Hilary Ward has 20+ years of experience across corporate philanthropy, nonprofits, foundations and community partnerships. She currently serves as the Secretary of the Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP) Board of Directors, as well as Committee Co-Chair for their Annual Luncheon, which takes place on May 5th this year.

Grace Lipscomb and Kyriana Lynch enjoyed an hour long conversation with Hilary that resulted in thought-provoking nuggets of wisdom that can take our sector to the next level.

Hilary is the definition of a community-focused philanthropy professional. She shared, “I started out years ago, at an adoption agency working in community outreach and engagement which is all about building and sustaining relationships. I stumbled into philanthropy and fundraising. I don’t know if anyone plans to be a fundraiser but I loved it and quickly realized I had a knack for it.” 

She has worked in both the corporate and non-profit space, including the YMCA of the USA Chicago Urban League, and Ronald McDonald House. Most recently she led global philanthropy at McDonald’s, where she spearheaded the launch of the brand’s first local grantmaking program serving communities across Chicago. 

Hilary credits CWIP for playing a huge role in her career, sharing “CWIP has been part of my circle of mentors for years and years. It’s been a great resource and the networking opportunities are incredible.”

She expands by saying, “CWIP is a place of belonging with peers to network with and learn from. [CWIP] offers a space to grow as a leader. It reinforces my belief that women play such a powerful and critical role in philanthropy.”

One topic of conversation surrounded trust-based philanthropy. When asked about its importance and what people should know, Hilary responded,  “Trust-based philanthropy is about flexibility, creativity, freedom, and removing constraints. Traditional philanthropy is often transactional, hierarchical and, in many cases, centers the funder instead of establishing a true partnership. When partnerships are rooted in trust, organizations can flourish and dream big about what’s possible.”

Most recently, Hilary has pivoted into her own consulting practice supporting social impact strategy for funders, grantmakers, corporations and nonprofits. One of her strengths is being a connector: “I love bringing leaders, partners, and practitioners to the table and seeing the energy and ideation that comes from that.” You can check out her consulting practice, The Growth Collective at: https://www.tgcadvisors.com/ 

Outside of work, you will find Hilary enjoying a good book like Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King or practicing yoga. Fun fact: Hilary has been practicing yoga, and working as a meditation and wellness practitioner for 8 years!

Need one more nugget of wisdom? Hilary shares this with our community: “It can be discouraging and heavy right now, but I believe that philanthropy as a whole can really re-energize itself to meet the need where we are.”

Thank you, Hilary, for sharing your journey with us. Stay connected with Hilary on LinkedIn and say hello at the next CWIP event!