Zahida Noorani is a fundraising trainer and consultant. She is certified by USA’s Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

Fundraising Experience: For 19 years, Miss Noorani was Executive Director of Chicago-based Mercy Foundation, Inc., the philanthropic arm of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center. She raised millions of dollars in grants from foundations, corporations and public agencies and in gifts from individual donors. By cultivating and nurturing relationship with donors, she secured their commitment to the hospital resulting in legacy gifts from them. Each year, Miss Noorani conducted fundraising events such as dinners, golf tournaments and fashion shows. Through major capital campaigns, she secured funds for construction projects and purchase of major medical equipments. Mercy Hospital’s charity care program was supported by funds raised by Mercy Foundation, Inc.

Miss Noorani retired from Mercy Foundation, Inc. in 2000 and is now a Fundraising Consultant for nonprofits in USA and India. Her clients include a variety of medical and social welfare institutions such as Saint Anthony Hospital (Chicago), Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Center (Madurai), Apna Ghar (a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Chicago).

Training Experience:
Miss Noorani has extensive experience in training fundraisers. In Chicago, (USA) she taught fundraising courses at DePaul University and Roosevelt University. For ten years from 1990-2000, she conducted two full-day workshops each month for Chicago’s Donors Forum on a variety of fundraising topics. From 2001 to the present, she continues to offer a few workshops each year in USA.

In India, Miss Noorani offers fundraising workshops for Mumbai’s Centre for the Advancement of Philanthropy. She has also offered training programs through the South Asian Fundraising Group in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Agra. At the invitation of The Citizens Foundation, she conducted a one-week fundraising training program in Karachi, Pakistan.

Additional Qualifications:
Born and raised in India, Miss Noorani is a graduate of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She also has a Master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota (USA). In Mumbai, she was in charge of family services at the Nagpada Neighbourhood House for three years and was a member of the Faculty of the Institute of Social Services, Nirmala Niketan, for five years. In Chicago, prior to joining Mercy Foundation, Inc., she worked for eleven years as Director of Social Services at the Chicago Hearing Society.