Katherine Buggenhagen
About Katherine Buggenhagen
Katherine Buggenhagen serves as the Senior Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a position she has held since 2018. With a background in major gift planning and a strong educational foundation in Fine Arts and Applied Mathematics, she has contributed to various organizations in Chicago over the years.
Work at Greater Chicago Food Depository
Katherine Buggenhagen has served as the Senior Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository since 2018. In this role, she focuses on securing major gifts and planned giving contributions to support the organization’s mission of alleviating hunger in the Chicago area. Her position involves building relationships with donors and developing strategies to enhance fundraising efforts.
Previous Experience in Fundraising
Before her current role, Katherine Buggenhagen worked at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. She held the position of Major Gift Planning Officer from 2007 to 2014, where she was responsible for managing major gift initiatives. Prior to that, she served as the Coordinator for Major Gift Planning from 2005 to 2007. Her experience in fundraising also includes a role as Administrative Assistant at the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago from 2001 to 2005.
Education and Expertise
Katherine Buggenhagen holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon, where she studied from 1997 to 1999. She furthered her education with a Master of Applied Mathematics from Columbia College Chicago, completing her studies from 2002 to 2004. Her educational background provides her with a unique perspective in her fundraising roles, combining creative and analytical skills.
Career at Lincoln Park Zoo
From 2014 to 2018, Katherine Buggenhagen worked at Lincoln Park Zoo as a Qualification Manager. In this role, she was responsible for assessing and qualifying potential major gift donors, contributing to the zoo's fundraising efforts. Her experience in this position added to her expertise in donor relations and major gift fundraising.