PRESS RELEASE FROM SOUTHERN HIGHLAND CRAFT GUILD:
The Southern Highland Craft Guild welcomes Donna Kull as its new Director of Marketing and Development. A longtime fundraiser, she will initiate and manage strategic campaigns to increase awareness and support for the 86-year-old organization. With extensive experience in non-profit management, Kull will work closely with both staff and members during their current rebranding project, as well as other operational development programs.
Her journey in fundraising, development, and marketing began with service to mental health, disabilities, and fine arts organizations, evolving to higher education. Kull joins the Guild from The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove, where she served as Regional Manager of Donor Ministries, increasing new donors by 25 percent within one year, and expanding new initiatives for donor stewardship and engagement. Prior to this, she was the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Mars Hill University for seven years. Her career has involved projects with numerous public and private funders, such as United Way, United Arts Fund, National Endowment for Humanities, National Wildlife Foundation, Wells Fargo, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The Janirve Foundation, and more.
“We are fortunate to have Donna on our team here, as she certainly brings a dedicated talent and experience in development and marketing,” said Tom Bailey, executive director of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. “The creative community in our region has grown tremendously, and we are looking forward to having Donna help us build and strengthen our relationships within this industry.”
During the Guild’s eight decades of operation, the creative sector of Western North Carolina has transformed significantly. As the non-profit organization continues to serve both the public and over 850 artists in the Southern Highlands, they will work on new efforts with Kull to engage the local community for cultural development. She will start her work with the organization at the beginning of July.
“I am so very pleased to be joining the staff of an organization like the Southern Highland Craft Guild, which represents so many talented artisans and has a long, rich heritage of service and education. I look forward to helping build on this heritage to help strengthen and develop effective ties between the Guild and our expansive community.”
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.