Sean O’Connor

Sean O’Connor joined Audubon as Chief Development Officer in 2017. Under his leadership, Development has evolved into a more sophisticated philanthropic partner. Participation in giving by volunteers and friends, including national and state boards, has increased since he took the helm, and overall donor investmenthas grown by an average of $7.5 million annually (26 percent).

Sean and his team launched Elevate, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in Audubon’s history, to advance bird-friendly policies, protect the places birds need, and engage people in support of Audubon’s mission. As of year-end 2021, Elevate had raised $650 million, providing transformational investments in vital climate change policies and solutions, hemispheric conservation initiatives, and greater equity and inclusion at Audubon and throughout the environmental movement.

Prior to his position at Audubon, Sean founded the New York Office of Development Guild DDI and served as the organization’s Principal and Senior Vice President of fundraising and executive search practices. Before that, he was Partner and Vice President of CCS Fundraising, where he worked with the Brookings Institution, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and other nonprofit organizations. During that time, he served as campaign counsel to a $750 million campaign for Weill Cornell Medical College. He has also worked with The Nature Conservancy, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, and many other organizations.

Sean is a board member of Bedford Audubon and has served on the boards of White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, a global organization devoted to improving maternal and newborn health, and A-Home, an affordable housing nonprofit in Westchester, New York.