Few charities in Baton Rouge have the kind of traction enjoyed by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, a health care institution whose identity is built on providing top-notch cancer care close to home. Ensuring the well-regarded facility has a pipeline of philanthropic support is the job of Baton Rouge native Danielle Mack.
Mack and her team raise a budget of about $10 million annually to help support investments in leading-edge equipment, bridging financial gaps for patients and attracting exemplary clinicians. She is also focused on continuing to build the cancer center’s endowment and its planned giving programs.
Mack is credited for record-setting fundraising and shaping a fresh fundraising direction for the iconic institution, shifting away from its previous event-driven model and establishing sustainable, high-return programs that engage a wide range of audiences.
Her career in fundraising happened by “kismet,” she says. After graduating from Northwestern State University, Mack headed to Houston, landing a job in fundraising event planning at the Baylor College of Medicine in the heart of the 60-institution Texas Medical Center. There, she saw what could happen when the goals of board members, major gift officers and clinical leaders were aligned. The fundraising energy surrounding the TMC made it a great place to learn, she says.
“I was able to watch our front-line fundraisers operate and see how thoughtful they were,” she says. “I really enjoyed being part of the bigger picture and supporting something meaningful.”
Mack had met her husband, an LSU alum, in Houston, and the two moved back to Baton Rouge after their daughter was born. Mack joined the Mary Bird Perkins philanthropy department in 2010 and remained there for most of the next 10 years. In early 2020, she stepped in as the interim chief philanthropy officer, a role quickly made permanent that May.
While much of Mack’s work is in developing long-term relationships with donors who might consider transformational gifts, she says one of the things she’s proudest of is the culture of philanthropy being developed within Mary Bird Perkins. Employees and clinicians have a keen understanding of how donors support high-quality care across the cancer center’s 23 locations, she says.
Mack has created several signature fundraising initiatives, including Geaux Pink, the cancer center’s statewide breast cancer awareness and fundraising campaign, and the Grateful Patient Program, which gives patients an opportunity to give back. The program stems from the scores of cancer patients and survivors who feel an affinity for the institution and its care teams. It has brought numerous first-time donors into the fold, Mack says.
Similarly, the recently formed Echo Alliance, an all-women fundraising circle, has attracted new donors. Each member of the group of around 100 contributes $1,000 annually. Members vote on what projects to support with their pooled resources.
In 2025, Mack and her team exceeded the cancer center’s $50 million endowment goal. She credits her ability to find opportunities that resonate with each donor, some of whom are moved by the idea of ensuring Mary Bird Perkins’ long-term success.
Mack says that, ultimately, her job is about relationships. When she mentors younger development officers, she tells them how important it is to be authentic.
“I share with them that they are accepting an opportunity that they must care deeply about,” Mack says. “We’re asking people to give their treasure when they have so many causes they could give to. A donor can tell right away if you really care about what you’re talking about, or if it’s just a job.”
