Category: Our Firm

Associate

Jessica is an independent fundraising and organizational development consultant with over 14 years of experience working in the arts, community impact and public service media sectors. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She is also certified by Duke University in Nonprofit Management and certified in Technology of Participation™ strategic planning and facilitation methods. Jessica serves on multiple nonprofit boards, assuming the role of board chair for the Montford Park Players (one of the country’s longest-running Shakespeare festivals), and director for the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media.

Fundraising Area of Expertise: Jessica’s core expertise is in Donor and Constituent Engagement. She likewise has wide experience in Data Analytics; Development Program Review and Expansion Strategies; Fundraising Campaigns and Strategic Planning; Annual Giving and Direct Marketing; Board Training, Management and Governance.

Sector Experience: Membership and Audience Engagement, Nonprofit Management, Public Media, Podcasting, Faith-based and Secular Communities

Jessica’s fundraising must have: Commitment to member service, open communication and a high standard of excellence.

Contact Jessica at: [email protected]

Executive Associate

Tom Forbath has more than 30 years of senior management experience in the for-profit sector, specifically in the fields of banking, commercial finance, financial planning, and projections. Tom’s experience in the financial sector includes Vice-Presidential roles with Manufacturers Bank, Fleet Capital Corp., and Wells Fargo Capital Finance where he managed a team with a combined portfolio of asset-based transactions of $2.3 billion for Fortune 1000 companies. Tom later became Partner and Founding Manager of Leverage Global Partners, Founder/President of Pure Aesthetics and Wellness, and later Co-Founder/COO of Asset Retrievers.

Having successfully founded, managed, and grown two start-ups over the course of his career, Tom has harnessed this knowledge to advise new businesses and nonprofit entities to help them conduct industry research and develop innovative business plans.  

In addition to his vocational work in the private and nonprofit sectors, Tom serves as a board member for several nonprofit organizations and is currently a long-time board member for the EduCare Foundation, a nonprofit that provides afterschool education to approximately 30,000 underprivileged public-school youth annually.  

Tom graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and he also holds a Master’s in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.  

Fundraising Area of Expertise: Tom’s predominant expertise is in Development Program Review and Expansion Strategies. He is also skilled in Strategic Planning, Project Management, Risk Management and Fundraising Governance, and the related disciplines of finance, operations, and grants management. 

Sector Experience: Education, Healthcare 

Tom’s fundraising must have: A strong commitment from leadership, solid and professional team to implement, and a well-defined development plan and mission that inspires the team and donors. 

Contact Tom at: [email protected]

Senior Associate

Renee Ebert has over 20 years of fundraising and leadership experience working with large institutions and smaller community-based nonprofits. Working with prominent UCLA faculty, she organized and presented programming to World Health Organization leaders, winning World Bank pledged financial support for web-based public health education to Indonesia, Egypt, and South Africa. Her training prepared her to build planned giving programs that broadened the scope of major gifts for endowment, capital and program related campaigns. Renee has extensive experience in raising funds for hospitals and new centers for cardiac and cancer treatment serving diverse populations. Other projects funded include PBS series on caregivers of aging parents and grant awards for environment friendly recycling programs. She is presently leading a project to fund alternative methods for scientific experimentation using DNA methodologies.
Renee graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English Literature and holds a master’s degree in Health Services and Community Health Science from the UCLA School of Public Health. She also holds a certificate on Planned Giving from the Indiana-Purdue University School of Fundraising.

Fundraising Area of Expertise: Renee’s core expertise is in Strategic and Campaign Planning. She also has extensive experience in major gifts, campaigns and campaign feasibility studies, planned giving campaigns, proposal development, board and volunteer recruitment and engagement, and needs assessment.

Sector Experience: Health education, community-based services for underserved populations, faith based programs; homeless families and aging populations; museums/art and culture buildings and programs; international NGOs

Renee’s fundraising must have: Every organization should begin with a well thought out strategic plan and a board committed to its mission.

Contact Renee at: [email protected]

Senior Associate

Lorin Diehl is an accomplished integrated fundraising, development, marketing, and communications leader who has over 25 years of experience working with non-profit organizations, including in the global space to support children, young adults, and communities.

He has an entrepreneurial spirit, strategic focus, and a proven history of success in developing, managing, and implementing profitable donor and customer-centric programs in both the nonprofit and for-profit arena. Lorin earned an MBA from Fordham University in New York, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Fundraising Area of Expertise: Lorin’s core expertise is in strategic and campaign planning. He also has wide experience in annual and individual giving; donor relationship management; CRM; integrated multi-channel marketing; communications/public relations; branding; resource advancement and engagement; program, campaign, and project management; direct response marketing; team/mentor development; research/prospect evaluation; and business development.

Sector Experience: Global relief and development; humanitarian/community services; children’s services/sponsorship; secular/faith-based international organizations; social services; advocacy; healthcare/medical services.

Lorin’s fundraising must have: Lorin believes that fundraising must have transparency, accountability, a true collaborative spirit, and a deep-abiding mission focus

Contact Lorin at: [email protected]