Cameron Dubes

President, TippingSprung Cause

A co-founder of TippingSprung Cause, Cameron has 28 years' experience in nonprofit fundraising, marketing communications, and branding. His client experience covers a wide range of nonprofits, including Greenpeace, Children's National Medical Center, The Nature Conservancy, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, Presidential Classroom, and Mount Sinai. Cameron worked for CCS Fundraising for more than a decade and as a vice president worked on some of the firm's most prestigious accounts including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Morehouse School of Medicine, the United Nations Foundation, New School University, and the ACLU. He has overseen numerous feasibility studies and capital campaigns that have raised more than $1 billion. He has also managed large full-service development and communications departments in the nonprofit sector. Cameron has a BS from Iowa State University.

What’s your biggest pet peeve in nonprofit fundraising?

Impatience - our field requires relationship building which takes time. Sometimes, you just shouldn’t push the river, but go with the flow.

Name one of the fundraising achievements of which you’re proudest.

I’ve been working with nonprofits for nearly 30 years, and every campaign I’ve worked on has been rewarding in its own right. But I’m especially proud of the work I did managing the development operation at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. To help re-connect with and recognize the 120 museum founders, we created a Founder’s Society and struck a commemorative medal. The program was a huge success, and many ended up doubling their $1 million original donation as well as introducing friends to the cause.

What do you do in your spare time?

I grew up on a farm in Iowa and enjoyed summers in the woods of Minnesota. I now have a log home retreat in the Catskill Mountains three hours northwest of Manhattan where I can enjoy rural life and relive those joyful moments of my youth with new neighbors and friends.

What got you interested in nonprofit work?

I have always been service-oriented. I tried selling things my first year out of college, but found myself drawn to cause-driven work instead and have been working with nonprofits ever since.

Your favorite cause?

That’s like being asked to choose your favorite child. So here goes. I like Heifer International because of their approach - helping people to help themselves.

What's the strangest project you’ve worked on?

Straight out of college, I sold advertising in NYC for National Hog Farmer and BEEF magazines. Which reminds me, I need to renew my subscription.

What trends in the nonprofit world are having the biggest impact on your work?

The rise in e-fundraising, using online and other electronic tools has had a major impact on how we develop and run campaigns for our clients. We’re also developing solutions that take into account the generational shift in how younger generations view philanthropy. The new generation of philanthropists is very electronically minded and also seek returns on their philanthropy – they want quantifiable results.

Most overused fundraising cliché?

Putting the "fun" back in fundraising. Why not put the “raisin” back in there as well, while you’re at it?