David Yarnold

Background

About David Yarnold

David is an agile leader with an unconventional and remarkable career arc, blending relentless creativity with sound judgment. After a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism career, he helped the Environmental Defense Fund stake out its unique centrist approach. He then engineered the lighting turnaround of the 107-year-old National Audubon Society as its CEO. A Harvard Business School case study characterized it as “The most significant remake of a legacy nonprofit we’ve seen.” He’s passionate about the role of creativity in NGOs and family foundations, and he consults at the intersection of fundraising, storytelling, and strategy. He believes that most organizations can change more significantly, rapidly, and inclusively than they believe they can. He models empathetic and inquisitive listening. All of these qualities make him a valuable partner to staff and board leaders alike. He has raised dozens of eight, seven- and six-figure gifts en route to completing a $650M campaign at Audubon. He enjoys sharing his fundraising expertise. He’s an energizing motivational speaker and writes for the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and others. He modernized Audubon’s brand and returned it to relevance in conservation policy. He unified a fragmented network by articulating its first shared vision in 20 years. Revenue went from $73M to $143M, while membership grew from to 2M+. Audubon magazine won the prestigious General Excellence Award from the National Society of Magazine Editors — and David hired Audubon’s first woman editor. When he was Editor at one of America’s 10 best papers, the San Jose Mercury News, the Society for News Design recognized the MN as “The boldest American newspaper we saw,” capturing David’s design beliefs and his approach to storytelling. While he served as the newsroom’s lead on new ventures, revenue grew from $120M to $330M+. When the internet’s disruptive leaders were experimenting with a new distribution and storytelling medium, David innovated with “Inkling.” The website aggregated content from cities across the US, with daily contributions by writers like Carl Hiassen, Mitch Albom, and Dave Barry. “Inkling” was highly successful, lacking only customers — a feature of the era, not a bug. His commitment to EDI & B spans his career, including honors from major BIPOC journalism organizations. In his final months at Audubon, he brought in new ED & I leadership with an ambitious agenda — and an unprecedented financial commitment. He remains a staunch and coachable ally.