1. Panel discussion and dialogue with grantmakers
Mark F. Dederer
Director, Corporate Citizenship
Safeco Insurance
Mark began his corporate giving career with the Wells Fargo foundation in 2000, and was named Vice President and Community Relations Manager for Wells Fargo in Washington in 2002. Mark left Wells Fargo in May of this year, and joined Safeco Insurance as their Director of Corporate Responsibility. Mark is now responsible for Safeco's comprehensive corporate contributions budget, and acts as a liaison to potential grantees and partners. He also manages national, regional and local partnerships with non-profit agencies, developing proactive partnerships that meet strategic objectives. A Seattle resident, Mark serves on the boards of the Central Washington University Foundation, Urban Enterprise Center, and is Board Chair of the Meredith Matthews East Madison YMCA. Mark's community involvement also includes memberships on the Downtown YMCA Financial Development Committee, and Washington State University College of Education Advocacy Board. He served most recently on the advisory committee for DoubleTake, which is Paul Allen's private art collection on display at Experience Music Project.
Diane Gillian
Program Officer
College Spark Washington
In her current role, Diane is responsible for strategic and operational management of the Community Grants Program for College Spark Washington, a newly formed grant-making foundation whose mission is to fund programs that help low-income students become college-ready and complete their degrees. Under Diane's leadership, the Community Grants Program has reviewed over 180 applications and awarded 57 grants totaling nearly $3 million since its inception just two years ago. Prior to joining College Spark, Diane spent over 25 years in the fast-faced world of financial services, where she honed her relationship building skills while holding a variety of management positions, including operations, sales, administration, IT and business development.
James E. "Jim" Daly
Executive Director
Grays Harbor Community Foundation
Jim was selected as the Executive Director by the Board of Directors of the Grays Harbor Community Foundation, on August 3, 2004. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Jim worked in the private sector for eight years before being hired to run the Community Foundation. Jim is also the Secretary of the Grays Harbor Art Museum Association, and is is former President and the current Treasurer of the Grays Harbor Fine Woodworking Guild. Under Jim's leadership, the Grays Harbor Community Foundation has grown from $6.8 million to $21.5 million. In 2006 the foundation made $721,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations in Grays Harbor County.
Nancy McKay
Environmental/Sustainability Program Manager
The Russell Family Foundation
Nancy joined The Russell Family Foundation in 2002 as its Environmental/Sustainability Program Manager. She is responsible for guiding the design, implementation and evaluation of the Foundation’s program, which focuses on protecting the waters of Puget Sound through environmental education and sustainable business practices. The Russell Family Foundation funds locally, supporting grassroots leadership and a selected number of nonprofit organizations in Tacoma and Pierce County; regionally, making grants in Western Washington related to Environmental Sustainability; and globally, funding a select group of nonprofits working on issues of peace and security. Prior to joining the Foundation, Nancy worked for three Washington governors during which time she served as Chair of the Puget Sound Action Team—the agency charged with coordinating the clean up and protection of the Sound. Before that, she was Deputy Director and then Executive Director of the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority. Nancy is a founder and past chair of the Association of National Estuary Programs and a founder and past chair of the Washington Governor’s Council on Environmental Education.
Susan Fairchild
Grants and Communications Manager
Social Venture Partners
In her current capacity as Grants and Communications Manager, Susan oversees three areas of SVP's work - managing and facilitating the selection of SVP's grantees; developing SVP's focus in systemic change; and communications. Prior to joining SVP, Susan worked for the Downtown Emergency Service Center, Center for Career Alternatives, and City of Seattle. She is a graduate of the Evans School, where she obtained her Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in nonprofit management. SVP is a network of individuals who bring their collective expertise and resources to promising nonprofits, collaborating with them to impact the community positively. In addition to the multi-year grants, SVP provides grantees with organizational consulting support.
Dean McColgan
Manager - Global Corporate Citizenship NW Region
The Boeing Company
Dean manages Boeing's corporate contributions in the areas of health and human services and arts for the Northwest region. He is also responsible for employment engagement and volunteer programs at four Boeing work sites, and for the administration of the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound. Dean is a member of the planning team for charitable investment strategies for the Boeing enterprise. Prior to coming to Boeing, Dean was Development Director for United Way of Pierce County for seven years. He has also been very active in local government where he currently serves on the Federal Way City Council and served as Mayor in 2003-2004. Dean serves on the board of the Federal Way Boys and Girls Club and has been a volunteer youth coach for 17 years.
