Staff: Mary Rennekamp

Mary Rennekamp is a philanthropic strategist, nonprofit executive, and trusted advisor to mission-driven organizations and donors. She helps leaders turn bold ideas into lasting impact by building fundraising strategies, designing grantmaking programs, leading organizational transformation, and guiding philanthropists in aligning their resources with the communities and causes they care about most.

For more than 20 years, Mary has worked across the philanthropic sector, serving in executive leadership roles with community foundations, private foundations, and nonprofits. She spent more than a decade with Friends of the Children, where she helped grow the organization's reach and impact through fundraising, strategic partnerships, and national expansion.

As someone who was adopted out of the foster care system, Mary brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. That perspective continues to shape her belief that philanthropy is at its best when it is grounded in community, built on authentic relationships, and focused on creating lasting change.

Outside of work, you'll most often find Mary taking joyful walks with her dog, Zelda, planning her next adventure, or gathering around a great meal with the people she loves.