Shanna Hocking

Background

About Shanna Hocking

Most higher education advancement VPs don’t wake up thinking, “I need a strategic advisor.”They’re thinking about the donor visit at 8:15.The budget meeting at 11.The briefing for the Florida swing they still haven’t had time to read.And then—They get called into an unexpected meeting.The president wants to talk.The walk to the president’s office suddenly feels very long.That’s usually when they think:I wish I had a sounding board.I’ve done that walk many times in my advancement career—leading inside large, complex, beautiful, messy institutions where the stakes were high and the expectations even higher.Hi, I’m Shanna (rhymes with Donna).Why I do this workI found my dream career of university fundraising at age 18. I went to college on scholarships and financial aid and worked in the regional development office as an undergrad. I saw what access, opportunity, and compassionate leadership can make possible—and I’ve been committed to this ever since.I spent 20+ years leading advancement teams and raising transformational gifts at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Alabama, and Duke University. After leading a team of 50 through the pandemic, I saw even more clearly the need to support and sustain more leaders in our beloved profession.What partnership looks likeI partner with VPs and executive teams as they navigate transitions, lead their organizations, and manage the competing demands of presidents, boards, donors, and teams. Sometimes that happens in scheduled strategy sessions. Sometimes it’s on the phone between meetings. Sometimes it’s literally on the walk across campus.At Hocking Leadership we strengthen leadership at every level of the advancement organization:Executive Advisory: Strategic advisory to advance the VP’s leadership and organizational priorities Team Advisory: Ongoing alignment and leadership strategy to help teams communicate clearly, build ownership, and move forward togetherCORE Leader Accelerator: A campus based cohort experience for middle managers to strengthen communication, collaboration, and ownership of rolesI work with leaders who care deeply about how they lead and who they lead—not just the fundraising results they achieve.Our clients include Vanderbilt University, New York University, Boston University, University of Connecticut, University of Maryland Medicine, Children’s National Hospital, and Teachers College, Columbia University.Let’s talkMessage me here or email Shanna@HockingLeadership.com.