I'm a dedicated, mission-driven nonprofit leader with 15 years of experience and success in financial development, planning, project management, and systems-building, using a collaborative, community-centric approach.

I have spent the majority of my career serving on staff and boards of small or mid-size nonprofits, which means that I've contributed to many wonderful, diverse projects over the years. I've worked on transformative strategic plans and led geographic expansion efforts. Additionally, I have direct experience with everything from data entry to writing hundreds of grant proposals and reports to running programming on the ground.

Now, as an independent consultant, I look forward to collaborating, learning, and applying my unique perspective and combination of skills to advance your organization's vision.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Mass Humanities, Holyoke, MA

Director of Development

From 2023-25, I served as the development lead for the state's affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Accomplishments included:

Rebuilt and strengthened development systems, processes, and plans after a gap in staffing
Conducted a database migration from Raiser's Edge to Little Green Light, which resulted in increased data integrity and allowed for metrics assessment
Built a moves management system from scratch
Supervised staff and restructured the department; created and oversaw a contract grant writer position
Planned and executed annual gala and cultivation events

Families First, Boston & Holyoke, MA

Over an eight year tenure, I held several roles and played a pivotal role in the organization's growth, including the following highlights:

Regional Director, Western MA

Led the start-up and management of Families First's programs in Holyoke and Springfield
Oversaw growth strategy, fund development, staffing, partnership building, program delivery, and quality control
In this and all other roles, managed expense budgets and revenue projections

Interim Director of Development & Senior Development Advisor

Supported a $1.1M fundraising effort
Developed a new business plan in collaboration with Harvard Business School’s Community Action Partners
Reorganized the Development department to maximize efficiency
Led a successful special fundraising campaign at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, raising nearly $100,000 in 8 weeks

Associate Director of External Relations

Spearheaded projects that were instrumental in transforming the organization’s identity as its FY18-20 Business Plan, centered on a new program model, was rolled out.
- Managed the launch of a new website and a brand refresh project (new logo and visual identity)
- Shaped evaluation tools and rewrote key statements (mission, vision, boilerplate)
- Worked with videographers to create new content
Raised $725,000 annually through foundation relationships, including a first-time $300,000 grant from the Boston Children's Hospital Collaboration for Community Health

Assistant Director of Development and Communications

Managed donor portfolios, cultivated relationships, supervised staff, and coordinated events
Raised $750,000 annually, including leading the elaborate proposal process for a high-impact $100,000 grant from Social Venture Partners
Prior to this role, I was the organization's full-time grant writer for over a year, writing multiple proposals and reports per week.

LightHouse, Holyoke, MA

Development Director

Upon moving to Western Massachusetts, I had the pleasure of getting to know this remarkable and creative school for teens in Holyoke. Over the course of six months, I worked with the executive director to build a formal development program, including:

Wrote the organization’s first-ever Development Plan
Transitioned to a new donor database and created a moves management system
Wrote formal policies and procedures using a community-centric fundraising approach
Developed a model to generate real-time financial projections
Assisted with donor stewardship, event planning, and board engagement

I am fortunate to continue supporting LightHouse as a board member and development chair.

American Red Cross, Cambridge, MA

Corporate & Foundation Relations Officer; Development Associate

After traveling across Southeast Asia volunteering for NGOs in my mid-twenties, I came home to the Northeast set on building a career in the nonprofit sector. In these early years, I got a crash course in the development field at one of the world's largest nonprofits. Highlights include:

Raised $500,000 annually as part of $9.2M goal by managing relationships with:
- Foundations: writing proposals and reports, leading meetings
- Corporations: designing aligned brand marketing strategies
- Individuals: initiated events and activities to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors
Founded Friends of the Red Cross young professionals group
Participated in strategic planning activities and a database migration as part of a merger of Central and Western Massachusetts chapters