Lynnie Meyer, RN, EdD, CFRE, senior vice president and chief development officer at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, KY, has been named the 2023 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Global (AFP).
The Outstanding Fundraising Professional award is the highest honor that AFP bestows, recognizing effective, creative, and inspiring fundraising, as well as the practice and promotion of ethical standards and best practices within the industry. Meyer will receive the award on Sunday, April 16, at AFP ICON 2023, the largest conference of professional fundraisers in the world, in New Orleans, LA.
“Thank you to everyone at the Association of Fundraising Professionals,” said Meyer. “Working on behalf of a mission I love with such a wonderful team of staff, volunteers, and donors has been the honor of a lifetime. I am thrilled to accept this award on behalf of everyone who has worked so hard to make our community, the beautiful Commonwealth of Kentucky and Southern Indiana, a better place to live, work, and play.”
Meyer has 25 years of experience as a fundraising professional with a proven track record of performance in planning and executing highly successful campaigns. Over the course of her tenure at Norton, more than $250 million in philanthropic dollars has been invested in Norton Children’s Hospital and Norton Healthcare through her extraordinary work at the Norton Children’s Hospital and Norton Healthcare Foundations.
Influenced by her family’s lifelong dedication to service, Meyer began her career in nursing, serving patients in a wide range of healthcare settings. In 1998, she decided to take a leap of faith, leaving nursing to accept the position of president and CEO of the Center for Women and Families (CFWF).
Here she gained national recognition for CFWF’s eight Indiana and Kentucky center locations, securing first-time federal earmarks totaling $1.5 million.
Meyer steadily increased revenue, personally securing grants such as an $800,000 Kresge Foundation challenge grant. Her work at CFWF allowed for the creation of new programs benefiting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and economic instability.
In her current role as Norton Healthcare’s senior vice president and chief development officer, Meyer has increased annual fundraising revenues from $3 million, to over $40 million, over the last 18 years.
Her career highlights include the creation of a Legacy Society with more than $90.0 million in documented gifts for the future. She facilitated the largest individual gift in the history of the Norton Healthcare Foundation, a $20 million legacy commitment supporting the Norton Neuroscience Institute and a direct $15.0 million gift to expand #16 ranked Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute. She also developed many unique events in support of the organizations mission to include, Bourbon & Bowties, the Bike to Beat Cancer, and membership in the Children’s Miracle Network.
“With a remarkable career and personal dedication to the fundraising profession, Lynnie Meyer is AFP’s standout honoree this year,” said AFP president and CEO, Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA. “Her fundraising has had an undeniable impact on the families she served at CFWF and the patients who have benefited from her leadership at Norton Healthcare. Her commitment to service, and passion for helping those in need, is evident, and we can’t wait to recognize her achievements at this year’s AFP ICON.”
Throughout her career, Lynnie has led by example, earning her own CFRE, and encouraging her team to do the same. She has also instilled in her staff a dedication to AFP, with five of her team members having served as president of the local Greater Louisville Chapter.
