Laura Pallares

Laura Pallares works as Associate Consultant at American Philanthropic, a consulting firm whose mission is to strengthen civil society by improving the effectiveness of charitable foundations and nonprofit organizations. She helps her clients on a wide range of services, including strategic consulting, analysis, and planning; assistance in grantwriting and direct-mail; as well as collateral material creation. Laura was the founding Program Director of a national nonprofit dedicated to teaching students from underserved school districts to advance critical thinking skills through the Hochman Method—a rigorous writing program. Her experience includes years of work at a New York City philanthropic foundation as well as marketing and development work for a community-based organization in rural Virginia. Laura earned her Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her Bachelors from the College of Charleston. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband Enrique and her daughter Lucia.
3 essential fundraising lessons from the Girl Scouts

The Girl Scouts command a $700 million cookie empire. That success doesn’t come easy, and here’s how you can learn from them.

Laura Pallares / 2 min read
end of year giving for relational philanthropy
Christmas in September: why your year-end campaign starts now

Last Thursday, American Philanthropic and Philanthropy Daily convened fundraisers and nonprofit leaders in Philadelphia for an evening conversation on end-of-year fundraising. Here is a summary of the conversation.

Laura Pallares & Carter Skeel / 3 min read
How to make a successful annual report and improve your fundraising efforts

Annual reports are incredibly useful in order to feature your organization’s accomplishments and thank donors for their generous support. When well-designed and compellingly-written, they can also be much more than that.

Laura Pallares / 3 min read
You sent a Letter of Inquiry, now what?

Five tips for increasing your chances of securing that next foundation grant.

Laura Pallares / 3 min read
Online fundraising? How to grow your nonprofit’s email list in 6 simple steps

Successful nonprofits consistently strive to build relationships with their supporters and bring them into the life of the organization.

Laura Pallares / 3 min read