Winsome Foderingham
Winsome Foderingham is a strategist and resource connector with a cross-sector career background that began internationally in agricultural research.
After migrating to the United States, she worked in library administration and telecommunications sales. Upon completing her master’s degree in public administration, she worked in nonprofit management, corporate philanthropy, and higher education.
Always driven by mission, curiosity, observation and connecting the dots to offer solutions, she is an innovator. In her career, she thrives in exploring ideas and building partnerships to accomplish process improvement, equity, culture enrichment, talent engagement and organizational efficiency.
Relevant to philanthropy and fundraising, Winsome worked in corporate philanthropy as the Community Relations Manager for Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation. In that role, she managed grant making and sponsorships for markets in New York’s Capital Region, Hudson Valley and Western NY.
There she was a voice for opportunity and funded capacity building for several nonprofits while developing sponsorship strategy, building community partnerships, leading volunteer activities, and serving on four local boards of directors. After Bank of America Foundation, Winsome worked at the University at Albany’s Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations. In this consulting capacity and grant writing role, she managed external relationships with foundations and corporations while also preparing faculty for seeking grants.
As a grant writer for the university’s colleges and schools, she raised over $6 million in grants and designed and delivered grant proposal writing workshops for faculty. While in higher education administration, Winsome managed an executive education program at UAlbany’s Center for Technology in Government and was also an instructional designer for faculty development at the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She published an article with a team that also presented at CASE.
As a speaker, retreat leader and group facilitator, she has moderated panels and presented at conferences related to fundraising and women’s leadership. Winsome left UAlbany in July 2022 to continue her career in strategy planning, program assessment and design, and process innovation. Winsome volunteers for local, regional, national and international organizations in the areas of entrepreneurship, youth talent development, and women’s leadership.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University at Albany, and also a Master of Public Administration from UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.
In Her Own Words
What is your favorite quote?
“We are the solution.” – Beverly Bond, Founder, Black Girls Rock!
Who is your favorite woman fundraiser or philanthropist of color?
A fundraiser of philanthropist I admire is Denella Clark, CEO and President, Boston Arts Academy, because she is focused and is consistently promoting others while accomplishing her fundraising goals to raise millions. She is the past Chairwoman of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) where she has, and continues to work diligently to connect and uplift women.
With a career that spans from international industry research to corporate and foundation relations, what inspires you to continue to pursue a career in fundraising and philanthropy?
Whatever my professional role in fundraising and philanthropy, I am inspired to use language of elevation that promotes, transforms, and uplifts the individual who our mission serves. Whether that is language that reimagines and redesigns policies, programs, processes or systems, I want to craft powerful words that elevate others. Words have power to build up or to tear down individuals and institutions. How we speak or write about individuals in our fundraising materials; and how we speak with individuals in need when we engage in one-to-one conversations, requires compassion and consideration if our aim is to change lives.
Thought leaders who influence my views in this pursuit are authors like Brené Brown who says that dehumanizing always starts with language. Also, James A. Autry, author and poet believes, “We do make things true by what we say…things and people are what we call them, because in the simplest terms, we are what we say, and others are what we say about them.”
Each day offers us an opportunity to “write a chapter” in our lives. We are the authors.
Where do you want to be in 3 years?
I will always be contributing as a strategist and innovator who creates and design ideas and opportunities that visibly transform the lives of people who are disadvantaged and reclaiming their dignity. I also plan to be a college educator with a mission to inspire and prepare a generation of influencers and social entrepreneurs.
Do you have any advice for other women of color entrepreneurs in the realm of philanthropy and fundraising — whether they are in Canada, the United States, or the international WOC community at large?
Each day offers us an opportunity to “write a chapter” in our lives. We are the authors. Others will attempt to define or erase your narrative. Believe in who you are, and hold on to your pen and write your chapter confidently. You are the author of your day and God will give you the divine guidance to navigate it.
