Heather OConnor

Heather OConnor
Research Scholar
Philanthropy, Fundraising, Message Framing, and Social Justice Issues
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Heather O’Connor, Ph. D., is a qualitative researcher focusing on philanthropic behavior, fundraising, social justice issues, and message framing for social impact.

She is a former nonprofit executive director and a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with 25 years of experience in nonprofit development and marketing communications. Heather has worked in the areas of reproductive health and justice, homelessness and food insecurity, adolescent health and well-being, dental care access, and higher education.

Her research on philanthropy, pro-choice activism, and philanthropic education has been published in several academic journals, textbooks, and industry publications. Her research has appeared in several outlets for practitioners, including Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, Forbes, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Heather has authored chapters in three textbooks, Teaching Nonprofit Management (2020), Achieving Excellence in Fundraising (2022), and Nonprofit Public Relations: A Critical Approach (forthcoming). Her academic studies have been published in the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ), the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing, the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership (JNEL), and The International Encyclopedia of Civil Society, 2nd Edition (forthcoming). 

In addition to working on select projects, Heather serves as VP of Research and Learning for Daylight Advisors, a consulting firm offering education and support services for philanthropic advisors. There, she conducts public and proprietary market research and translates existing research to design professional development offerings that help advisors democratize philanthropy and increase equitable impact.

Heather holds a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, an M.S. in Social Work from the University of Chicago, a graduate certificate in Market Research from the University of Georgia, and a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2008 and her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation in 2020.

She is a U.S. expat living in Portugal. 

philanthropy, fundraising, NGO, charity, donor behavior, messaging, message framing, social justice issues