Holly Wagg

Partner and CEO

I discovered the fundraising part of philanthropy quite by accident. One of my first summer jobs was at a newly established youth centre in my small hometown.

My first task was to deal with the fact that no one knew where we were on the main street. I got some wood donated and asked a relative to make a sign. Next, I recruited a local artist to mentor youth to paint murals on the blank 20-foot high walls of our activity room. When I found out that we didn’t have a budget for paint, I worked on securing donations from local businesses.

By the end of the summer I was a budding fundraiser.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve developed a bit of a niche in the sector. I tend to be drawn to work where I can build organizations from the ground up or develop fundraising capacity where none previously existed. I like building new strategies. I like guiding charities through new fundraising adventures. I like being a part of achieving what at first seems daunting or impossible.

I’ve even started a charity from my kitchen table – the Ten Oaks Project – which was the first of its kind in Canada offering summer camp programs for children and youth of LGBTQ communities. It’s now been running for 15+ years.

I was initially hired on to the Good Works team because of my digital acumen. Even though I had an 8-track player in my childhood bedroom, I’ve never had to raise money without the internet. Since then, I’ve developed my direct mail chops and even co-authored a book on legacy giving, You Can’t Take it With You: The Art and Science of Legacy Fundraising.

All of my life experience have been channelled into how I lead the team here at Good Works, who in turn guide the work of the charities who’ve hired us to grow and manage their annual giving programs.

We’d love to talk to you!

Work With Us

Whether you’re ready to take your direct mail program to the next level, dive into the world of digital direct response, or launch the legacy giving program of your dreams, Good Works is here to help you.