Katie McKenna has been appointed as the new Director of Fundraising at MiracleFeet

MiracleFeet is a fast-growing, innovative international development charity based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is specifically dedicated to treating children with clubfoot in low income countries across the world. Clubfoot affects one out of every 750 children worldwide, making it one of the most common birth defects in the world. 80% of those affected live in developing countries, where the discrimination and stigma associated with the disability often creates incredible challenges for children living with untreated clubfoot.

MiracleFeet was set up out of recognition of this problem; by a group of parents of children born with clubfoot in the US- their vision is a world in which all children born with clubfoot receive treatment, enabling them to live fully productive, active and healthy lives. With its unique and innovative model, the organization exists to increase access to proper treatment for children born with clubfoot in developing countries through partnerships with local healthcare providers. With MiracleFeet’s support, treatment is free or extremely low-cost for the families who receive it. Over 90% of supported clinics are located in public hospitals, ensuring treatment is effective and the model is sustainable.

With successes to build upon, such as a $1 million grant from Google.org last year, Katie’s role is to take the organization’s annual fundraising from $3-4 million per year to $10 million per year over the next six years to support its long-term plan to end untreated clubfoot globally. She is joining the senior leadership team and will contribute to the overall strategic thinking associated with building MiracleFeet into a high impact, highly efficient organization capable of reaching over 20,000 new children per year by 2022.

Society conducted a broad search across North Carolina and further afield, with a focus on senior fundraising professionals with a passion for global health and a flexible, entrepreneurial approach. Katie’s breadth and depth of leadership experience in the likes of Oxfam, UNICEF and, most recently, the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina combined with her successful income generation track record places her a good position to drive forward MiracleFeet’s through next stage of growth.