Her friends say:
> Funny
> Passionate
> Thoughtful
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Her clients say:
> Strategic
> Creative
> Gets. It. Done.
I get energized by furthering the impact of a nonprofit.
"She has brought both high-level insights on our overall fundraising strategies and specific, actionable recommendations to inform how we implement this work. Jess helped us to envision and carry out our very first donor thank you event and provided valuable feedback on new donor engagement materials. She has also been incredibly helpful as we have formalized our grant-writing structure - from helping to conceptualize grant applications to reviewing and editing them for submission. I am so grateful for the experience, passion, and skills that Jess brings to fundraising - and her willingness to roll up her sleeves and do the work."
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AMANDA L. ARBOUR
Executive Director of the LGBT Center of Central PA
After graduating from college with a theatre degree and no desire to work in theatre (whoops!), I took some time to search my soul and figure out what I really wanted to be when I grow up. I decided that I had three goals: 1) work as a professional makeup artist, 2) become a high school English teacher, and 3) have a job where I would get paid to help people. Not one to waste any time, I started working three part-time jobs assisting at a beauty counter, substitute teaching, and working as an after-school outreach facilitator for my local Girl Scout chapter. Whew! Even though I was young, that schedule was draining!
When a full-time position as a grant writer opened up at the Girl Scout office, I looked up what a grant was, marched myself down to the Chief Development Officer’s desk, and convinced her of all the reasons why she should hire me – even though I had no development experience. For whatever reason, it worked, and my nonprofit fundraising career began.
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It’s hard to believe that was over a decade ago. It’s wild to look back at that young woman who didn’t fully understand how the development field worked but knew this was an incredible way to enact change. Over the years, I have worked in nearly every area of development. I have been fortunate to work for organizations who understood the importance of having a development person on staff, even when I was the only person doing the work. What I have also learned is that there are organizations doing incredible work that no one knows about. These organizations have so much heart and are doing amazing things. But at the end of the day, if word doesn’t spread of the work being done and no one is putting in the time to raise money to run the programs, the organization will not survive.
That’s where I come in.
Let me help you engage supporters, raise money, and spread the word about what you are doing to make an impact in your community. Maybe your organization can’t afford to hire a development employee, but you know there are grant opportunities that would make a huge difference in the amount of people you are able to serve. Maybe you have development staff, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and your direct mail appeals aren’t getting out the door. Is there an idea you have for an event that will help bring in dollars and supporters, but you don’t even know where to begin planning that event? Let me help you. My services come with a decade of experience, a track record of success, and flexible fees based on your organization’s budget.
