Laura Nase

A trip to the Caribbean during Laura Nase’s senior year at Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) in Quincy, Massachusetts, exposed her to the importance of fundraising — shifting her career trajectory.

“I traveled to Haiti for a service project. It was there that I realized my heart for nonprofit work and my mind for business could come together in a fundraising career,” she says. “After graduation, I secured my first job at my alma mater, starting its first giving society.”

In May 2022, Laura joined the Sheridan Libraries as the associate director of development. In her role, Laura builds philanthropic support and engages with key stakeholders, including members of the Friends of the Sheridan Libraries Advisory Council.

“Gifts to the Libraries support all Hopkins students and faculty,” she says. “I have the pleasure of getting to know people who love libraries and to develop creative ways to build our annual fund program.”

After graduating from ENC, Laura, a Massachusetts native, earned her master’s in nonprofit management and philanthropy from Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She held several positions in development and membership services before coming to Hopkins.

What does your job involve that others might not realize?

I am fortunate to work with our Friends of the Libraries Advisory Council, who created our popular virtual program, Lunch with the Libraries. This program was established during the pandemic and has grown in popularity. It’s a primary avenue we use to feature library content, and to connect our community with our librarians and curators with our donor base and constituents.

 What brought you to Johns Hopkins?

When my family moved from upstate New York in late 2021, we were searching for a house in a competitive housing environment. We found a house in Pasadena, Maryland, and I was determined to not let the house slip by. Like any development professional, I started researching the sellers, hoping I could write a letter to them aligning their reason for selling with our reason for buying. One of the sellers was a JHU fundraiser. I messaged her on LinkedIn and mentioned our fundraising connection. We bought the house, and I kept working remotely for my alma mater.

The next year, I started looking for a fundraising job locally and I recalled my LinkedIn connection. A few days later, I was talking with that same fundraising professional, Adrienne Cappello, and she connected me with Talent Management and Human Resources.

What do you like to do when you are not working?

I am very active at my church, Grace Pointe Community Church in Severn, Maryland, where my husband serves as the lead pastor. On the weekends, you’ll find me researching recipes, doing a Peloton workout, and going to Kinder Farm Park with my husband and children, Ruby (5) and Robbie (4). I also enjoy reading, cycling, cooking, and date nights with my husband to find new-to-us restaurants.

Please share something we don’t know about you?

I recently was the keynote speaker at a women’s retreat affiliated with my church. I spoke about how the rhythms of our spiritual lives can align with different elements of the seasons; fall (bounty, harvest), winter (storms, solitude), spring (growth, new opportunities), and summer (awaiting, long days). The topic is going to be turned into an ongoing small group series at our church.