WILLIAM BELCHER
President / Executive Director
wbelcher@ucross.org
President / Executive Director
wbelcher@ucross.org
William Belcher accepted the role of President (Executive Director) of Ucross in April 2022, after serving as the nonprofit's Director of Development & External Relations for four and half years. During his tenure as Director of Development, he had built a development program from the ground up, helped tell the Ucross story to a wider audience, championed artist alumni, and worked closely with the staff and board on all Ucross activities, including strategic planning, marketing/communications, campaign design, grants management, and institutional advancement.
Belcher is the founder of Wordhorse Strategies, LLC, a fundraising consulting firm that specializes in helping nonprofit arts organizations with development, strategic planning, and engagement. While at Wordhorse, his clients included the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Skidmore College, Collar Works, The Hyde Collection, The Depot Theatre, and many other arts organizations, as well as several land stewardship and social service organizations. Belcher is noted for his expertise in fundraising, grant work, donor communications, and institutional storytelling.
Before starting Wordhorse, Belcher had served as the Director of Development at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), one of the largest and most dynamic contemporary art centers in the country; Director of External Affairs at The Hyde Collection; and Senior Director of Corporate, Government, and Foundation Relations at Russell Sage College. During his 22-plus years in the field, he has raised more than $100 million for programs in the arts, humanities, and higher education.
Earlier in his career, he worked at McGraw-Hill (developmental editor), Glimmerglass Opera (stage operations), and Inkberry, a nonprofit literary organization (community workshop facilitator). He has worked for operas, theaters, museums, literary organizations, and community art centers, and he has dedicated his professional career to helping organizations that support artists and the creation of new work. Additionally, he has served on several boards, including Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education, a community arts center in Cambridge, NY, and Caffe Lena, the historic folk music venue in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Belcher earned in a BA in English and Theatre Arts from Hartwick College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College.
Lastly, Belcher is also an award-winning writer. (He writes under the name W.B. Belcher.) His debut novel Lay Down Your Weary Tune was published by Other Press and distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House in 2016.
Belcher is the founder of Wordhorse Strategies, LLC, a fundraising consulting firm that specializes in helping nonprofit arts organizations with development, strategic planning, and engagement. While at Wordhorse, his clients included the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Skidmore College, Collar Works, The Hyde Collection, The Depot Theatre, and many other arts organizations, as well as several land stewardship and social service organizations. Belcher is noted for his expertise in fundraising, grant work, donor communications, and institutional storytelling.
Before starting Wordhorse, Belcher had served as the Director of Development at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), one of the largest and most dynamic contemporary art centers in the country; Director of External Affairs at The Hyde Collection; and Senior Director of Corporate, Government, and Foundation Relations at Russell Sage College. During his 22-plus years in the field, he has raised more than $100 million for programs in the arts, humanities, and higher education.
Earlier in his career, he worked at McGraw-Hill (developmental editor), Glimmerglass Opera (stage operations), and Inkberry, a nonprofit literary organization (community workshop facilitator). He has worked for operas, theaters, museums, literary organizations, and community art centers, and he has dedicated his professional career to helping organizations that support artists and the creation of new work. Additionally, he has served on several boards, including Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education, a community arts center in Cambridge, NY, and Caffe Lena, the historic folk music venue in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Belcher earned in a BA in English and Theatre Arts from Hartwick College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College.
Lastly, Belcher is also an award-winning writer. (He writes under the name W.B. Belcher.) His debut novel Lay Down Your Weary Tune was published by Other Press and distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House in 2016.