2. Finding funders: the art of successful research
Charlotte Sara Oakes
Consultant
Charlotte has been a fundraiser and grant writer for more than seventeen years. She served as an Executive Director, Director of Development, and Grants Manager at several non-profits in the Puget Sound region. Charlotte has a Master's degree in Public Administration from Seattle University and is currently working as a freelance consultant to non-profit organizations.
3. Proposal writing
Victoria Andrews
Special Programs Manager
City of Kent’s Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department
In addition to working with volunteer groups and the media, Victoria creates partnerships and submits grant proposals to underwrite park development and improvement projects. Prior to her current position, she served as Executive Director of three nationally affiliated non-profit organizations. She has secured and managed multiple grants to underwrite special projects and operating expenses. Victoria also served three years on a national foundation’s grant selection committee, distributing $250,000 per annual grant cycle. She has planned and presented seminars for 9,000 professionals and others annually in the medical, public health, education and legal fields. Victoria has a BS in Education and an MS in Communications.
Stuart Scadron-Wattles
Development Consultant
Stuart began his development career at Cornell University in 1978, as a writer for the Cornell Campaign. After the campaign, he was a major gifts officer at Cornell for five years. He subsequently became founding producing artistic director for Theatre & Company in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, where he was responsible for a successful $4.1M capital campaign for their new facility. During his 16-year tenure there, Stuart and his staff secured a $500,000 endowment fund, tripled their operating support from the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), increased the annual municipal support from $2,000 to $50,000, and won four OAC Lieutenant Governor’s awards for private support. He is currently a freelance development consultant, who considers proposals to be conveyances of passion.
Joyce Agee
Associate Director of Development
University of Washington Libraries
Joyce Agee worked internationally in London, England and Melbourne and Sydney Australia for the first part of her career. She was responsible for planning and producing major visual arts exhibitions in both countries. As part of these activities, she was responsible for writing proposals to obtain corporate, private foundation and government support. She moved to Seattle in the late 90s, and has worked at University of Washington Libraries for the past six years where she manages the Friends of the Libraries board, and has been involved in writing a range of successful grant proposals to support the Libraries photography, film and architecture collections.
Ann Jacobus
Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Cornish College of the Arts
In her current position at Cornish College of the Arts, Ann oversees the grantwriting and sponsorship program for the College. Ann has over 10 years experience in development and grantwriting and has secured and managed funding from a wide range of foundations including the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Ms. Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, the Norcliffe Foundation, and various state, county, and city organizations. Prior to Cornish, Ann served as the Director of Marketing and Development for the 2004 Seattle International Film Festival, the Manager of Government, Corporate and Foundation Relations for Bellevue Art Museum, and Development Director for NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.
4. Exploring the world of corporate sponsorship
Sarah Waymouth
Senior Manager, External Relations & Development
Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum (EMP|SFM)
Sarah has a wide range of Development experience in different areas of the non-profit sector from international development to the arts. In her current capacity, she is responsible for managing corporate partnerships, sponsorships and foundation relationships for the museum. Over the past year EMP|SFM has dramatically increased its corporate support due to Sarah's leadership. Prior to joining EMP|SFM Sarah worked for Comic Relief (the UK's largest non-profit brand) in the corporate team that annually raised over $21 million. She began her career in the corporate sector as a Brand Manager at Unilever, but has always been an active member of the non-profit community founding her own non-profit, Tenteleni, in 1998 to promote education and volunteerism in sub-saharan Africa.
Paul Tobin
Director, Corporate Development
Washington and Northern Idaho American Diabetes Association
Paul has over 15 years of professional fund development and non-profit management experience. He has directed and managed corporate sponsorship and corporate giving campaigns on behalf of nationally recognized public and private organizations, including the University of Washington and Seattle Opera, and currently serves as Director of Corporate Development for the American Diabetes Association for Washington State and Northern Idaho. Paul received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of San Diego.
