Our Team: John Wm. Thomas - Managing Director

Managing Director OAI Team Member Since: 2007 Years of Experience: 31 General Info Phone: 202-338-6100 ext. 112 Fax: 202-338-8182 jwmthomas@oai-usa.com

Biography

John Wm. Thomas joined forces with OAI as a Managing Director in 2011. Partnering with OAI as a Senior Consultant in 2007, John brings with him over 33 years of senior management experience in strategic fundraising.  John headed development for the American Red Cross  and Childrens National Medical Center and has planned and completed successful campaigns ranging from $10 million to $500 million.  Over the last four years, John has introduced a number of clients to OAI and has played a key role in the strategic development and fundraising success of many of them, including Arena Stage, Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, the Kingsbury Center, Antietam Healthcare Foundation and AABB.

In addition to partnering with OAI, John heads a Virginia based consulting firm which specializes in strategic and philanthropic planning, powering up revenue generation strategies and board development for nonprofits and for profit companies.  He is currently advising Arena Stage, the Helen Hayes Awards and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital project. Previous clients include Wesley Theological Seminary, The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, the Washington Redskins, Baptist Health Foundation (Miami, FL) and Community Medical Center (Missoula, MT), Washington Hospital Center, the Langley School and the Advisory Board Company.

During the twelve year period, 1995-2007, John was Vice President for Development at Children’s National Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer of the Children’s Hospital Foundation.  In this capacity, John built a strategic major gifts program for Children’s Hospital, expanded its fundraising marketing capabilities, and completed two comprehensive campaigns over goal.  The "Giant Steps" campaign, originally targeted for $200 million, was concluded on January 28, 2004 with $301.5 million in hand.  Following this success, John planned and managed the quiet phase of the $500 million "Transforming Medicine" campaign which is now being managed by his successor.  During John’s tenure at Children’s Hospital, fundraising grew from $14.5 million to $90 million in FY’00, and now averages nearly $45 million annually.

From 1992 - 1995, John was Senior Vice President for Development at the American Red Cross.  While there he strengthened Red Cross fundraising capabilities by initiating national market positioning research, converted many chapters and strengthened their major gift fundraising.  He raised nearly $26 million in four months to re-engineer the Red Cross blood supply and added a major gifts focus to disaster campaigns.  John built a $105 million reserve for the Red Cross to use during disasters and other emergencies.

From 1986 until 1992, John was Vice President for Development at New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.  Under his leadership, the Medical Center benefited from a 250% increase in fundraising, gaining national recognition for this growth.  Prior to 1986, John was the Executive Director of Medical School and Hospital Development at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Active throughout his career in the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), John received the "Outstanding Fundraising Professional" award from AFP in 2004.  John also developed the basic ideas which led the Advisory Board Company to begin their healthcare Philanthropy Council business in 2005.