Bettina Alonso joined the Archdiocese of New York in 2014 as the Executive Director of Development under the leadership of His Eminence Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan who ministers to 2.6 million Catholics. Bettina leads a team of 40+ staff and raises over $102MM a year. In 2016 she began a three-year $200MM capital campaign, surpassing the goal by September 2018 (by the end of the campaign in June 2019 raised $250MM with an 84% pledge redemption rate).
Bettina is also the Executive Director of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Trustees and a board member of the United Hospital Fund with budgets spanning $10M- $140M. Bettina has a proven talent for building and governing boards, as well as attracting a diverse and compatible group of leaders from the American, European and Latino markets bringing unique value to an enterprise focused on growth.
Before joining the Archdiocese of New York, Bettina was the Vice President of Global Development and the founder of the New York Office for Oceana. Oceana is an international environmental nonprofit committed to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans. During her 10-year tenure, Oceana added 12 new board members, revenues quadrupled from $7MM to $28MM, secured a total of $190MM+ in revenues and created a cash reserve of $10MM.
In 2003, Bettina was instrumental in founding the US office for the Zeit Foundation. Prior to that, for over seven years, she served as Marketing Manager for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce specializing in facilitating exports for Austrian companies to Spain.
Focused, passionate and dynamic, Bettina has helped several for-profit and non-profit organizations through their development from start-up to expansion using her own brand of energetic, sincere and spirited leadership. Throughout her career, Bettina has raised close to $500MM for environmental and Catholic causes.
Bettina was born and grew up in Spain. She is fluent in Spanish, German and English. She graduated from Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia receiving her master’s degree in International Affairs and her bachelor’s in Political Science. She completed the ‘Advanced Management Program – AMP’ at the IESE Business School in 2018.
Having been a course director and invited guest speaker at Columbia University, New York University and IESE Business School, Bettina has also created and taught curricula on global philanthropy and international fundraising.
Bettina resides in New York with her daughter Noa.
