Deirdre O’Brien

SENIOR FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT

Deirdre has over thirteen years of experience helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their fundraising programs, cultivate and steward meaningful donor relationships, and drive financial growth. Her expertise spans major gifts, annual giving, capital campaigns, foundation and corporate relations, donor stewardship, board engagement, and building development teams. A strategic, collaborative, and relationship-driven leader, Deirdre joins DMD Consulting with a diverse background in fundraising across international organizations, Catholic and independent schools, and nonprofits. 

She is the Director of Development at REACH Prep, an educational access organization. Previously, Deirdre served as Director of Development at the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and Associate Director of Philanthropy at International Crisis Group. Earlier in her career, she served as Director of Development at De La Salle Academy in New York City and held development positions at Friends Seminary and the School of the Holy Child. Deirdre is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Cornelia Connelly Center, which champions girls at risk and empowers them to realize their full potential from middle school through college and beyond. She currently volunteers with Inner-City Scholarship Fund, supporting its job opportunities program. 

Prior to her career in fundraising, Deirdre worked as a human rights lawyer in Northern Ireland and Bosnia. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University at Albany, a J.D. from CUNY School of Law, and an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway. She resides in New York City.