2025 40 Under 40 Winners

Rachel successfully led BSMHF’s portfolio strategy and analytics efforts, helping the Foundation achieve its best fundraising year ever in 2024 by exceeding its target by almost 33%. She played a key role in increasing the number of major gifts by 10% and boosting solicitations by 30% in 2024, directly contributing to the Bon Secours Mercy Health Foundation's record-breaking success. 

Rachel collaborated with the annual giving team and hospital EHR partners to expand patient donor acquisition initiatives, generating over 1,200 new donors in 2024. She served as a Board Member, Conference Chair, and Programming Chair for APRA Northwest, where she organized impactful conferences and educational programs for advancement professionals. 

As a student, I held a volunteer position assisting with the development of various public and private grants for my academic department. I grew that experience into an internship, which eventually led to a full-time role as a development analyst for a small nonprofit.

After starting in a broad role at a small nonprofit, I discovered prospect research, which was a perfect fit for my skills and interests. I was thrilled to realize I could be paid to be curious and even more so, to see how that curiosity could drive meaningful impact on the health and wellness of my community.

Being part of the $1 billion matching campaign at Oregon Health & Science University was a pivotal moment in my career. It opened my eyes to the transformative power of philanthropy and showed me how uniting an entire institution around a single cause can drive meaningful, lasting change.

My greatest passion has to be my daughters. They inspire me every day with their creativity, curiosity, and joy. Being a parent motivates me to be my best self, both personally and professionally, and reminds me of the importance of creating a better world for the next generation.

Invest time in understanding your donors beyond the data. Even in a prospect development role, never let the numbers overshadow the personal stories behind them.