United Way Announces John A. Feudo as Chief Development Officer

Former Boston College Development Executive to Lead $47 Million Annual Fundraising Efforts at United Way

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley today announced that John A. Feudo will join the organization as Chief Development Officer, beginning January 6, 2014.   He will lead the fundraising and development efforts for United Way, which had a $47 million budget in 2013.  Feudo, who brings over 25 years of development and alumni relations work in higher education, most recently served as Senior Development Officer at Boston College, where he was charged with helping to develop and implement strategies to successfully impact the university’s $1.5 billion campaign.

At United Way, Feudo will be responsible for the fundraising that supports the organization’s mission, which focuses on fostering the best practices and partners to improve early education opportunities for children, keep youth on track to graduate, and help families attain long-term financial stability.  Feudo also has extensive background in volunteer management, which he will use to help support United Way’s volunteer management team, which worked with more than 6,000 individual volunteers in the last year alone.

“I am delighted to welcome John Feudo as United Way’s new Chief Development Officer,” said Michael K. Durkin, President of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.  “John brings not only an extensive and very successful background in development and working with volunteers, but is passionate about our work and bringing people together to help the children, youth and families in our community.”

Feudo previously joined his undergraduate alma mater, Boston College, as Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations in August 2006.  He later assumed a leadership role as Senior Development Officer.  Prior to joining Boston College, Feudo served as Executive Director of the University of Connecticut Alumni Association where he was responsible for managing the alumni programs for 175,000 alumni around the world, and leading a fundraising campaign to build a new Alumni Center and bring in much-needed resources for scholarships and programs. His has also worked for the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, as Executive Director of the 170,000 member UMass Amherst Alumni Association, and in the alumni office at Tufts University.

“I am honored that United Way has chosen me to lead their fundraising efforts that serve such an important role in our community,” said Feudo.  “I look forward to working with and learning from United Way’s dedicated staff and partners as we advance our work toward a brighter future for all Massachusetts children, youth and families.”

As a published author and frequent public speaker on the subject of alumni relations and volunteerism, Feudo has been widely regarded for his expertise.  His first book, Alumni Relations: A Newcomer’s Guide To Success, earned him CASE’s prestigious Warwick Research Award for Outstanding Published Scholarship. His second book, Alumni Clubs and Chapters, also published by CASE, was also nominated for the Warwick Award in 2004.  A third book—an updated edition of the Newcomer’s Guide—was published in 2010, and his fourth book, I’d Rather Eat Live Spiders: A Definitive Guide to Success in Speaking, was published in 2011.  A fifth book, Herding Cats: How to Effectively Manage Volunteers, will be published in the January 2014.

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