Eileen is the president of The McMahon Group, a consulting group that specialises in transition management and strategic planning for non-profit organisations. Prior to forming The McMahon Group, Eileen was the President and CEO of the Saint Paul , Minnesota , Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she worked for 16 years. Eileen describes the time before that as somewhat ancient history in which she worked for various non-profit and quasi-government agencies in special events and project management and as the editor of a community newspaper.
Eileen has a bachelor’s degree in social work and journalism from the College of Saint Catherine in Saint Paul , MN , and a certificate in Organization Management from the College of Charleston .
In Eileen’s career she has been associated with fundraising from the perspective of lead staff as well as lead volunteer. The fundraising has included civic projects, special events, operating funding and capital campaigns.
Currently Eileen is the volunteer co-chair for the capital campaign to build the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building, a $27.5 million project, which will be the new home for Neighborhood House, a 110-year-old Settlement House in Saint Paul. As of today, they have just over $3 million to raise to complete the campaign.
Because Eileen’s current fundraising work is as a volunteer in a capital campaign and, because she also plays a supporting role in growing the annual operating fund, Eileen can offer her comments from the volunteer perspective as we discuss working with key fundraising volunteers.
