Outstanding New Fundraising Professional

Gabriela Pino

nominated by Bow Valley College

Gabriela Pino has always been philanthropic and entrepreneurial.  Inspired by her sister, who has physical and developmental disabilities, Gabriela began her career by founding Chocatto. This small business produced chocolates using Ecuadorian cocoa beans and hired people with disabilities. In April 2010, Chocatto won a National Entrepreneurship Award for its inclusive business model in Ecuador. Gabriela’s passion in her career has always been about community building. During her pre-fundraising days, she worked for a multi-national consumer goods corporation, where she was responsible for establishing and maintaining strong business relationships with the company’s customers.  

Today, as the Senior Development Officer, Major Gifts at Bow Valley College, Gabriela continues to demonstrate excellence in building relationships with major donors and other college stakeholders, ensuring our major gifts fundraising program is successful and values-based, given her commitment to inclusion and her work with underserved groups. 

In early March, the COVID-19 Response Emergency Financial Need Bursary Fund was created to respond to an increasing need for financial support for students impacted by the pandemic. Gabriela was able to leverage initial support from the Student’s Association of Bow Valley College to obtain an additional $35,000, allowing the College to support over 100 vulnerable students, ensuring they could continue their studies and pay for their basic needs. The impact of these bursaries has gone far beyond supporting our students in pursuing their education.  It has also given them the opportunity to give back to our communities as nurses, early childhood educators, social workers, and volunteers. She notes, “I work at Bow Valley College to help remove barriers and increase access to post-secondary education, especially for marginalized groups, supporting our students to fulfill their potential and build a better and more just society.” 

Gabriela is a proud member of AFP’s Calgary Chapter. At AFP’s workshops and webinars, Gabriela learned about the importance of being certified as a fundraising professional and strived towards meeting the certification requirements. As a result, in 2019, Gabriela became a CFRE. She has included CFRE recertification goals into her work plan each year since.   

Presenting Sponsor

2021 National Philanthropy Day® and Generosity of Spirit™ Awards Luncheon

November 16th, 2021, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm

Congratulations to the 2021 Generosity of Spirit™ and Professional Award Recipients