Expertise: Volunteer Engagement, Development and Fundraising, Non- Profit Management, Training, Advocacy, Community Networking, Corporate Social Responsibility, Faith Relations, Board Management, Partnership Development
Content Knowledge: Public Policy, Housing Policy, Violence Intervention, Youth Employment, Poverty/ Homelessness, Parliamentary Procedure
Jessica Drake has worked in development and volunteer engagement for over 12 years. Specializing in youth and corporate engagement, Jessica has overseen the partnership of over 700 schools and 300 business partners with the agencies she has worked for. A master at volunteer engagement, Jessica’s skills have regularly been highlighted at corporate conferences and social entrepreneur events as the “How to” in corporate social engagements.
Jessica served as the Director of Community Outreach and Volunteerism at the Living Classrooms Foundation before joining the Strategic Application International team full time. Specializing in turning volunteers to donors and vice versa, Jessica increased Living Classrooms’ volunteerism by 200% in just two short years and brought nearly 1 million dollar’s worth of volunteer engagement to the Foundation. Having forged her corporate responsibility trainings at Living Classroom around a distinct knowledge of Baltimore’s neediest communities, Jessica successfully paired communities/ community organizations with corporate partners to create long lasting relationships of engagement and sponsorship.
Prior to Living Classrooms Foundation, Jessica served as the Advocacy and Youth Engagement Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. The first in her role at the agency, Jessica created Habitat Clubs in area middle and high schools as well as at local universities. Jessica utilized her public speaking skills to engage students in social activism while helping facilitate their efforts to raise money to build homes. In her time at Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake Jessica was instrumental in the creation of the Build-A-Block program. A coalition of private and public schools joining together to help East Baltimore through the rehabilitation of an entire city block. In its first year, Build-A-Block raised over $150,000 through student-led initiative and helped rehabilitate 5 homes in East Baltimore forever transforming the community and changing the lives of 5 families forever.
Jessica has also worked for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Maryland in youth engagement and fundraising contributing to over $500,00 worth of funds raised for research by area children school children through the Pennies for Patients Campaign. Jessica has an undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Masters in Public Administration with a focus in Non-Profit Management from the University of Baltimore. Jessica is the mother of three boys and in her spare time, she is President of their school’s PTA.