Astrid von Soosten Astrid von Soosten, CFRE, is a partner at Brakeley Fundraising Consultants and is passionate about bringing money to good causes. She is also the Co-Founder of Week53, a company specializing in developing executive leadership skills with a focus on authenticity. Before switching into her current role as consultant and executive coach, she has held several fundraising leadership positions in the US and, back in Germany, has led the Resource Development Department of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), an intergovernmental organization, with six locations in five countries. She has specialized in major gift fundraising for the longest part of her career and has been certified and re-certified as a Fundraising Executive (CFRE) ever since 2008. She has served on the boards of the European Fundraising Association (EFA) and the German Fundraising Association (DFRV). and is currently a board member at CFRE International and the Resource Alliance.