Heather Larson
Founder of LiveGive
Heather brings 22 years of non-profit experience to LiveGive, including more than a decade of executive leadership and overseeing an annual budget of $77 million and 350 employees. Through her work for both the American Red Cross and Willow Creek Community Church, she oversaw partnerships with more than 150 non-profit organizations around the world. As an executive, Heather:
Launched Celebration of Hope (COH), an annual campaign to engage people in global causes. During the 10 years that Heather provided oversight for COH, it mobilized more than 20K volunteers annually and funded more than $21 million in charitable donations to global causes.
Oversaw the distribution of almost $50 million in grants and donations.
Led a $10 million Care Center project, which included fundraising, strategic planning, and the construction of a beautiful space that serves 17,000 under-resourced families in the Chicago area each year.
Developed and implemented a performance-effectiveness system that maximized the impact of more than 100 projects, teams, and departments.
Heather’s leadership, vision, and strategy has always been about investing in great people around significant causes. Whether partnering with a local entrepreneur in Guatemala, brainstorming with a community leader in a hut in Malawi, or problem-solving with a business owner in Chicago, Heather loves connecting generous people.
Heather is an alumnus of Taylor University, where she served as student-body president—and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. She’s also an alumnus of Kellogg School of Business.
Her favorite hours are spent hanging out with her husband Dan and their two teenage daughters. She loves traveling, walking the beach, cooking for friends, gardening, getting lost in great music or a good book, exploring nature and polishing rocks. “Life is short,” she says, “When my grandma turned 90, she told me that the best season in life is always right where you are. I want to live with that awareness every day. I want to make the most of each day, to lead well and love well right where I am."
