Q-and-A With Award Winners

The winners of FundRaising Success’ 2007 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards are individuals in the sector — on both the nonprofit and consulting side — who enrich the sector in some way and/or embody important trends in fundraising.

We asked our award winners to share some things about themselves: where they come from, geographically and professionally; where they want to be in the future; who inspires them; and examples of some challenges and accomplishments they’ve had.

Below are Q-and-A’s with five of our winners: Ted Kohnen, assistant director of Planned Parenthood Online and a Rising Star; Tim Burgess, co-founder of Merkle/Domain and a Top Man in Fundraising; Katya Andresen, vice president of marketing at Network for Good and one of our Fundraising Professionals of the Year; Michael Knipp, chief copywriter/editor at Creative Direct Response and a Rising Star; and Kim Ruotsala, director of development for Food Bank of the Rockies and a Top Woman in Fundraising.

Ted Kohnen

Where did you grow up? Queens, New York and Smithtown in Long Island, N.Y.

What is your fundraising experience? About four and a half years with two nonprofits: Alzheimer’s Research Foundation and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Prior to that, I worked for two Internet companies for four years doing strategic planning and online marketing.

What is your education? M.S. in technology management from Columbia University in New York.; B.A. in international business and management from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.

Who are your role models? My father (Theodore Kohnen Sr.). Through watching my father in his career — currently VP of New York Life Insurance Company — I learned that good, honest and ethical people do win. Jack Welch (former chairman of GE). His no-nonsense management and gritty business style I think works very well in the online world and keeps projects and ideas moving forward.