Kelsey Nelson

Kelsey is passionate about helping nonprofits achieve and sustain growth through philanthropy. She enjoys working with her client partners to develop and refine fundraising and donor strategy, always looking for opportunities to build on existing strengths. She excels at:

• Making aggressive goals achievable through skillful project management and creative problem-solving
• Preparing gift officers and volunteers to deeply inspire donors
• Helping organizations refine fundraising processes and create space to test new platforms and donor engagement techniques

Prior to joining Campbell & Company in 2016, Kelsey was an Assistant Director of Annual Giving in the University of Michigan’s central development office—a role that gave her a strong foundation and abiding interest in broad-based fundraising and pipeline development. Kelsey began her career in philanthropy at the Adler Planetarium, where she worked closely with the Board of Trustees and oversaw special events, publications, and partnerships designed to advance the Adler’s mission. In her ten years with Campbell & Company, she has partnered with dozens of organizations in the higher education and arts and culture sectors and beyond to facilitate campaign planning, provide campaign counsel and management, and assess and develop growth roadmaps for fundraising programs.

Kelsey holds an MA in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in History of Art & Architecture and French from Middlebury College. She currently serves as President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Chicago’s Board of Directors and she is a member of Girls on the Run-Chicago’s Finish Line Council.