My experience with nonprofits spans nearly thirty years. Fresh out of college, imbued with the idealism of the 60’s and early 70’s, I felt that whatever I did with my life should leave the world a better place. That idealism has guided me throughout my professional career - first with the clergy, teaching grade school, the founding of a nursery school, social work with older adults, funding the search for a cure for diabetes and education for disadvantaged children, and most recently (and one of my favorite projects) the creation of an urban dog park in the middle of a city neighborhood.

During the past eleven years, I have had the privilege and challenge of serving as the Executive Director and Vice President of Advancement for two leading nonprofit organizations. I am currently the Director of Development for the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Jewish Community Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This invaluable experience has provided me with a broad base of knowledge in all aspects of fundraising, nonprofit administration, board development, strategic planning and retreats, communications, marketing/public relations, special events, grant writing and lobbying.

As an independent consultant, I look forward to helping nonprofits develop, grow, and make a difference in their communities. There’s a ripple effect. When you help one, you help many. You make the world a better place.

How can we do that together?

My Experience:

Board Development

• Recruitment and development of active, prestigious Board of Directors and key committees on regional and national level
• Develop and conduct board retreats
• Development of bylaws, leadership structure, election procedures, board roles and responsibilities

Organizational Development

• Guidance and structure of strategic planning
• Preparation of long range fiscal planning
• Development of positive organization culture through administration and supervision
  of staff and board with team training, office procedures, personnel manual and
  evaluations

Fundraising

• Capital campaign development and supervision
• Annual campaign development and supervision
• Face-to-face solicitations of major gifts from $5,000 to $1 million
• Development audits
• Planning and development of major gifts from foundations, corporations, individuals and organizations
• Proposal and grant writing – examples:
  • $500,000 foundation grant – capital bricks and mortar
  • $250,000 foundation grant - capital equipment
  • $100,000 federal grant - program development for minority
    population
• Individual and organization solicitation including planned gifts – examples:
  • Individual pledges and estate gifts from $5,000 to $550,000
  • $750,000 national organization pledge for research
• Development and management of imaginative fundraising vehicles - examples:
  • Special events
    • $50,000 “Camp Today...Cure Tomorrow” Walkathon
    • $55,000 “Cookout For The Cure” annual cookout
    • $836,000 “Defeat Diabetes” Sports Extravaganza and Telethon
    • 2006 Tennis Ball – planning committee for black tie event for 1,000 people and the largest auction in Virginia
    • $220,000 “Defeat Diabetes” market share campaign with major food chain
    • $250,000 “Brick by Brick” building dedication event
  • Direct mail campaign
    • 500,000 membership campaign
    • $100,000 annual year-end campaigns
• Development of United Way, Community Health Charities workplace giving
• Key liaison and strategist with lobbyists and government representatives regarding federal and state proposals – example:
  • $1million government funding grant

Marketing and Communications

• Development of all communications, public relations and marketing strategies
• Design and copy write website, brochures, case statements, annual
  reports, semi-annual newsletters, year-end appeals, event materials,
  advertising
• Copy write video, radio and television scripts
• Extensive public speaking engagements and media appearances

Coalition and Team Building

• National outreach and chapter development
• Coalition building among medical school programs, physicians, researchers and affiliated foundations
• Relationship building with and support from medical research and health care foundations and national service organizations
• Development of strategic partnerships among major corporations

Program Development

• Development, management, administration of on-going educational and recreational programs for adults
• Development, management and administration of federal and state programs for the elderly

Employment History

2007
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Jewish Community Center - Director of Development

2006
An Achievable Dream, Inc. - Vice President of Advancement

1996 – 2006
Diabetes Institutes Foundation (affiliated with Eastern Virginia Medical School) supporting the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes – Executive Director

1986 – 1996
Jewish Community Center of Tidewater - Senior Adult Director and Director of Center for Adult Living

Education

• Certificate of Participation, Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management –
  University of Wisconsin
• Masters course work, English Literature, Eastern Connecticut State University
• Institute of Hebrew Language, Jerusalem, Israel
• BA, Journalism, University of California, Berkeley

Conferences

• Hampton Roads Institute for Nonprofit Leadership 1/07
  • New Strategies for Nonprofit Innovation and Investment
  • Evaluating Impact: The Measure of Success
• Winning Grants – Maximizing Effectiveness – Presenter 5/06
• The Artful Journey – Major Gift Planning and Solicitation 4/06
• Building a Successful Fundraising Plan – Presenter 2/06
• Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose 2/06
• Developing a Planned Giving Program 2/06
• Nonprofit Leadership Conference 1/06
  • Asset Based Fundraising – Nonprofit Sustainability
  • Fundraising Toolkit – Presenter
  • Board Executive Partnerships
• Legal Issues When Organizing Your Website 9/05
• Institute of Nonprofit Leadership 1/05
  • Fundraising Readiness
  • Board Development
• Volunteer Hampton Roads - Presenter 1/05,8/04
  • Designing Your Development Plan
• The Art of Leadership – The Challenge of Governance 10/04
  • Building Fundraising Success
  • Superior Board Skills
• Virginia Fundraising Institute 7/04
• Helping Boards Help You - Presenter 3/03
• AFP Building Successful Monthly Giving Programs 2/03
• Employment Law 2/03
• Old Dominion University Grant Writing Workshop 1/03
• AFP Philanthropy Day 11/02
  • Build the Board: Create Effective Development Campaigns
  • Planned Giving
• Success on Line - The E-Philanthropy Revolution 9/02
• AFP Charter Day Conference 8/02
  • Major Gift Solicitations
  • Planning and Implementing a Best-Practices Campaign
• The Development Audit: Taking Your Program to the Next Level 5/02
• Thrive Conference for Non-Profits, Chesapeake, VA 11/01
  • Board Development
  • Strategic Planning
• New Trends in Fundraising, Sinclair-Townes, Washington, DC 9/01
• Non-Profits and Technology, Philanthropy News Network,
  Washington, DC 11/99
• Planned Giving Conference, Sinclair -Townes, Washington, DC 8/99
• Annual Fund University, Sinclair-Townes, Washington, DC 8/98
• Leadership Conference Non-Profit Management, Charlottesville, VA 6/97
• Internet for Non-Profits, Washington, DC 1/97
• Jewish Community Center International Conference – St. Louis, MO 6/93
  • New Trends in Senior Adult Programming - Presenter
• Jewish Community Center Outreach to Israel – Jerusalem, Israel 6/91

Professional and Volunteer Affiliations

• Volunteer Hampton Roads – Board of Directors 2004 to present
• Leadership Hampton Roads, Chamber of Commerce – Board of Directors 2004/06
• Association of Fundraising Professionals – Board of Directors 2004/06
• Ghent Neighborhood League – Fundraising Chair – Stockley Gardens Dog Park
• Ghent Business Association - Board Member 2001-2005
• Executive Development Group for Nonprofit Leaders - 1999
• Downtown 100 - Downtown Norfolk Council – 1997/98
• The Norfolk Task Force On Aging – 1986/1996 (Chairperson 1994-1996)
• Alzheimer’s Association - Board of Directors 1996 - Advisory Board
• Professional Task Force On The Jewish Aged – 1986/1992 – Chair

Portfolio and references are available.