Michael J Shippam

Michael brings extraordinary skills and experience to the firm. These are focused in the areas of: philanthropic analytics, annual giving, leadership annual giving, major and principal gifts, campaign planning and management, staff management; performance metrics; prospect management and prospect strategy; board development; strategic planning; organizational effectiveness; and donor relations/stewardship.

Michael has 40 years of experience that encompasses higher education, voluntary health, and in providing services to the nonprofit sector. Professionally, he has served the community college market, public and private universities and university based medical centers, national voluntary health agencies, and provided consultative services to nonprofits throughout North America. He is a frequent presenter at CASE conferences.

Michael’s experience with campaigns includes the $250 Million inaugural Campaign for University of Buffalo where he served as Senior Director. Following that experience, Michael spent 12 years in Field Management and Major Gifts with the Arthritis Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the National Kidney Foundation. During his time with JDRF, Michael was focused on Field Management and growing chapter-based revenue generation post 9-11, he also implemented a board development initiative for high potential/low performing chapters. While at the National Kidney Foundation he assisted in the planning and implementation of a post 2008/2009 financial crisis reorganization of the NKF’s affiliate field structure resulting in reduced field-based operation costs and increased revenue generation.

Michael returned to higher education as the Senior Director of Regional Advancement for the University of Rochester/University of Rochester Medical Center’s successful $1.2 Billion Meloria Challenge campaign. There, he was responsible for four regions including the Rochester Region which exceeded its campaign goal of $485M including grateful patient and board development work for the URMC’s Clinical and Cancer Center programs.

Most recently Michael served as the Associate Vice President for Major Gifts and the Campaign at Georgia Southern University where he managed a staff team of ten and directly supported six academic Deans and their individual Dean’s Advisory Committees. During his tenure he significantly increased the number of major gift prospects under active management (+69%) and increased major gifts support (+66%) for the Foundation. He also provided support to the University Foundation’s Advancement Committee and assisted in the consolidation of the Armstrong State University Advancement Office into that of Georgia Southern’s as both Universities became one business unit in January of 2018.

On occasion, Michael also serves as an interim Vice President for Advancement in the higher education vertical and has done so for an assortment of public and private institutions.

Michael serves as a Chief Consultant and Team Lead-Higher Education with Visionary Philanthropic Consulting and has been with the firm since its founding in 2018.

Michael, his wife Laura, their son Devon and their four dogs reside in Statesboro, GA. Their other son, Austin has chosen to go into the family trade and works in the Advancement Services department for Georgia Tech.