Lindauer was proud to partner with the Sierra Club in the search for its next Senior Managing Director, Major Gifts East. Congratulations to Millie Erichsen on her appointment, effective January 9, 2023.
Millie Erichsen has extensive fundraising experience in advocacy, conservation, education, and healthcare, combined with a commitment to inclusive, equitable access to education and employment opportunities.
Millie was a first-generation college student from a Kansas farm family. Her experience with financial challenges in obtaining an education led her to her first, entry-level position in fundraising at a public university. In this role, Millie focused on providing inclusive education opportunities for other economically challenged students. Since then, she went on to work at a regional nonprofit that supported adults and children with developmental disabilities. Her experiences there further grounded her in the importance of inclusive, equitable access to education and employment opportunities. Millie has demonstrated her commitment towards inclusion and equity not only professionally but also personally by being a volunteer mentor to nonprofits and community organizations in her local area.
Most recently, Millie served as the Director of Philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Florida where she successfully led the $100 million Our Florida, Our World Campaign for Florida’s most critical conservation priorities including climate mitigation and adaptation, coastal resilience, freshwater preservation, marine management, and land protection. Prior to that at the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) College of Sciences, she launched fundraising for the newly formed National Center for Integrated Coastal Research and spearheaded the establishment of the state’s first Florida State Parks partnership with a Florida public university at EconfinaRiver State Park. She also secured special program funding for the university’s renowned Marine Turtle Research Group and the UCF RESTORES PTSD Clinic, providing revolutionary therapy for veterans and victims of trauma. As the nation’s second-largest university, UCF provided Millie the opportunity to work with a wide variety of donors; and many first-time, next generation philanthropists.
Millie’s career has also included leading fundraising for Rollins College (Crummer Graduate School of Business), and serving Quest, Inc, Orlando’s largest nonprofit transforming the lives of adults and children with developmental disabilities. At Quest, she secured the funding to open Quest Kids Academy for children, and established ProjectSearch, a workforce training program for adults. These experiences reflect her deep personal and professional commitment to inclusion and equity especially as it relates to accessible education and employment.
Millie earned a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from Kansas State University and a master’s in business administration from Rollins College. Active in the Orlando community, Millie has served as a member of the community advisory board at 90.7 WMFE national public radio and as a volunteer for Heart of Florida United Way’s fund distribution panel.
In Millie’s words, “Fundraising has been a joyful career for me; one that has provided me the opportunity to work with a wide range of communities, stakeholders and partners, to gain a better understanding of the world, and serve as a catalyst for sustainable, impactful change.”