Patty Turnberg
Director
International Community Health Services Foundation
Patty has been raising funds in Washington State for more than 20 years and is currently the first-time Director of the International Community Health Services Foundation. Prior to this position, Patty served for five years as the Director of Development for the Foundation for Early Learning. She has many years of experience securing corporate and foundation sponsorship funding for events for Habitat for Humanity, the Alzheimer's Association, the Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center and Pacific Science Center. Patty earned a Master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Washington, and volunteers her services on several boards in the Seattle area.
Deborah Edison
Development Director
Treehouse for Kids
Deborah has worked as a professional fundraiser for 20 years, and has an extensive background in event production and corporate sponsorships. Her career has given her the opportunity to produce large scale concert events to more intimate musical evenings in spectacular living rooms across the country. In 1993, she co-founded Classical Action, an AIDS Fundraising organization that is a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since moving to Seattle, she has held positions as Director of Institutional Support at the Seattle Symphony, overseeing corporate sponsorship and foundation support, and Director of Development at Lifelong AIDS Alliance. In 2003, she was asked to head the Development office at Treehouse, a Seattle-based non-profit serving King County foster kids with enrichment and education programs. She is responsible for all fundraising, communications and marketing for this $5 million organization.
5. Winning proposals: a tour of four successful case studies
Don Chalmers
President
SparrowHawk Consulting
During his career Don has played virtually every role in the nonprofit and philanthropy world. He served as Corporate Vice President for Strategic Services for Rogue Valley Hospital and Executive Director of the Rogue Valley Hospital Foundation in Medford Oregon, where he was responsible for system-wide marketing and strategic planning, community relations, governmental relations, and development as well as leadership of the Foundation. At The Evergreen State College, Don held the position of Executive Director of the College Foundation. He developed and maintained partnerships between both public and private sectors and the College. He is well known for his role in securing funds for the Evergreen Longhouse, the first Longhouse on a public campus in the United States. Don has continued his relationship with academia by teaching Nonprofit Planning, Fundraising and Grantwriting at Evergreen, first through the Leisure Education program and MPA program. He is currently Adjunct Faculty in the Evening and Weekend Studies program. He has served on the boards of a variety of community and professional organizations including the Thurston County Food Bank and the Northwest Development Officers Association. He has been Board President of the Refugee and Immigrant Service Center for nine years. In 1984, Don formed SparrowHawk Consulting to provide creative, highly professional consulting services to nonprofits and Tribes.
Marsha Wolf
Foundation and Corporate Giving Manager
Pratt Fine Arts Center
In her current position at Pratt Fine Arts Center, Marsha oversees the grant program to support the organization's mission and programs. As part of the development team, she works with staff and board members to: 1) identify and prioritize organizational and program funding needs; 2) research and find relevant sources of funding; and 3) secure funding by developing and submitting letters of inquiry, grant proposals and related written materials. Marsha has sustained and expanded the funding for Pratt by the addition of new sources including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to focusing on her passion for the arts, Marsha was faculty in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. She navigated the rigors of the peer-review grant process and obtained multi-year funding from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health. In addition to teaching the art of proposal writing to graduate students, Marsha has experience as a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Justice and a manuscript reviewer for several medical journals. Over the past twenty years, Marsha has served as a board member and a volunteer for different community organizations and is currently a Board Trustee for Artist Trust.
David Brown
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
The Western Washington University Foundation
Dave has worked in development for over 17 years in both higher education and health and human services, successfully writing proposals in support of capital campaigns, programs and operations from private, state and federal funders. Formerly a grant writer at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, he worked as a writer and development director for the Boys & Girls Club’s of both King and Snohomish counties before taking his current position as the Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations for Western Washington University. There he oversees corporate and foundation efforts for 7 colleges and 2 departments. He is a graduate of the Masters in Student Personnel Administration program at Western, has served in board and leadership roles in several volunteer youth sports groups, and was on the staff at Strathclyde University (Glasgow, Scotland) as they established the first Alumni Relations office in the United Kingdom.
