Melanie Lepper, CFRE

Melanie helps fundraisers write direct mail that actually gets read—and acted on.

With 15 years of hands-on experience across political and charitable fundraising, Melanie brings a practical, no-fluff approach to the Individual Giving Collective. She cut her teeth in the fast-paced world of political fundraising, where results were immediate, budgets were tight, and every word had to earn its place. That early training shaped her belief that good fundraising isn’t about clever tricks—it’s about understanding people. 

Since joining Good Works in 2018, Melanie has partnered with dozens of charities of all sizes, helping teams navigate flat response rates, shrinking files, and the pressure to “do more with less.” Her work blends data-driven decision-making with honest, human-centred storytelling—because the strongest campaigns require both!

Melanie is especially valued as a teacher because she doesn’t pretend the path is linear. She’s tested ideas that didn’t work, learned the hard lessons, and refined what does—and she’s generous about sharing those insights so others can avoid the same costly missteps.

As Director Client Experience at Good Works, Melanie leads a team responsible for designing and delivering high-performing direct mail and integrated campaigns for charity partners across Canada. She holds a Bachelor in Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University (2008), a Certificate in Philanthropic Psychology with distinction (2024), a Certificate in Fundraising Copywriting (2024), and the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation (2022).

A longtime volunteer with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Ottawa Chapter, Melanie is deeply committed to strengthening the profession that shaped her career.

Beyond fundraising, she lives in Ottawa with her 9-year-old twin boys and fits in running and Hyrox training between spirited debates about Fortnite and hockey rink schedules—proof that endurance matters both in and out of the fundraising world