I am an independent consultant with more than 16 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. I specialize in building more sustainable local food systems using a variety of approaches, particularly through designing new programs, creating strategic plans, and securing funding. I have assisted nonprofits with organizational development and capacity-building tasks, including planning new staff structures, facilitating a successful merger and training boards of directors. As a leading national expert on Farm Bill grant programs, I have completed 48 original proposals and numerous reports to a dozen different USDA programs, resulting in more than $3.4 million in new funding to date. I have also served as a project manager, evaluator, and national educator on USDA grants. My fundraising efforts have secured $8 million in non-federal funding for nonprofits as well, from sources such as foundations, events, and individual donor campaigns.

My depth and diversity of experience ensure that I fully understand the challenges facing your organization. I am prepared to help you achieve your goals!

Consulting Services:

• Strategic development coaching for nonprofits and food businesses
• Customized capacity-building services for nonprofits, including fundraising, strategic planning, mergers, program design, project management & evaluation
• Partnership matching and facilitation for collaborative projects and mergers
• Design of innovative new programs to meet community needs
• Grant writing and creation of fundraising and marketing materials
• Start-to-finish guidance with identifying and applying for USDA grants
• Customized workshops and webinars on food systems and nonprofit capacity-building
• Executive Director coaching on organizational direction, strategic planning, fundraising, program design, and other topics