About Us
Shannon Curley Tower
Shannon Curley Tower partners with non-profit leaders to maximize performance, impacting the missions of their organizations. Shannon holds the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certification through the International Coaching Federation, and she is a certified coach through the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance program at American University in Washington, DC. She has spent the past 25 years working with non-profit organizations as a leader, board member, fundraiser, consultant, and coach.
Shannon partners with coaching clients to establish goals and uncover roadblocks, helping them move into action. She is certified by Target Training International in DISC, a behavioral style assessment, that she brings to her work with individuals and teams. She believes coaching is a key investment that improves client’s productivity, increases confidence, and develops and enhances leadership skills.
Before founding Tower Philanthropy – a coaching and consulting firm – in January 2020, Shannon was a vice president and principal consultant at Gobel Group, a healthcare philanthropy consulting firm where she worked with hospitals across the country to build philanthropy programs, served as campaign council, and provided strategic consulting to leaders and frontline staff. Prior to this role, she directed philanthropy programs at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Cleveland Clinic. Shannon started her career in fundraising roles at the Land Trust Alliance, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Case Western University School of Law.
Shannon has a BA in English from Miami University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. In 2000, she co-founded the Foundation for Community Betterment and served as an active board member until 2015 when she became emeritus; she now serves as a pro bono coach for the organization. She serves on the board of trustees for the Key School of Annapolis, and she co-chairs their Advancement Committee. She lives in Annapolis, MD with her husband and two children.
A Coaching and Consulting Firm
Tower Philanthropy is a coaching and consulting firm that partners with philanthropy leaders to maximize impact while emphasizing their wellbeing. From academic medicine and health systems to education and smaller non-profit organizations, we meet philanthropy leaders where they are. We help clients remove roadblocks to achieving their goals and move into action.
We help you Build…
Leaders – Philanthropy leaders often need a thought partner in making critical decisions, managing staff dynamics, and working through organizational politics. We provide executive coaching to support them in these challenges while they also hone their leadership skills and maximize their impact.
Team – Building and sustaining a great team is one of the things that keeps most chief development officers up at night. Through years of experience, cutting-edge assessment tools, tailored educational modules, and executive coaching, we help teams work together to raise more money.
Strategy – Working with donors, organizational partners, board members, and teams requires strategy every day. We provide a sounding board for complex dynamics, assist in planning for critical conversations, and work with clients to optimize outcomes.
Results – Metrics driven with a focus on accountability, we help clients create the systems to measure and evaluate performance, understand gaps, and move forward to maximize philanthropic results.
Peace of Mind – Philanthropy leaders often have very few people they can problem solve with. We become a seamless member of the team.
“These calls with Shannon are one of the most valuable resources I have in my toolkit.”
—Holly Meyer
Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Philanthropy
MedStar St. Mary's Hospital