Natalie Lamberjack

Our member focus this month is on Natalie Lamberjack, an Account Executive at The Collins Group in Seattle. It is the largest fundraising consulting firm based in the Northwest, and also the largest female-owned firm of its kind in the nation. Since 2000, The Collins Group has helped non-profits raise over $600 million!

Natalie has been active in the Social Justice Fund (SJF) for several years and has participated in almost every manner possible. She has worked on several membership renewal campaigns, hosted tables at the Annual Dinner, attended workshops and community meetings, and has attended site visits to grantee organizations in and around Seattle.

A truly dedicated member, Natalie welcomed SJF and guests into her home at the infamous Bleeding Hearts House Party, which resulted in many first-time members and donors. “[SJF] gives members a lot of opportunity to get involved…It’s fun to participate in philanthropy this way,” she said in a recent interview.

“I think SJF plays an important role in philanthropy in the Northwest. They provide vital support for smaller organizations that might not fit into the priorities of larger foundations.”

She continued, “And, I really like that Social Justice Fund looks at rural communities in the region as well because I think that the resources in rural communities throughout the Northwest can be pretty limited.

“It’s really forced me to look outside of the Seattle community—to really think about the important work that’s being done in smaller communities and the lack of resources available.

“Living in Seattle, you have a tendency to forget what people are up against a lot of times…It’s just helped me look at the Northwest with a broader outlook.”

Natalie has been in the Northwest for about 7 years. She grew up in rural Ohio and moved to Seattle after college. The tradition of giving was passed down to her by her family. “My parents gave in terms of both time and money to a lot of organizations like their church, my school. There were always opportunities to get involved,” she said. Her commitment to service began when she was in grade school and volunteered through church programs and at a local nursing home.

Through volunteering and her work at The Collins Group, the list of non-profit organizations that Natalie has been involved with is substantial. She has served on many committees and auctions and is currently co-chairing the Spring Conference for the Northwest Development Officers Association.

She draws inspiration from actually seeing the change at the community level. She elaborated, “It’s invaluable to get to meet with staff and volunteers at organizations and learn more about them. That motivates me to continue to give to SJF.”

In her free time Natalie enjoys checking out local music and spending time in the mountains or on the coast. As if she doesn’t seem busy enough, she is also an aspiring baker. Most Saturdays she can be found baking at the Tall Grass Bakery in Ballard.

In her closing thoughts, Natalie reiterated her respect for SJF’s commitment to grassroots activism: “I would love to see SJF get a broader base of support, so they can do more.”

Sounds like everyone’s on the same page.