May 4, 2022
Getting to Know Camille Zanoni
Meet MCF's new Director of Donor & Giving Partner Engagement
Last week we welcomed Camille Zanoni as Director of Donor & Giving Partner Engagement. Camille will be working with individuals, nonprofits and our giving partners as part of donor engagement team. A lifelong Madisonian, Camille is excited to join MCF and work with everyone here to enhance the common good for our community.
“I find immense joy in helping people make a difference in this world for the things they value most,” Camille explained. “With this position, I get to help people and community partners do that. I work with individual donors and their advisors to guide their charitable giving and help them carry forth their philanthropic values. I also work with nonprofit organizations to establish or grow a fund to help provide a reliable and sustaining source of funding for their programs and operations.”
“And I work with our Giving Partners to grow their funds and strengthen their impact in their communities,” Camille continued. Giving Partners partner with MCF to serve donors who support specific local communities and causes. They include A Fund for Women, Columbus Area Endowment, Lodi Area Community Endowment, Middleton Endowment, the Monona Fund, Portage Area Endowment and Rio Community Fund.
Camille has a long history of working in the nonprofit field. She spent 17 years with the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, where she served as director of philanthropy. Prior to that, she served as vice president of advancement for the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, and friends group coordinator and executive director to the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.
While Camille was born and raised in Madison, she hasn’t spent her entire life here. “I served as an agroforestry and education volunteer with Peace Corps in Paraguay, and worked in Kenya with environmental conservation and education,” Camille shared.
Camille and her family – husband Samuel Pratsch, and sons Kylan, age 13, and Bowen, age 10 – love to explore the outdoors: paddling, hiking, climbing mountains, stargazing and skiing. They also enjoy visiting Madison's many art, music and cultural treasures.
“I have been lucky to visit many places around the world, and have yet to encounter a city as wonderful as Madison,” Camille explained. “It has such natural beauty with its lakes, nature preserves and forests, incredible art and cultural resources, and wonderful schools and neighborhoods. Serving as the seat of state government and home of UW also creates a vibrant city.”
“However, I recognize that in many ways, Madison has not been a wonderful and thriving place for all community members,” Camille continued. “I am inspired that MCF is joining with others to affect change in that area.”
Camille’s family shares her belief in giving back. She and her husband want to instill a volunteer ethic in their children, so they devote time to volunteering with the schools and other community organizations together. MCF also a holds a fund that was established in her late sister's memory, the Nicole Zanoni Health Endowment Fund, which supports the health and dental needs of Madison public school children.
“It brings my family and I much joy to witness the impact her Fund has had in our community, and we are grateful to the Foundation for helping carry forth her legacy.”