Sarah Lanners Avinger, CFRE, MBA

Sarah Lanners Avinger serves as chief philanthropy officer for YWCA Central Carolinas. As CPO, Sarah ensures the sustainability of YWCA’s mission and programs by overseeing all fundraising and donor relations. Sarah leads the philanthropy team, whose goal is to connect the broader community with our mission and programs via fundraising, marketing and communications, community engagement and volunteerism, and racial justice and advocacy work. Sarah joined the YWCA team in April of 2020 after nearly seven years at Arts+ (formerly Community School of the Arts) in Charlotte, most recently as the director of annual giving.

A native of Covington, Georgia, Sarah graduated from Davidson College in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and minor in Hispanic Studies. She holds a master’s in business administration from Wake Forest University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Sarah has served on the board of the Charlotte Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 2017, and currently is the chapter’s President. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys going on walks with her son Morgan and dog Velma, cooking with her husband, and ballet and modern dance.