UNIONDALE, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 20, 2025 / Marquis Who's Who honors Ellen Bristol for her contributions toward enhancing fundraising capabilities and organizational development in nonprofits. As the founder of Bristol Strategy Group Inc., Ms. Bristol has also been recognized for the development of the Leaky Bucket Fundraising Management Assessment, the only online assessment of fundraising staff productivity.
Ms. Bristol's Education and Career
Ms. Bristol earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Columbia University in 1967. After graduating, she entered various temporary and secretarial positions before becoming a product marketing manager for Sperry Univac from 1981 to 1985. In 1986, she became a sales executive at Digital Equipment Corp.
During her corporate career, Ms. Bristol gathered valuable experience in fundraising and sales. She found herself developing an interest in the nonprofit sector and realized that these organizations had an opportunity to strengthen their business strategies and enhance their impact. To provide support in this area, she founded Bristol Strategy Group in 1995 to help nonprofits find greater success.
A Focus on Fundraising Management
Ms. Bristol distinguished her consultancy by focusing on fundraising management and operations rather than helping nonprofits run campaigns, write grants or organize events. Instead, the group examined an organization's leadership, how they managed their team and whether they used the latest methods to do their work.
"It's pretty clear that the vast majority of nonprofits do not raise enough money," Ms. Bristol said. "My emphasis has always been on the data that supports desirable results. There's a cliché in process management: ‘You can't manage it if you can't measure it.' I said, ‘What is it we are not measuring? Or, we are not measuring if we have the right prospects.'"
Writing Guides to Fundraising Strategy
In addition to building an organization aimed at helping nonprofits find financial support, Ms. Bristol has written several works on enhanced fundraising methods. In 2010, she published "De-Mystifying Fundraising," and in 2013, she contributed to and edited the compendium "The Nonprofit Consulting Playbook: Winning Strategies from 25 Leaders in the Field." That same year, she wrote the first Leaky Bucket publication with "The Leaky Bucket: What's Wrong with Your Fundraising and How You Can Fix It!" In 2014, John Wiley & Sons published her book "Fundraising the SMART Way: Predictable, Consistent Income Growth for Your Charity," which describes her formal methodology, Fundraising the SMART Way™ and its applications in the field.
Memberships and Community Involvement
Ms. Bristol's writing is not the only way that she contributes to her professional and local communities. She has served on the boards of the Broward Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Alliance for Nonprofit Management and the Society for Nonprofits. She is also a member of the Association of Philanthropic Council. She has been a member of the board of advisers for the SimplyFundraising CRM since 2021 and serves on the boards for the Kenya Education Fund, Space Pride, and Eyes on Your Mission, a Florida-based nonprofit teaching filmmaking at high school and college levels.
A New Chapter
Moving forward, Ms. Bristol plans to begin a gradual reduction of her role at Bristol Strategy Group, mentoring Dr. Courtney Laddusaw as her successor. Dr. Laddusaw joined Bristol Strategy as an intern in 2022, gained her doctorate in organizational management from Pepperdine University in 2024, and is currently operating as the lead consultant and vice president of the firm. Ms. Bristol is currently working on another book on fundraising and plans a work on compassionate leadership in the future.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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SOURCE: Marquis Who's Who
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