Tiffany Williams
We’re closing out 2020 with our last honoree of the year, Tiffany Williams!
Tiffany Williams, Founder & Principal, TJ Marie Consulting and Founder and CEO of Givly
Tiffany Williams is the Founder and Principal of TJ Marie Consulting, a nonprofit consulting firm, and the Founder and CEO of Givly, a donor engagement and giving mobile app. Tiffany offers a decade of fundraising, leadership, and management experience, having successfully led teams and nonprofit organizations in securing nearly a billion dollars in philanthropic support for their causes and missions.
Her experiences extend to several U.S. cities, Canada, and across a myriad of nonprofit sectors. Management and fundraising partnerships include clients like The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, Make a Wish Foundation of N.E. & Central California and Northern Nevada, Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida, Tuskegee Wesley Foundation in Tuskegee, Alabama, Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York, and After School Matters, Lincoln Park Community Shelter, Changing Worlds, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and Global Philanthropy Partnership, in Chicago, among many others.
Recently Tiffany served as on-site counsel, charged with the design and management of a major fundraising effort with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American Museum of History and Culture in Washington, DC, where she guided all aspects of its nine-figure fundraising endeavor. She coordinated internal and external development activities, advising and coordinating the efforts of some of our nation’s foremost leaders in business, politics, entertainment, and philanthropy.
Additionally, she is an influential voice in the philanthropic and nonprofit community, having facilitated workshops and presented on various fundraising topics as a thought-leader for the Association of Nonprofit Professionals (AFP), Young Nonprofit Network (YNPN), and the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits (ACN). This year, Tiffany was a featured panelist for Indiana University Women’s Philanthropy Institute Women in Philanthropy 2020 Symposium Virtual Series, was a featured guest with iHeart Radio’s WVON HER Wintrust Series, and is a recent alum of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business program. Tiffany was awarded the Corporate Woman of Achievement award for the National Association of Woman Business Owners (NAWBO) in 2020 and was the keynote speaker for the Panda Cares Scholars Program – a partnership with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).
Givly, a donor platform app founded by Tiffany.
Tiffany’s passion for philanthropy and social impact extends beyond her consultant career. Givly launched this Spring, a universal giving and stewarding platform designed to inspire and harness the philanthropic spirit among young donors, increase donor engagement, and bolster mission impact. Givly intersects technology and donor psychology to meet its nonprofit customers’ critical and unique needs, allowing them to easily access their donors to cultivate, request the support of, and steward supporters.
Givly was one of 12 companies chosen to participate in the sixth cohort of WiSTEM, a women-led tech and tech-enabled startup accelerator program at Chicago entrepreneurial and tech hub, 1871. Upon its launch, Givly was lauded in publications like theGrio, Bossip, WeGiveToo, Amsterdam New York News, and modern women’s union, The Riveter.
Tiffany is a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and resides in Chicago, Illinois. She received her B.A. and MBA from Florida A&M University. Her memberships include the Association of Fundraising Professionals, The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Young Nonprofit Network, the National Association of Women Business Owners, Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy, and The Association of Consultants to Nonprofits. Tiffany is a board member of Lincoln Park Community Services and is an active member of the Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
In Her Own Words
What is your favorite book?
I’ve read so many great books that have spoken to me at various times in my life and were apt for where I may have been at the moment. Some include The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews and Becoming by Michelle Obama. A few years ago, I, along with two of my sorority sisters, published a book of short stories from our linesisters - a celebration of 10 years in the Sisterhood. It required a TON of work so that has to be my favorite book: HerStory: Heartache, Happiness, and the Hiccups Along the Way.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is from then - Senator Kamala Harris: “You know, I have in my career been told many times, ‘It’s not your time. It’s not your turn, and let me just tell you, I eat ‘no’ for breakfast... It’s a hearty breakfast.”
Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow by Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman
Who is your favorite woman philanthropist of color?
I'm currently reading Madame C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving by Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman, so her history of philanthropy is of particular interest to me right now!
What inspired you to work in fundraising, and to found Givly?
I was introduced to fundraising as a profession more than a decade ago by a fellow FAMU alum who also worked in fundraising. It’s not something I’d considered prior to then, so upon exploration, I began my career with a fundraising consulting firm and I'm glad I did. The Givly app was born from an interaction I’d had while giving a talk to a room of nonprofit leaders with AFP. I thought the industry could be better served with a technology that both facilitated better donor stewarding and engagement, and also made it very easy to donate by modeling how a growing number of young people transact - through an app!
Where do you want to be in 3 years?
In three years, I want to grow and continue managing a thriving consulting practice. I want to have scaled Givly in a way that serves the needs of our customers and it’s users as we envision. I want to continue my board work, mentorship, and find new ways to give and serve the communities and missions for which I have a personal and professional affinity. Eventually, I want to be ON the major gift prospect list!
Do you have any advice for other young women of color working in fundraising or philanthropy?
WOC is a great resource to learn more about fundraising and philanthropy! If you see a career for yourself in this field, reach out to others who might be willing to offer counsel and support. It can be very rewarding, but also candidly, it can be a lonely field for a young Woman of Color. So, be sure to build a network where you can be vulnerable, speak about what you need, what you’re experiencing, and ask for help. I’ll also say, continue to learn. The world is changing and the fundraising sector is no exception.
Learn more about Tiffany’s donor platform app, Givly.
