spends most of her days hitting the pavement and spreading the word about the organization’s mission.
“When you’re mission-oriented, that speaks authentically to the donors and engages them, so it creates a deeper impact all the way around,” she said. “The other key is building on that relationship. Yes, the dollar matters, but at the end of the day, if you don’t have the rapport and the relationship with the individuals, the money isn’t going to continue.”
While doing all this, she is also active in the community, with organizations ranging from the PTO at her daughter Kelsi’s school to the Ladies of the Oriental Shrine of North America to Easter Seals of Western Massachusetts.
—George O’Brien
