Bio

For more than 27 years, Alan Hutson has helped nonprofit leaders tap into their fundraising potential. Alan serves as Director of Bow Tie Fundraising, a consultancy that focuses on empowering nonprofit CEOs and development staff to “own” the revenue portion of their agency’s business model. He is also a Senior Partner Consultant at =mc consulting, based in Edinburgh, where he serves on the Decision Science team. In addition to an extensive consulting career, Alan served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Gateway Homes, a residential mental health provider, where he exceeded his fundraising goal by 43% and cut the agency’s overtime costs by more than $1M in a single year.

Throughout his career, Alan has helped CEOs, board members, and staff discover their own paths into fundraising. His approach is hands-on, covering everything from identifying the prospect to designing the solicitation to keeping the conversation on course if it takes an unexpected turn. Alan’s work has resulted in nonprofit organizations raising over $250M (US-based clients). In the US and abroad, Alan feels privileged to be able to devote his managerial skills and fund development expertise to bringing those programs to scale and is humbled by the determination and dedication of nonprofit program staff members. He believes that excellent program staff deserve a well-devised fundraising strategy to support their cause.

Alan uses his US-based fundraising expertise and background in economics to support the work of =mc consulting. Specifically, he has worked with =mc to help define the global fundraising strategies for Smile Train, Médecins Sans Frontières, Adeso, UNICEF, and IFRC. Additionally, he has worked on country-specific fundraising strategies for Médecins Sans Frontières.

Closer to home, Alan is the only consultant in the United States with access to =mc consulting’s intellectual property, including its distinctive approach to the Donor Journey. This proprietary methodology engages the full team in mapping how a donor moves from first encounter to lasting commitment. His consulting work has included applying the Donor Journey to American organizations large and small. At Patrick Henry’s Red Hill, for example, the Donor Journey has drawn staff from every department into fundraising and increased unrestricted revenue more than sixfold. Regardless of the size of the client or the scope of the project, Alan brings evidence-based, behaviorally informed ideas to creating and executing fundraising strategy.

Alan’s professional affiliations reflect his commitment to advancing the field of philanthropy. He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives. In 2009, 2011, and 2013, Alan was invited to speak at the Southern African Institute of Fundraising (SAIF), where he also provided pro bono consulting to nonprofits ranging from an HIV/AIDS orphanage to a leadership development academy for the chronically unemployed. In 2011, SAIF asked him to help chart its future through a strategic partnership with AFP. Additionally, he has presented at the Virginia Fundraising Institute (2013, 2016, 2017 as keynote speaker, 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026), at AFP’s International Conference (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024), at the International Fundraising Congress (2015 and 2017), China’s Global Fund Conference (2016), ALDE’s conference (2016, 2020, and 2025), Japan’s annual fundraising conference (2018), the US Olympic Committee’s development conference (2018), and the Virginia Association of Museums (2024 and 2025).

Alan’s leadership within the nonprofit world can also be seen in his volunteer work. He is a past board member of AFP Global, has served on AFP Foundation for Philanthropy’s Executive Committee, and is a past board member of the Adira Foundation. In Richmond, he has served on the boards of the local AFP chapter (Past Board Chair), Circle Center Adult Day Services (Past Governance Committee Chair), and 1708 Gallery (Past Finance Committee Chair). Alan currently serves on the boards of Justice Allies (formerly the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation) and the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives. His proudest work is being asked to serve as a mentor for AFP’s Inclusive Fundraising Fellows, a program he helped seed-fund in its early years.

Additionally, Alan feels it is important to dedicate time to civic memberships, which have included the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau Serving Central Virginia, the Richmond Business Council’s Education Subcommittee, and the Rotary Club of Richmond, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow and past recipient of the President’s Award.

Alan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Davidson College. Through his work in the nonprofit world, he realized the power of liberal arts: “If you love what you do, and infuse what you do with the best that humanity has to offer…a true liberal arts approach…then you end up conveying emotion in your product… and it will be something that people don’t just want — they will love.” (Steve Jobs, 1994). Alan also holds both a Master of Public Administration and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He is a graduate of Lead Virginia (Class of 2025), Leadership Metro Richmond (Class of 2008), and AFP’s Faculty Training Academy.