Sara Leonard is an accomplished advancement professional with over 30 years of fundraising and nonprofit management expertise across the healthcare, educational, and cultural sectors. As the founder of the Sara Leonard Group, she provides strategic consulting, coaching, and training to fundraisers, CEOs, and nonprofit board members, empowering organizations to achieve their missions.

Sara is deeply committed to the belief that fundraising drives the life-changing and life-saving work of the nonprofit sector. She champions an ethical, collaborative approach to fundraising, emphasizing teamwork and sustainable impact.

A dedicated educator and thought leader, Sara frequently shares her insights as an instructor at the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, where she developed the Fund Development Academy. She leads the Fueling Dynamic Fundraising initiative for The Patterson Foundation, helping organizations strengthen their fundraising practices to increase mission impact. 

Her passion for advancing the fundraising profession is reflected in her past service on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Global Marketing Awards and Communications Committee and as a past AFP Tampa Bay Chapter president.

Sara holds the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation, has been recognized as a Master Trainer by AFP, and earned the BoardSource Certificate of Nonprofit Board Education. Additionally, she completed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate through the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. Sara received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tampa and her MBA from the University of South Florida.

Join Sara on Twitter: @SaraTampa

Connect with Sara on LinkedIn

To contact Sara: sara@saraleonardgroup.com