Our Team: John Wm. Thomas - Senior Consultant

Senior Consultant OAI Team Member Since: 2007 Years of Experience: 31 General Info Phone: 202-338-6100 ext. 112 Fax: 202-338-8182

Biography

John Wm. Thomas joined forces with OAI as a senior consultant in 2007, bringing with him over 30 years of senior leadership and experience in strategic fundraising efforts.  Over the last two years, John has introduced a number of clients to OAI and has played a key role in the strategic development and fundraising success of a variety of our clients, including Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, the Kingsbury Center, Antietam Healthcare Foundation, AABB and the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home.

In addition to partnering with OAI, John heads a Virginia based consulting firm which specializes in strategic and philanthropic planning, powering up revenue generation strategiesand board development for nonprofits and for profit companies. He is currently senior external affairs advisor and manager for the National Children’s Museum, senior advisor to the National Health Museum and a campaign consultant for Sibley Memorial Hospital. Previous clients include Wesley Theological Seminary, Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Washington Hospital Center, the Langley School and the Advisory Board Company.  

Before establishing his own consulting firm and joining OAI’s team, John was Vice President for Development at Children’s National Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer of the Children’s Hospital Foundation from 1995 - 2006.   In this capacity, John built a strategic major gifts program for Children’s Hospital, expanded its fundraising marketing capabilities, and completed two comprehensive capital campaigns over goal. The “Giant Steps” campaign, originally targeted for $200 million, was concluded on January 28, 2004 with $301.5 million in hand.  Since John’s arrival at Children’s Hospital in 1995, fundraising has grown from $14.5 million to $90 million in FY’00, and now averages nearly $45 million annually. Following this success, John planned and managed the quiet phase of the new $500 million “Transforming Medicine” campaign which is now being managed by his successor. John is continuing to raise leadership gifts for the campaign while carefully building a consulting practice.

Formerly, 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, implemented a program to power up 10 chapter boards 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 lead the Advisory Board Company to begin their healthcare Philanthropy Council business in 2005.