Caren Friedman

Caren Friedman is a development and communications consultant who has been advancing philanthropy at internationally recognized nonprofit institutions for more than two decades. Caren values the role of relationships and commits to active listening, inspired storytelling, and elevated writing to shape strategic communications that strengthen relationships and drive action.

Caren founded her nonprofit communications consultancy, Caren Friedman Communications (CFC), in 2018. She’s been engaged by nonprofit organizations across the sector, earning repeat contracts with top national universities, social services, and arts organizations. She has helped raise millions of dollars for nonprofits of all sizes, including writing thoughtful, persuasive cases for support for The Ark Chicago, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI), Olin- Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI), Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, and Waldorf School of St. Louis.

Prior to launching CFC, Caren was Director of Development Communications at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she built the museum’s first donor-centric communications team and raised the bar for messages befitting a world-class institution. As Director of Annual Giving at the renowned Lincoln Park Zoo, Caren brought in more than $7 million in unrestricted gifts. She has held fundraising and volunteer board roles at Chicagoland nonprofits including Spertus Institute, Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, Reading in Motion, and Erasing the Distance.

Caren graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Washington University in St. Louis, where she also earned her Master of Social Work. A Development Leadership Consortium (DLC) Management Fellows alum and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Caren lives in Chicago.