Dana Gillespie, Founder and Director of New Business Development

A veteran fundraiser, Dana brings over 30 years’ experience consulting with nonprofit organizations and leading fundraising and communications teams. As a founding partner of Creation In Common, Dana has helped agencies assess their capabilities, elevate board governance, and deepen employee engagement through engagements with McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Care Providers of Minnesota, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Opportunity Partners, Phillips Family Foundation, Sidney Health Center, National Council on Family Relations, Pillsbury United Communities, KERA/Art &Seek, and Walker Art Center. As a fundraiser for a variety of organizations ranging from the Dallas Theater Center, Young Audiences, The Alzheimer’s Association and Pillsbury United Communities, Dana has forged connections between the needs of an organization with the need to deepen donor understanding about the impact of giving all the while conveying a compelling narrative. Most recently for the Fairview Foundation, Dana developed philanthropic collaborations between hospitals and the communities they serve in order to improve health and organizational outcomes. Dana’s strengths in analysis and observation are enhanced by a love of storytelling. She is a produced playwright and as such, Dana sees the value of all the players and how individuals can work together toward a common goal. In her spare time, Dana loves to run the occasional 5K.