Our Team
Terry Fairholm
President
Terry has 32 years of development experience. He began his development career in 1986 serving as Regional Director of Development during the University of Notre Dame’s $450 million "Strategic Moment" capital campaign. He began his development consulting career in 1989 and founded Advancement Partners, Inc. in 1996.
Advancement Partners specializes in development consulting capital campaign management and strategic planning for Catholic secondary education and since its founding has worked with over 300 Catholic secondary education clients nationwide.
Terry has been involved in over 200 capital campaigns for Catholic education, numerous other advancement-related projects (annual fund, strategic planning, development assessments, interim development services, development counsel, board training) and has conducted over 3,500 personal solicitation calls. He is a graduate of Loyola High School (Montreal) and the Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, NH). He has earned both a BBA and MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
A contributor to national publications and a frequent speaker at national advancement conferences, Terry resides in Dublin, OH with Diana, his wife of thirty-three years; they have three sons, Mark (31), Bryan (30) and Curt (24). He is interested in golf, playing the guitar and physical fitness.
William J. Acton
Senior Partner
A graduate of Loyola Academy (Wilmette, IL) and the College of Holy Cross (Worcester, MA), Bill has over 30 years of hands-on experience in organizational advancement, strategic planning, board training and capital campaign management. Prior to beginning his consulting career in 1993, he worked in development for Loyola Academy (running its alumni and annual giving programs) and then for Cardinal Bernardin at the Archdiocese of Chicago, as the first Director of Development for archdiocese’s four-school seminary system and then as the first Director of the Cardinal's Annual Appeal.
Over the past 22 years, Bill has specialized in capital campaign management, major gift solicitation, strategic planning and development operation re-engineering. Partnering with school leaders, he has personally engaged in over 4,500 major gift solicitation calls ranging from $5,000 to $10,000,000.
Bill lives in Elmhurst, IL with his wife Sheila. They are members of Old St. Patrick’s Church (Chicago, IL) and the proud parents of two adult daughters, Mary Alice – a development director at a Chicago Catholic grade school – and Margy, a Chicago-based sports physical therapist.
Donald Fairholm
Senior Partner
Don is a graduate of Loyola High School (Montreal, QC) and earned a BBA from the University of Notre Dame in 1978. Prior to joining Advancement Partners 11 years ago, Don had a successful business career as both a General Manager and Vice President of Sales. As a Senior Partner with Advancement Partners, Don has facilitated strategic planning projects, conducted feasibility studies, managed capital campaigns, assisted schools in preparing effective Development Plans, and created or enhanced Annual Funds.
Over the past 11 years, Don has worked with dozens of schools all across the country, implementing best practices for improved revenue streams and stronger donor relationships. Having personally engaged in over 1,000 personal solicitation calls, Don’s passion is to identify and promote each school's unique competitive characteristics.
Don lives in Riviera Beach, Florida with his wife, Debbie. They have three adult sons, Adam, Derek, and Sean, who all attended Catholic high schools.
Bryan Fairholm
Consultant
Bryan Fairholm is a seasoned partner at Advancement Partners. A proud graduate of Bishop Watterson High School (Columbus, Ohio) and Loyola University Chicago, Bryan earned his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a concentration in tax law. This strong legal foundation in taxation, combined with practical experience, gives him a distinctive edge in navigating the complex financial and compliance landscapes that underpin successful nonprofit fundraising.
With over a decade of experience in consulting and advancement, Bryan began his career as a State and Local Tax consultant, where for two years he advised organizations on complex matters including income tax compliance, sales and use tax voluntary disclosure agreements, and audit defense. He then brought his analytical precision and client-focused approach to Advancement Partners, starting as an intern contributing to marketing, client development, and the firm's renowned annual summer seminar.
Since transitioning to a full-time consultant role with Advancement Partners, Bryan has spent more than eight years partnering directly with Catholic high schools across the country to deliver transformative results through strategic planning, in-depth feasibility studies, and the expert execution of multimillion-dollar capital campaigns. His unique blend of tax and legal acumen, combined with deep hands-on experience in Catholic education advancement, enables him to offer mission-aligned, strategic guidance that maximizes philanthropic impact and secures long-term institutional growth.
Bryan resides in St. Louis, MO, with his wife Lisa, and their two children. Bryan maintains balance through his passions for playing hockey, golf, and running.
Diana Fairholm
Director of Finance
Diana has a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in accounting from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She has over twenty-five years of experience in accounting and financial management.
Diana is married to company President Terry Fairholm and has been with Advancement Partners since its founding in 1996. Specializing in financial analysis, cost allocation and auditing, she is responsible for all financial matters within the company.
Having extensive experience with Raiser’s Edge and several other development-related constituent management tools, Diana also works with Advancement Partners clients who require assistance with database-related issues, annual fund execution, development/accounting reconciliation and development internal operating procedures.
Diana lives in Dublin, OH with Terry, her husband of thirty-three years. Together they have three sons, Mark, Bryan, and Curt. She is interested in golf, dance aerobics, and travel.