Guirlaine R. Belizaire

Vice President, Innovation

pronouns: she, her, hers

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Our clients benefit from Guirlaine’s significant fundraising expertise, the deep care and interpersonal capacity she brings to each engagement, a constant desire to learn and discover, and a love for data (a remnant of the former math teacher in her!).

At Development Guild, as VP of Innovation, Guirlaine serves as a moderator for BIG Question—our live, community-powered planning tool, capable of engaging up to a million participants in real time. Harnessing her facilitation skill, data-driven mindset, and gift for making every voice feel heard, on BIG Question she guides mission-driven organizations through their most wicked strategic and fundraising challenges, translating collective insight into clear, actionable next steps. Internally, she also heads our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program, crafting company-wide learning experiences and providing HR with ongoing guidance to ensure our culture and policies remain equitable and inclusive.

Prior to joining Development Guild, Guirlaine held fundraising positions at a number of nonprofit and educational organizations. Most recently, she was a Major Gifts Officer at The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. She previously held donor relations positions at Cambridge in America (promotes interest in and support for the University of Cambridge and its Colleges in the United States), UNICEF USA, and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. Outside of the office, Guirlaine volunteers at local food banks, participates in a group dedicated to environmental sustainability, and serves on the board of a small nonprofit committed to reminding girls and women of their agency and cultivating that innate power.

During her tenure at Development Guild, Guirlaine has worked with a broad range of clients including Keene State College, The Home for Little Wanderers, Health Imperatives, IsraAID, American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, Gather (building food security), Saint John’s Catholic Preparatory School, The Clayton Christensen Institute, Religions for Peace, Cradles to Crayons, and The International Institute of New England.

Guirlaine received a Master of Arts in Biology from Hofstra University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester, where she is an active alumna and currently has the pleasure of serving on the Black Alumni Network Executive Committee.
She is also a member of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC) and serves as Development Guild’s liaison to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Massachusetts Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) program.

In her free time, Guirlaine enjoys having rich conversations with family and friends, reading, drafting poems and short stories, listening to all kinds of music, practicing yoga, cooking, traveling, and taking long and meandering hikes in nature (preferably accompanied by several dogs).