Matthew Cottle, CFRE, Joins Jeffrey Byrne & Associates

A post-graduate school community service internship at Woodrow Wilson Foundation turned into a fundraising career for Matthew Cottle. Now, 23 years later, Matthew has a record of success as a campaign leader for organizations ranging from regional state universities, to an Ivy League university, to a membership-based scientific organization, to a highly experimental college with no established constituency. His hallmark is creating new fundraising programs and introducing new concepts into existing programs.

Matthew offers Jeffrey Byrne & Associates’ clients his vast experience as both a fundraiser and an executive director. A few of his successes include West Liberty State College’ the Campaign for West Liberty, Princeton University’s Anniversary Campaign that raised more than $1,000,000,000, and the National Academy of Sciences’ Campaign for the National Academies that produced more than $300,000,000. In his first capital campaign – the University of Idaho’s Cornerstone of Innovation campaign – Matthew applied proven community-based fundraising practices to create fundraising teams in five major cities. His fundraising philosophy emphasizes the use of volunteers, combined with a donor-centered approach that focuses on understanding the real needs of a prospective donor and strict attention to stewardship.

An active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the National Council on Planned Giving (NCPG), Matthew currently serves as vice president of the board for AFP Western Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of the Silver Award and a “5-Star” speaker for the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education (CASE). Matthew also is one of the founders of the Engineering Development Forum, an annual conference devoted to best practices in fundraising for engineering and science organizations.

Matthew holds undergraduate degrees in finance and monetary economics from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati, with concentrations in operations management and organizational behavior. He and his wife, Mary, reside in Wheeling, West Virginia, along with their two sons.