Patricia L. Stirling is a founding partner of interNational Advancement Counsel (interNAC). For the past 25 years, Patricia has devoted her professional energies to advancement efforts in the fields of education, health care, community service, and the arts. Patricia was an active volunteer fundraiser and lobbyist for a number of causes before she became professionally involved in the field of development. “I continue to be amazed and delighted at how deeply committed volunteer leadership can transform organizations…and ultimately the communities and world in which we live.”
Building a practice primarily in the Western United States, Patricia has earned a reputation as a highly regarded campaign strategist, teacher, and lecturer on creating campaign plans and infrastructures that help insure an institution’s success.
Prior to consulting, Patricia served in positions of increasing responsibility at major institutions of education and health care, including Director of Development at the University of California-San Francisco's Medical Center and School of Medicine, Associate Director of Development at Stanford University, Director of Foundation and Corporate Giving at Mount St. Mary's College (L.A.).
Long active in professional organizations, Patricia has served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Philanthropic Counsel (APC), Vice President of the Association of Fundraising Professional (AFP) Golden Gate Chapter, former Vice Chair of the Committee for Women and Minorities of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), co-founder of Caridad Partners and international women's giving circle, a member of the Global Philanthropy Forum.
Patricia received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst , and has attended the highly regarded Institute for Nonprofit Consulting, Environmental Forum of Marin and the Nonprofit Management Institute at Stanford University. She has been a guest speaker and faculty member at conferences and seminars for CASE, AFP, Stanford University , Golden Gate University , American Association of Medical Colleges, National Catholic Education Association, Development Executives Roundtable, Alumnae Resources, Western Alliance of Arts Administrators Foundation, and the Peninsula Community Foundation. She has had a number of articles published on fundraising management.
Patricia is a gourmet cook and wine aficionado who couples her love of traveling with sampling the cuisine of other countries. At home and abroad, she is a devotee of theater, museums, art galleries and the great outdoors.
“Effective and truly sustaining development programs must be built on the understanding and commitment to build relationships with donors. There’s a process and an infrastructure that must be built to grow your donor population, which certainly does not lend itself to what I call “scorched-earth” fundraising. "I always begin my work with clients by talking about making a long-term commitment to relationship building.”
Patricia L. Stirling
Patricia L. Stirling is a founding partner of interNational Advancement Counsel (interNAC). For the past 25 years, Patricia has devoted her professional energies to advancement efforts in the fields of education, health care, community service, and the arts. Patricia was an active volunteer fundraiser and lobbyist for a number of causes before she became professionally involved in the field of development. “I continue to be amazed and delighted at how deeply committed volunteer leadership can transform organizations…and ultimately the communities and world in which we live.”