Charleston, April 18, 2019–The Winkler Group, a leading campaign consulting firm with offices in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, today announced the promotion of veteran consultant Jim Bush to Principal and President.
A thought leader in the field of philanthropy, Bush’s fundraising career includes numerous executive leadership roles spanning nearly 30 years. He has held leadership positions at Blackbaud, Omatic Software, the YMCA, and is a former nonprofit executive director. A highly sought-after speaker, Bush regularly speaks at national and international conferences, including Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, National Association of Independent Schools, and Association of Fundraising Professionals. Currently, he serves as Principal and COO of the firm.
The promotion coincides with CEO and Founder Tim Winkler’s announcement that he will take a sabbatical in 2020 to fulfill a lifelong dream of mission work. Tim and his wife Deborah will serve in South America, a demonstration of the faith that has fueled the Winkler Group from its inception more than 15 years ago. “With the firm on such solid footing, now is the ideal time for Deborah and me to pursue this dream we have been working towards for years,” said Winkler. “We are humbled and thankful to be able to pursue this opportunity.”
Managing the firm will be an established and expanded leadership team headed by Bush with Jessica Browning who has been promoted to Principal and Executive Vice President. Both have been serving clients and guiding the firm’s growth for the past 10 years. Veteran fundraiser Nikki Rach has also been promoted to Senior Managing Consultant and will assist in providing oversight for all projects.
“One of our objectives as a firm has always been to recruit exceptional talent and provide them with the tools to grow and lead the firm,” explains Bush. “Our team today is evidence of this practice and as we continue to grow, so will our leadership team. We are thrilled that Tim and Deborah can pursue this dream and honor their faith in this powerful way.”
More about the Winkler Group:
The Winkler Group was founded in 2004 in Charleston and has experienced exponential growth since its inception. Today, the Winkler Group is one of the most recognized and respected campaign consulting firms in the South and is expanding its footprint across the East Coast with offices now in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Winkler team members serve as directors of the Giving Institute and are part of the Giving USA Editorial Review Board, the profession’s standard bearer for philanthropic forecasts and trends in the American giving. Thought leaders in the field of philanthropy, the Winkler Group team has been asked to offer their insights in periodicals, journals, and newspapers including the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, and the Harvard Crimson.
