Dr. Brittany Kienker

Dr. Brittany Kienker is Principal and Owner of Kienker Consulting LLC and Knowledge Insights Expert in Residence at the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF), with more than 15 years of experience in foundations, nonprofits, and higher education. She leads Ask CMF, answering hundreds of questions every year from grantmaking organizations across the state of Michigan and beyond.

In her roles with CMF and Kienker Consulting, Dr. Kienker is a sought-after expert and advisor to foundations, philanthropy serving organizations, consultants, and researchers nationally. She regularly develops cutting-edge educational resources and presentations designed for grantmakers, in addition to generating the annual Midwest and Indiana Grantmaker Salary Survey Reports. Dr. Kienker is a lead researcher for the National Study on Donor Advised Funds and a co-director of the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC). She is a 21/64 certified advisor and facilitator, a full member of the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers, and holds a BoardSource Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting.

In collaboration with Dr. Eugene Tempel at the Indiana University Foundation and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Dr. Kienker developed nationally-recognized research, presentations, and publications on philanthropy, board governance, and best practices in the nonprofit sector. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Central Michigan University. Dr. Kienker received her Ph.D. from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She also earned a M.A. in Philanthropic Studies (IU), M.A. in Public History (IU), and B.A. in Public History (Western Michigan University).

Contributions

2023 Partner Summit

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Andrea Judd-Shurmur, Bridget McGuiggan, Regina Bell, Randy Van Antwerp, Kyle Caldwell, Miki Akimoto, Dr. Brittany Kienker, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Christine Sherry, Jason Born

The inaugural Partner Summit is a virtual convening designed for our network of regional associations of grantmakers, philanthropic consultants and advisory firms and financial institutions that serve family philanthropies. The summit will explore the latest trends in family philanthropy, including promoting effective practices with members and clients, the power of cross-sector relationships and defining paths to equity and advocacy for family… Read More

Community Foundations Network Topical Call: National Study on Donor Advised Funds

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Jeff Williams, Dr. Brittany Kienker

The National Study on Donor Advised Funds, launching in early 2023, will gather the most comprehensive data on DAFs in the United States. Join Jeff Williams and Brittany Kienker for this interactive topical call to learn more about how your community foundation can participate in this study, along with other community foundations, religiously-affiliated charities, and national DAF organizations from across… Read More

Voices from the Field

Resiliency Starts at Home

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Dr. Brittany Kienker

My children are too young to understand COVID-19 or its global impact. All they know is that their mum and dad are at home, working far more hours than usual. When they are older, we will tell them about the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that we can tell them that we persevered. They can learn about the families that spent… Read More