Dave Sternberg headshot
Founding Partner

Dave has considerable experience in nonprofit board development and governance work. Dave has been a fundraising professional since obtaining his BA Degree from The Ohio State University.

He is a member of the faculty at The Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University’s Fund Raising School, where he teaches Building the Annual Fund, Marketing for FundraisingManaging the Capital CampaignPrinciples and Techniques, Major Gifts; as well as numerous customized training programs nationally and internationally. In 2006 he authored the course Purposeful Boards, Powerful Fundraising in cooperation with BoardSource.

Dave is also a Senior Governance Consultant for BoardSource and is the only person in America to be affiliated with both the Lilly School of Philanthropy and BoardSource.

From 1991 to 1996 Dave served as a development staff member at both small and large nonprofit organizations in human services and higher education. In 1996, Dave founded Loring, Sternberg and Associates providing fundraising counsel to educational foundations, social service organizations, higher education, membership organizations, children’s groups, and museums. His counsel includes: strategic planning, development audits, on-going fund development planning, feasibility studies, campaign direction, board governance and fundraising training, annual fund management and ongoing coaching for CEOs and Board Chairs.

In 2008, Dave authored the second and third edition of Fearless Fundraising for Nonprofit Boards a publication for BoardSource in Washington, DC, a best seller since its publication.

From 2005-2016 Dave designed and lead the Annenberg Foundation’s Alchemy Program (in Los Angeles, California). This cohort based program brought CEOs and Board Chair’s together to learn the fundamentals of board governance and fundraising through direct training and offered strategies for change. The program offered ongoing coaching for participating groups as well as further in-depth learning opportunities.

Dave is active in the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter. He served two terms as the Vice President of Programs (1999, 2000) and served as the chapter President 2001. In addition, he served two years as the chair of Indiana Fund Raising Day in 1997 and 1998. Locally in Indianapolis, Dave served on the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis board and is a past president of the Washington Township Schools Foundation.

Dave can be seen speaking nationally for the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs and at the BoardSource Leadership Forum.