President & CEO
Fundraising in Black
For two decades, Kia Croom has enjoyed a remarkable career in
nonprofit fundraising and digital marketing. She took an interest
in nonprofits while volunteering at H.O.P.E. Through Divine
Intervention, Inc. (HTDI, Inc.)— a homeless services agency in
Atlanta. During this time, she was working as a local news writer
and reporter and completing a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Kia
dreamed of becoming a broadcast news anchor but pivoted to
fundraising after volunteering to write her first-ever successful
grant proposal for the shelter.
“I’d never written a grant before, but I learned the key components,
talked to the organization’s founders and board members, and put
their program design and vision on paper. I was thrilled to find a
way to leverage my communication talents to make a difference,”
Kia said.
Celebrating the successful grant request, HTDI, Inc. offered Kia her first full-time
fundraising job as a development director.
Kia continued her fundraising career working in positions of increasing responsibility for
nonprofits serving people and communities of color across the nation and has raised nearly half
a billion dollars in support of these causes.
After 22 years in the industry, Kia launched Kia Croom Fundraising & Philanthropy, a full-scale fundraising firm that works exclusively with organizations and institutions responding to
structural inequities impacting Black and Brown people and communities.
Kia earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Clark Atlanta University and
is a proud HBCU alumnus. She obtained her master of science in Public Administration from
Kennesaw State University. As a devoted, lifelong learner, Kia has earned a certificate in Fund
Development from the University of Richmond, a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility
from Pepperdine University, and a certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from Cornell
University.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
11:25 AM – 12:00 PM EST