Brad Smith

In early 2020, Brad founded Rootstock Philanthropy, a fundraising and strategic advisory firm, delivering practical, world-class strategic advice to nonprofit clients worldwide.  Current and former Rootstock clients include MIT, Suffolk University, the Portland (ME) Museum of Art, World Horse Welfare (UK), the Eagle Hill School (CT), the Partnership on AI, The Brain Aneurysm Foundation, South Carolina State University, The Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Charleston Day School, and Carroll School (MA).


Brad’s early career in fundraising included stints as a Major Gift Officer at Colby College and Tulane Law School.  In 2005, Brad joined MIT’s Office of Leadership Giving and over the next 11 years worked in progressively more responsible roles, securing over $100M in individual donations. Brad also led the development of MIT’s first Talent Management Program for frontline fundraisers and was promoted to the position of Director of Strategic Initiatives for MIT.nano, at the time the largest basic research project in MIT history.  While leading MIT.nano, Brad initiated efforts leading to several signature programs, including the $240M MIT-IBM Intelligence Initiative and the $10M/year Mathworks Fellows Program.

In late 2016, Brad joined the American Technion Society (ATS) as Associate Vice President for Development.  While at ATS, Brad lead collaborative fundraising efforts between The Technion and Cornell Tech, earning a promotion to Executive Director of Development. While there, Brad led a team of 20 major gift officers, coordinated joint fundraising programs with Cornell University, and helped the Technion achieve record fundraising results in FY’18 and FY’19. 

While not managing Rootstock, Brad manages the Philanthropy Network on LinkedIn, a 90,000-member group that he founded and dedicated to advancing modern fundraising practice.  Brad lives just outside of Portland, Maine (US) with his wife Peg, daughters Elle (14) and Evie (14) and his Labradoodle, Jasper.