Ms. Sara Wise

A seasoned nonprofit fundraising consultant, Sara Wise has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector, with over 25 years serving organizations in education, social services, and cultural/fine arts. Sara’s professional experience includes fundraising at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in Virginia, the Episcopal School of Dallas, American Red Cross Greater Houston Chapter, and the Houston Zoo. In 2016, Sara started her own consultancy practice in the Houston area and worked with dozens of nonprofits to execute development strategy, events, board strategic retreats, capital campaigns, and more. Since 2020, she has served as an Executive Consultant with the statewide firm Mission Advancement, focusing on strategies for high-impact donor engagement and relationship-based philanthropy. Some of her clients included the San Antonio Zoo, Wheaton Academy and Dallas Baptist University. In addition, she enjoys sharing her passion for the nonprofit sector by teaching at Rice University’s Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, the United Way of Greater Houston, and she has actively participated in various leadership roles with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater Houston Chapter, serving as chapter president in 2019. Beyond her work, Sara has served the community through various volunteer leadership roles with the Salvation Army Greater Houston Command, Texas Executive Women, and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, and most importantly, is the proud mother of a high school senior, Jackson.