Frequently Asked
Questions

I help organizations see their development program clearly and make better decisions about it: restructuring gift officer portfolios based on actual data, diagnosing why revenue has plateaued, building a major gifts strategy your team can execute, coaching fundraisers through real solicitations, or stepping in as interim development leadership during a transition.

I don't solicit supporters on your behalf and I don't bring a rolodex. I bring 15+ years of experience building the systems, strategy, and internal capacity that help teams close more gifts, more consistently.

I work with organizations of all sizes, but my sweet spot is established nonprofits, typically $5M to $50M in annual budget, with development teams of two to fifteen and leadership ready to build rather than look for a quick fix. My clients span animal welfare, civic engagement, arts and culture, education, and faith-based organizations. What they share isn't sector. It's a willingness to look at their data honestly and act on it.

Not sure if there's a fit? That's what the first conversation (opens in new tab) is for.

Most clients reach out at a moment of inflection: a development leader has left, revenue has plateaued despite a busy team, a campaign is on the horizon, or the board is asking hard questions leadership can't yet answer. You're ready if your team is working hard but you can't point to the data that shows it's working.

An interim leader steps into a staff role: managing your team, maintaining key relationships, moving solicitations forward. This is a high-touch, embedded engagement, typically starting at six months. A strategic consulting engagement works alongside your existing leadership on a specific challenge: restructuring portfolios, analyzing fundraiser productivity, improving pipeline health, or building a major or principal gifts program from the ground up.

Which one fits depends on whether you need someone to manage a staff leave or hold the work while you hire, or someone to help your team see the program differently. I offer both.

I help you implement. Every engagement includes coaching fundraisers through actual asks, restructuring portfolios using real data, leading strategy sessions, and helping your team build new systems while letting go of ones that aren't working. Sometimes that means I'm right in the work alongside your team. But the goal of every engagement is that your organization is stronger when we're done, not dependent on me to keep it running.

Before I make any recommendation, I want to see what's actually happening: gift officer portfolios, pipeline health, concentration risk, supporter retention trends. I've done full frontline team productivity analyses for organizations with 20+ fundraisers, and lightweight diagnostics for smaller teams figuring out where to focus. The depth scales, but the principle doesn't: good strategy starts with accurate information.

Community-centric fundraising keeps mission and community at the center of your strategy rather than centering the preferences of individual supporters. In practice, it means treating supporters as partners, valuing contributions of time and talent alongside financial gifts, seeing your organization as part of a larger ecosystem, and communicating holistically about impact rather than segmenting it by individual gift.

This isn't about raising less money. Organizations using this approach see stronger retention, larger gifts, and more sustainable revenue.

I'm a thought partner, not a vendor. I don't deliver templated playbooks. I help you see your program accurately so you can make better decisions. That means I'll tell you things that are uncomfortable if they're true, and push back when a direction won't serve you.

Even when I'm not embedded as interim staff, my clients consider me part of their team. I invest the time to understand your organization deeply so my guidance is grounded in your reality, not generic best practices. The best consulting engagements build capacity, not dependency.

Let's Talk (opens in new tab)

We start with discovery: your organization, team, data, and supporters. From there, I develop recommendations and we align on priorities. Then we move into implementation.

Interim leadership engagements typically run 6 to 18 months. Strategic consulting projects range from 5 to 12 months. Trainings can be single-session or multi-part series with follow-up coaching. The first step is always a free 30-minute call. Book a call here. (opens in new tab)

I price based on strategic value and scope, not a percentage of funds raised. Commission-based compensation is considered unethical by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and I agree. Most engagements are project-based or monthly retainers. Once we've had enough conversation to understand your needs and confirm the fit, I'll put together a proposal with transparent pricing within a week. Sometimes the honest answer is "not yet," and I'll tell you that directly.

Yes, and it's one of my favorite things to do. Most board members aren't resistant to fundraising. They're uncomfortable because no one has shown them what their role actually looks like. My trainings reframe fundraising as connecting people who care about your mission with the organization making it real. We practice natural language, work through real scenarios, and match roles to strengths. For organizations preparing for a campaign, I also work with boards on aligning governance with advancement strategy.