Executive-Level Advancement Leadership for Schools and Nonprofits Trading Firefighting for Forward Motion.
I help schools and nonprofits move from the uphill scramble of reactive advancement to the steady harbor of strategic momentum, with fractional leadership designed for teams in transition or under-resourced environments.
Image taken from the Boston-Hingham Commuter Boat
The role has been open for months. Or it's frozen. Either way, the fundraising goal didn't move.
Your development director just left. Donors are waiting on calls and a year-end appeal is coming.
A campaign is on the table. Someone has to find out whether the organization is ready before it spends two years finding out the hard way.
What We Do
Fractional Advancement Leadership
A seasoned leader inside your organization, on a schedule that fits your budget.
I step into the work: running annual giving, carrying a major gifts portfolio, planning donor events, managing the calendar, supporting your board, and keeping donors in touch while you search for permanent leadership or decide whether you need it.
Advancement Assessment
A clear, honest look at what's working, what's stuck, and what to fix first.
I look at donor pipeline, systems, staffing, and board engagement, then give you a written read: what's working, what's stuck, and the three things to fix first. If it makes sense to keep going, we can talk about what comes next.
Campaign Readiness and Strategy
A straight answer on whether to go now, later, or at a different size.
Feasibility, case for support, donor identification, and timeline, so you know what a campaign would take before you commit to one.
Advancement Strategy & Capacity Building
Why fractional
No benefits line. Fractional leadership adds no benefits cost to a budget that's already stretched.
No multi-year bet on a hire who might eventually work out. The contract renews while it's working and ends cleanly when it isn't.
Eyes on the results. No office politics, no "other duties as assigned."
How it works
Chart your course. A 30-minute conversation where I ask the questions and you leave with one move to try first.
I look under the hood. Donor data, calendar, board, systems.
We agree on a scope. A set number of days or hours, tied to results you can name.
I do the work alongside your team. You see the progress as it happens.
We renew only if it's working.
What it costs
Every engagement is scoped to the work that needs doing and the budget you have, so there isn't a price list. Most start with a set number of hours or days each month, tied to results you can name. Tell me your budget and we'll work out together how to move things forward from there.
Experience That Shows Up in the Work
Nearly three decades in advancement, in education and community nonprofits.
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Planned and led readiness for a $12.5 million capital campaign.
Board solicitation, case materials, donor sequencing, and the timeline. More than half the goal was already committed.
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Ran a readiness audit before the campaign.
Asked to launch a campaign, I looked first at donors, board, and leadership engagement, and gave leadership an honest read on where things stood.
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Raised $5.4 million in five months.
The goal was $1.5 million. I led a 10-person advancement team through an institutional transition and brought three donor databases into one.
Every proposal I write begins with your mission, in your own words. The strategy is built around the reason your organization exists, because that is the argument donors respond to.
Phone
CONTACT US
Not sure where to start?
Take the Advancement Snapshot, or write to me directly. Either way, you'll hear back from me, not a form.
