Ann Herzog

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Ann Herzog
Board Chair & Founder

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(202) 429-6080, ext. 101

Ann Herzog founded Avalon Consulting Group, Inc. in 1997 with a vision for a full-service, direct marketing fundraising consulting agency that would connect great causes to great people. Under Ann’s leadership, Avalon has emerged as a leading agency that has successfully taken dozens of nonprofit direct marketing fundraising and membership programs to new levels of productivity and performance, including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (a client that has been with Ann for more than 20 years!), the League of Women Voters, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Friends of the Smithsonian, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Galapagos Conservancy (to name just a few).

Ann launched her direct marketing career at the Dave Dawson Company (DDC) in 1980 and has been providing consulting services to nonprofits since 1987. Ann has been an influential proponent for integrated marketing and is credited with building some of the earliest successful mail-phone programs. Her pioneering work in telefundraising has not only raised millions of dollars for nonprofit causes but has also contributed to the integrity and value of phone outreach for building stronger relationships with constituents—and overcoming negative stereotypes often associated with telemarketing.

Ann is also recognized for her creative positioning and message development talents, which have contributed to the success and impact of her clients’ fundraising programs and campaigns. She excels at helping nonprofits establish powerful, branded messaging platforms for their direct marketing programs—and then translating this messaging into compelling fundraising campaigns that get results.

Finally, Ann has made her mark in the specialized area of membership development, helping numerous high-profile arts and cultural organizations strengthen their member benefits offerings and strike the right balance between a benefits-driven and philanthropic-focused case for giving.

Ann is a past president of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington (DMAW) and was previously named “Woman of the Year” by the Women’s Direct Response Group. She is a frequent speaker on non-profit fundraising and integrated marketing.

Ann and her husband, Bill, love tending their victory garden in D.C., taking long walks in the city, and visiting their young grandchildren in North Carolina.