Laura Lundahl
Grant Writer
Seattle Pacific University
Laura has consistently secured millions of dollars in grant funding, including $770,000 in corporate, foundation and federal grant dollars in the last nine months alone. As the grant writer for Seattle Pacific University, Laura oversees the grant applications, evaluates programs considering applying for funding, and writes letters of interest and grant proposal applications. At Seattle Pacific, Laura also consults with internal clients as they move through the fund application process - from researching potential funders, to writing the application, to receiving and reporting grant dollars. Laura holds a bachelors degree in Philosophy and Law, a MA in Youth and Human Service Administration, and a Master’s of Public Policy. Prior to joining the team at SPU, Laura held grant and fund development positions at the Office of the Secretary of State, Association of Realtors, Metropolitan Parks, Camp Adventure Youth Services World Headquarters, and the University of Northern Iowa Foundation. In 2003, Laura formed Iden Advancement, and grant writing consulting partner group. In addition to writing grant applications, Laura has served as a grant reviewer and consultant on the rewriting of the funding applicant processes for the Cedar Valley United Way. Currently, Laura serves as a federal reviewer and panelist for the United States Administration for Children and Families in Washington D.C.
6. How to build a successful relationship with grantmakers
Fidelma McGinn
Executive Director
Artist Trust
Prior to becoming Executive Director of Artist Trust, Fidelma was the Executive Director of Film Arts Foundation, one of the nation's top resource centers for independent filmmakers, based in San Francisco, and the Executive Director for 911 Media Arts Center, based in Seattle. She has served as a panelist and nominator for grantmakers such as the Rockefeller Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Cultural Development Authority of King County. She is currently the board chair of the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC). Before joining the non-profit sector, Fidelma had a successful career in marketing in the high-tech industry. She spent seven years at Microsoft Corporation developing localization strategies for the Desktop Applications Division. She has a degree in Marketing and Communications from the College of Commerce in Dublin and is a graduate of Stanford Graduate Business School’s program for Executive Leadership in the non-profit Arts.
Katherine Taylor Frew
Principal
TaylorMade Consulting
Kate founded Taylor Made Consulting in 1996 to enable small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations to increase their revenue through effective fundraising techniques. Prior to founding the company, Kate worked for over 15 years in fundraising as a development staff member, including as Director of Development for the YWCA of Seattle, Director of Development for King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, and Major Gifts Director of the Northwest Womenís Law Center. She previously served on the board of the Computer Exploration Classroom, and was on the Capital Campaign Committee of University Friends Meeting. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the American Marketing Association, and the Puget Sound Grantwriters Association. She received her Masters in Business Adminstration from the University of Washington. Prior to entering the development field, Kate had several years as an assistant editor for a book and magazine publisher.
Heather A. Page
Director of Development and Marketing
Seattle Humane Society
Heather has worked in the development field for over 8 years with a focus on conservation and animal welfare. She spent the early part of her career serving as the first Associate Director of Development for Family Services of King County, helping to create their major gifts program and lay the foundation for a capital campaign. She is experienced in identifying, soliciting, and stewarding major and institutional donors. In her current role as Director of Development and Marketing at the Seattle Humane Society, Heather has spearheaded an effort to build the organization’s brand and constituency in preparation for a major capital campaign. She has worked at Family Services, the Woodland Park Zoo, the National Audubon Society, and the Seattle Humane Society. Heather is also a Graduate of the Certificate of Fundraising Management Program at the University of Washington, a member of NDOA, and a City Councilmember for the City of Duvall, and former Mayor Pro Tem and Planning Commissioner for the City of Duvall. She enjoys speaking to a variety of audiences on topics related to politics, philanthropy and development.
Leslie Silverman
Grants Manager, U.S. Program
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In her current position, Leslie is responsible for managing the grant making process from the time a proposal is submitted until a grant is closed out. Specific responsibilities include review of proposal documents and staff write-ups, regulatory compliance / due diligence, and sharing of grants information with program, finance, communications, and technology staff. Prior to joining the foundation, Leslie was a program officer for seven years at the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, D.C., managing a portfolio of AmeriCorps grants in five states which involved monitoring, oversight, and grantee support at the state and local levels. Leslie began her career in accounting with Arthur Andersen and the Securities and Exchange Commission after earning a BBA from Emory University. Extensive volunteering projects with community organizations motivated Leslie to bridge her knowledge and skills gained in the business environment with a strong interest in the non-profit sector. Leslie earned an MSW in Social Policy and Administration in 1997 in anticipation of the career change. |
