Counsel from someone who has carried the goal.

Jason Wood, Principal

Jason has spent 18 years leading nonprofit fundraising from every seat that matters: chief executive, chief development officer, vice president of philanthropy, and consultant. He has run development shops inside organizations from $6M to $118M, and organizations he has led and advised have secured more than $210M.

As president and CEO of a regional United Way, he led a turnaround that produced the organization's first positive cash flow in seven years, its first $1M and $10M partnerships, and 100% board giving participation. As chief growth officer of a national fundraising consultancy, he directed engagements from startup nonprofits to $125M+ initiatives and led a $110M public/private partnership closed in under 12 months. As a chief development officer and a vice president of philanthropy inside two large human-service organizations, he built the plans, teams, data systems, and donor relationships he now helps clients build, including a campaign readiness study based on 89 confidential interviews.

He holds an MBA from Rockhurst University, studied nonprofit strategy through Harvard Business School Executive Education, and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Giving Institute's public policy committee. He is also a signed EFos consultant, authorized to train teams in the Engagement Fundraising Operating System. He lives in Kansas City, where he serves on nonprofit and youth sports boards.

Why "Cairn"

On a mountain trail, a cairn is a stack of stones left by those who have walked the route before. It doesn't move your feet or carry your pack. It marks the way, and the walk stays yours.

That's the posture of this firm. Your donors are the heroes of your mission, and they give most generously when they're treated as partners on their own journey rather than prospects in a pipeline. Your team, likewise, doesn't need a consultant to do the work for them. It needs the route marked by someone who has walked it. We stack the stones. You make the climb, and the summit is yours.

What we believe

• The donor is the hero. Fundraising works when giving adds meaning to the donor's life, not when pressure extracts a check.
• Candor is the service. You can get flattery for free. If the evidence says wait, restructure, or rethink the goal, that's what you'll hear, with a path forward attached.
• Capacity should stay. Every engagement is designed so your team is stronger when we leave than when we arrived.
• Senior counsel only. The person you hire is the person who does the work. No handoffs.