Anna Cronin, a former senior director of philanthropy and communications at Seattle-based Solid Ground, an anti-poverty and social service organization, has been named United Way of King County’s new chief philanthropy officer.

Cronin will lead United Way’s Engagement Team, which includes fundraising, donor engagement, revenue management, marketing, communications, public relations, and development operations. She will begin her tenure at United Way on September 8.

Cronin brings more than two decades of experience creating powerful development plans that use a community-centric fundraising model. She comes to United Way after more than three years at Solid Ground, where she cultivated and activated key relationships to raise more than $25 million annually. Cronin also built and executed an engagement strategy to repair lapsed funder relationships, leading to more than $1 million in funding for the organization.

Cronin led Solid Ground’s community-centric approach to philanthropy, including engaging and maintaining institutional, corporate, foundation, and major donors. Cronin also worked closely with the organization’s advocacy arm, Poverty Action, to ensure its advocacy messaging was embedded in all fundraising and engagement materials.

Before Solid Ground, Cronin was the Director of Strategic Engagement at the Seneca Family of Agencies, where she was Seneca Washington’s inaugural Director and developed a three-year engagement plan that included community partnerships and diverse revenue streams.

At Neighborcare Health, Cronin was the Director of Development/Philanthropy. She managed teams that raised funds from private philanthropy and public funding sources to contribute about $19 million annually—nearly a quarter of the Company’s budget.

Cronin graduated from Seattle’s Franklin High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Washington. She is currently a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Advancement Northwest and a co-chair of the Grantee Engagement Team of the Washington Women’s Foundation.