Fundraising the Entrepreneurial Way—Howard and Fredi Stevenson Join Foundation Council

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Forbes Magazine called him a “$1 billion fund-raiser,” an apt moniker for Howard Stevenson, Sarofim-Rock Baker Professor Emeritus and former Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School, Director of Publishing and Chair of the board for Harvard Business Publishing Company and Vice-Provost of Harvard University.

Having earned his MBA and Doctoral degrees at Harvard Business School, he built the school’s entrepreneurial management program, leveraging experience gained through involvement with a number of public and privately held companies and during the last 35 years in various leadership positions at Harvard.

However, he may be best known for having raised millions upon millions of dollars not only for Harvard but also for the various nonprofit organizations he has served.  He conducted the first-ever HBS capital campaign, which came in 20% over its hardly-modest $500 million goal.  That was just one of many successful campaigns he’s run for environmental, cultural, arts and educational causes. Along the way, he’s served on the boards of countless national non-profit organizations and as the president of a multi-billion-dollar private investment partnership. He shares his insights, lessons-learned and best practices in Giving to Getting, a book he co-authored that details an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy.

His wife Fredi is a powerhouse is her own right, having co-founded Summer Search Boston, an organization taking on the challenge of helping low-income high school youth—100% of their students have graduated high school and 94% have gone on to college. She also served on the national board for Summer Search and is a member of the Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board, the Smithsonian Institution board, the NPR Foundation board and the WBU Board of Overseers.

“Both Howard and Fredi will be resources of key importance to the Foundation moving forward,” notes Foundation Chairman Neal Kassell. “Howard’s entrepreneurial fundraising approach particularly resonates with me as it aligns with the Foundation’s DNA. Like an entrepreneur or venture capitalist, the Foundation has a tightly managed approach dedicated to bringing a new technology to millions of patients. Perhaps this is why so many donors who want to make a meaningful difference feel connected to our cause.”

In addition to the Foundation’s philanthropic mission of helping patients, the Stevensons are intrigued by challenges to healthcare innovation.  They see focused ultrasound as the kind of novel approachthat could transform the treatment landscape for multiple diseases,andas a result, could potentially change the entire medical development paradigm.

“I’ve taught venture capital and philanthropy courses, but an entrepreneur at heart, I like to be a practitioner most of all.  Fredi and I are excited to be involved with the Foundation and welcome an opportunity to help advance this promising field.”