Tonie Howard is Vice President of the Animal Care Team for Grizzard Communications Group. She is responsible for managing direct response fundraising programs for a nationwide network of animal welfare organizations that are represented by the agency.

Tonie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Keene State College. She also has two Associate-level degrees in Drug Rehabilitation and Risk Management.

Tonie has over 20 years of extensive fundraising in both nonprofit and corporate environments. She focuses on new donor acquisition, as well as developing cultivation and retention strategies for existing donors. She has considerable experience in setting up integrated marketing programs, and uses those skills in helping animal welfare organizations expand their donor outreach efforts.

Before she joined the Animal Care Team, Tonie served as Senior Account Supervisor for over 200 of Grizzard’s American Red Cross clients. Her responsibilities included helping clients integrate Grizzard’s proprietary Pyramid Plus™ planned giving and major gifts programs as part of their strategic fundraising plan, as well as assisting with developing and producing several multi-million piece disaster appeals and implementing many of the team’s core technical services.

Prior to joining the Grizzard, Tonie worked in several leadership positions for the American Red Cross over a span of nine years. Tonie’s contributions to her field include serving on Florida boards for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (formerly NSFRE) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She is also a former Rotarian and member of the Planned Giving Council of Florida.

Tonie enjoys running, boating, reading and spending time with her husband, Randy, and their two cats, Jack and Lucy.