About Black Dog Philanthropic

Black Dog Philanthropic Consulting was founded in 2022 by Lili Leonard, a career fundraising professional, who believes in the transformative power of small- to mid-size nonprofit organizations.

Lili and Ruby (yes, the “Black Dog” is real!) are proud to be a Therapy Dog and R.E.A.D. Team with Wags for Hope. Ruby earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen designation in 2017!

Lili is a career fundraising professional with more than 14 years of experience in annual and mid-level giving, major gifts, event planning and management, grant writing, and fundraising strategic planning. She has worked in higher education, large national nonprofits, small- and mid-sized local nonprofits, and global membership associations. Committed to the field of philanthropy, Lili earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2017. She is also a Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant.

A lifelong Marylander, Lili earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Salisbury University and her Doctorate from Frostburg State University. Employing a theoretical framework called communities of practice, Lili's dissertation was a case study on why the effort to save Sweet Briar College (a small, private institution in Virginia) in 2015 was successful. 

Lili is Immediate Past President of the Salisbury University Alumni Association Board of Directors, and a current member of the Sugarloaf Citizens Association Board of Directors. In her spare time, she enjoys working on her orange Jeep, Clementine, which recently surpassed 250,000 miles. 

Click here to access Lili's dissertation: "Dedicated, Tireless, Unafraid: A Case Study of the Effort that Saved Sweet Briar College in 2015"