Allison McElroy
Allison is a gregarious cocktail of people pleasing, approval seeking, and humor instigating – She’s like a bubbly spumante!? She finds life is better when you are friendly, engaging, funny, bubbly, warm, loyal, and a great listener.
Allison will work hard to be YOUR FRIEND, and she will share her experience and knowledge to help you reach your professional and personal goals.
Allison is a native Arkansan, born and raised in Jonesboro. After spending the last 26 years in Rogers, she now considers herself a super fan of all things Arkansas. She is one of those crazy people who can cheer for the Razorbacks and keep her allegiance to her beloved Arkansas State Red Wolves.
Duane is her husband, and she is mom to Cooper and Barret. In her spare time, she loves to sing! She sings locally for church choir, special events, and she even sings the Star Spangled Banner at Razorback sporting events.
Allison has been in the trenches as the one who started everything from scratch, and she made mistakes as she learned. What she wants the most is to help you find all the tools you need to avoid the same roadblocks and frustrations she had as she was creating a development department and team 26 years ago.
She loves the organization where her career in fundraising began, Open Avenues. It will stay forever close to her heart. It was her home away from home for almost 21 years! Her time there shaped Allison into the person she is today. They achieved so much while she was the Foundation Director there. When she started there in the spring of 1995, she had no idea her job was going to become a career. After establishing a development department, blazing through a $6.5 million dollar capital campaign, and the many other accomplishments of fundraising – she felt the baptism by fire! Allison says she knows her time there prepared her for her place in life today… which is HELPING YOU achieve all of your goals!
Six years ago, she stepped away from Open Avenues to take care of her Dad, Bill. She says it is a whole new skill set she’s learning! Life has twists and turns, and you must keep going.
What keeps her going is the ability to work with some of the most amazing organizations and individuals! It fills her up and puts a twinkle in her eye. She loves strategizing with people and really breaking down the lofty goals into an easy-to-follow plan.
Allison is a public speaker, a mentor, a cheerleader. She’s passionate about Rotary and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and in her many years in this business, she can say she was there when the AFP Northwest Arkansas Chapter started! (And no, dinosaurs didn’t roam the earth then – Ha!) Allison even earned an award that’s like the Oscar for fundraising professionals – the Outstanding Fundraising Executive!
Allison is here to help you when you need her. All you have to do is – Ask Allison!