Lynn Mason

About

Lynn Mason joined the University of Houston Libraries as the director of development in August 2012. She is responsible for developing, implementing and managing a strategic fundraising and development plan for the UH Libraries. She serves as the chief fundraising officer for the UH Libraries, working closely with the dean of the libraries and the University Advancement management team. Also working in the library’s office of development with Lynn are Free Lane, development coordinator and Kayla Hanagan, marketing coordinator. In addition to annual fund and major gift fundraising, Lynn is also experienced in the art of planned giving. Two of Lynn’s primary responsibilities are to encourage alumni, donors, and friends of the University of Houston to participate in the Acorn Endowment program at the UH Libraries and to become members of The 1927 Society by including the UH Libraries in their wills or estate plans.

Background

Lynn has been a fundraiser for 20 years, beginning her career at the University of Houston in 1993 in the midst of the Creative Partnerships Campaign in which she coordinated the $11.2 million fundraising effort of the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980.

In 1999, Lynn transitioned into a new level of fundraising and worked for the Office of Planned Giving in University Advancement in gift officer and director roles until 2012. She worked with alumni, faculty, staff and friends from all of the UH campuses to assist them in making planned gifts by naming UH as a beneficiary of their wills, life insurance policies, retirement plan assets (IRA, 401(k), 403(b)), stock, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, etc. She has assisted countless individuals to help them make current and planned gifts ranging from $500 to over $1.0 million. Planned gifts for the University of Houston System increased from $553,000 in 2002 to $14,165,000 in 2011. To date, Lynn has also secured the most TierOne Scholarship Endowments which were created under President Renu Khator.

Prior to her long career in fundraising, Lynn was a consultant for Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF Consulting) for 10 years and a manager for the Westin Galleria Hotel for 3 years. Lynn is a past president (2003/2004) of the Planned Giving Council of Houston (PGCH) for which she actively served on the board in numerous capacities over an 8-year period. She continues to be involved with this organization as the PGCH Chair of the Conference Scholarship Committee which she created three years ago to help those primarily in smaller non-profit organizations attend the annual PGCH conference to learn how to secure planned gifts from their donor base. She is also a long-time member of the national organization of Partnerships in Philanthropic Planning (PPP).