Vice President
bruce.matthews@campbellcompany.com
“Working with complex institutions, I foster collaboration among leadership, advancement professionals and high-level volunteers toward reaching challenging goals. Throughout my 31 years of experience, I have conducted more than 1,000 study interviews with high-capacity philanthropists, giving me a thorough understanding of donors and the messages that advance them toward their highest gifts. Every campaign for which I have provided counsel has succeeded, and I have ultimately helped organizations raise more than $2.6 billion during my career.”
Areas of ExpertisePublic and Private Higher Education Philanthropy, Healthcare and Human Services Philanthropy, Arts and Culture Philanthropy, Public Broadcasting Philanthropy
About Bruce MatthewsBruce Matthews’ career at Campbell & Company is built on his experience as a fundraiser, when he learned and understood how collaboration between staff, leadership and volunteers could facilitate transformations for large and complex institutions. He brings this knowledge to his work every day—in his client work, Bruce especially values opportunities to:
- Hear from nonprofit leaders about how their mission is making a difference and how a partnership with Campbell & Company can help them achieve their dreams
- Be immersed in a clients’ culture when onsite
- Seeing the light bulbs go on when training volunteers in fundraising best practices
- Help an institution connect the dots using his 30 years of experience
- Help successful campaigns transform an institution
Bruce joined Campbell & Company in 1999 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where he managed a staff of 50 and helped craft the strategy for a comprehensive campaign. Prior to that, he spent eight years as the Senior Development Officer in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Engineering. While there, Bruce was involved with the university’s first comprehensive campaign, the $475 million
Campaign for Wisconsin, and helped organize the College of Engineering’s $100 million
Vision 2000 campaign. He also served as the Director of Marketing and Development for Wisconsin Public Radio and the general manager of symphony orchestras in Rochester, Minnesota, and Madison, Wisconsin.
Bruce is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Idaho, receiving degrees in music performance specializing on the French horn. As a musician, he played in several symphony orchestras in his native Wisconsin. Later, as a member of both the music faculty of the University of Idaho and the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, he performed and lectured throughout the intermountain West and Canada. Bruce currently teaches a class in major gift fundraising at the Northwestern University School of Continuing Education.