Peter Thomas

Peter's dual responsibilities as senior vice president, United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) and chief professional officer, United Ways of New England (UWONE) reflect his unwavering commitment to dedicating 100 percent of his energy and focus toward furthering the United Way mission. To do so means Peter spends his time serving as an executive staff member for UWONE, cultivating relationships with board members, corporations and existing key accounts, while also managing a fund raising campaign of $20 million. For UWMB, Peter is instrumental in crafting strategic plans and internal policies for the organization, along with managing UnitedWay@work, a web-based campaign management system.

For the past 21 years, Peter has been actively involved in the non-profit arena. After graduating with a degree in Sociology from Colby College, he immediately began work for as a field manager for a public interest group. Peter's career with United Way began as a campaign associate for the Merrimack Valley region. For ten years Peter honed his skills managing and supervising all fund raising operations, ultimately planning and administering a $5 million campaign while director of resource development. With this and many other accomplishments to his credit, Peter moved on to the North Shore United Way where he served as president and CPO until 1998.

Peter's people skills and belief in what he does serve as his keys to decoding the mysteries of donor giving. Citing his former boss and mentor, a former executive director of the Merrimack Valley United Way, as responsible for nurturing his blossoming career in fund development, Peter believes that the private sector has a responsibility to take care of society. That philosophy and his commitment to continuously learn about the field, have led Peter to posts as chairman of the UWONE's Professional Advisory Committee and treasurer of the Massachusetts Council of United Ways, in addition to roles serving on a multitude of local non-profit boards.