It is so energizing to be surrounded by others who are passionate about their work and driven by their mission. I am proud to be able to serve as a partner to so many inspiring organizations and the many exceptional leaders behind them.

A profile picture of Lauren Ekmekjian.

Pronouns: She/Her

Lauren is a Senior Vice President with CCS Fundraising, where she supports client partnerships across Southern California and provides strategic leadership on comprehensive fundraising initiatives. Since joining the firm in 2017, Lauren brings over fifteen years of experience in strategic planning, research, and data analysis, with a particular focus on campaign design and planning, development assessments, and feasibility studies. Lauren is known for building trusted relationships with institutional leaders and advancing high-impact fundraising efforts.

Lauren has led major and principal gift strategy for several high-profile campaigns in partnership with institutional leadership, including the San Diego Community College District, the San Diego Museum of Art, and the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland—collectively representing over $350 million in philanthropic goals. In addition to her campaign work, Lauren has facilitated trainings on campaign planning and communications has served as a lead presenter for development bootcamps hosted at institutions across the country.

Prior to her role at CCS, Lauren led strategic planning and fundraising initiatives via her public sector work for the City of New Bedford and City of Boston, Massachusetts. Her work focused on environmental advocacy, workforce development, and urban planning. She also contributed to housing and economic development research at two Boston-based policy labs.

Lauren holds a Master of Science in Urban Policy and Planning from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She currently resides in Long Beach, CA.

select client partners

  • San Diego Community College District, San Diego, CA
  • University of San Diego, San Diego, CA
  • Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
  • University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, Burlington, VT
  • University of Vermont Health Network, Burlington, VT
  • San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
  • New England Forestry Foundation, Boston, MA
  • Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, Chicago, IL
  • Episcopal Church of Connecticut, Meriden, CT
  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, Boston, MA

Southern California

2029 Century Park East
Suite 400 N
Los Angeles, CA 90067

(949) 954-5252

Boston

155 Federal Street
Suite 1303
Boston, MA 02110

(617) 292-2666

Thank you for your interest in a partnership with CCS Fundraising. We are proud to work with nonprofit organizations that do such impactful work in our communities.

Over our decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, we’ve found that our services are most impactful for well-established 501(c)(3) organizations. If your nonprofit is in an earlier stage of growth, we encourage you to explore the free foundational resources available on our Fundraising Fundamentals page. Developed by our fundraising consultant experts to provide a starting point for emerging organizations, we hope you can leverage these resources to propel your fundraising efforts forward, with the goal of an engagement with CCS once you are further along in your fundraising journey.
We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how our services can maximize your fundraising efforts.

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