Vanessa Marek

Vanessa is a passionate nonprofit professional with a background in advancing fundraising and strategic initiatives across various sectors. Most recently, she worked as Development Manager at Girls in Tech, an international nonprofit supporting women in STEM, where she restructured the organization’s donor strategy, led grant writing, and secured key corporate partnerships. Prior to Girls in Tech, Vanessa worked in the Donor Services Department at The Columbus Foundation, where she co-managed over 300 scholarship funds. She also served as the Administrative and Events Coordinator at the University of Chicago, leading events and maintaining student records and admissions applications for three graduate programs.

As Manager at Ignite, Vanessa works on a team to support a portfolio of fundraising strategy projects, ensuring top-tier execution and client satisfaction. In her role, she creates and implements strategic plans, leads client communications, oversees project deliverables, and drives grant strategies, collaborating with local non-profit and community leaders to fulfill clients’ philanthropic ambitions.

Vanessa holds a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Spanish with Honors from the University of Dayton. A member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, her expertise encompasses donor relations, grant writing, and database management. Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and going to the gym.