We’re a team of 25+ including 5 staff and many collaborators.
Meet The Team
Peter Heller
Founder
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A nationally recognized expert with over 30 years in the nonprofit world, Peter Heller has raised millions of dollars for many organizations while also strengthening their strategic and financial assets. His firm’s current consulting success is bolstered by the team of hands-on professionals he brings to the table, his extensive experience as a development staff member prior to launching his own firm, and his deep experience working on capital campaigns and cultivating individual donors. He understands the client’s needs not only from the outside looking in, but vice versa.
Since 2004 Peter’s firm, the Heller Fundraising Group, has been offering fundraising and strategic consulting services to a diverse group of nonprofit clients.
For the 10 years before beginning his consulting business (1994-2004) Peter raised major support as a fundraiser and administrator for Columbia University, becoming the Director of Development for Columbia’s Engineering School. In securing support for University funding priorities, he worked closely with the Engineering School’s Dean and other University administrators raising significant dollars through his personal efforts and dramatically moving the School’s organizational strength forward. He also traveled extensively in the US and Asia to meet donors and raise funds.
Prior to his years at Columbia, Peter held development positions at several world-class universities during their campaigns including UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco (Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations) and the American Friends of Tel Aviv University (Director of Corporations and Foundations). He started his career with a brief stint at his alma mater, College of the Atlantic (ME).
Peter also taught Major Gifts Fundraising in Columbia’s Fundraising Management Graduate Program, has trained thousands of fundraisers through workshops and webinars including at The Foundation Center (Candid) and many other venues.
Peter spent 10 years (2004-2014) producing films including project oversight, script development, and raising funds. His credits include the documentaries Vanishing of the Bees and Big Men. Before his nonprofit career, he ran his own vegetarian cooking and catering business in New York.
Peter attended Wesleyan University (CT) and College of the Atlantic, receiving a B.A. in Human Ecology from the latter in 1985.
You can read Peter’s fundraising blogs here.
Katherine Jaeger-Thomas
Consulting Services Director
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Katherine Jaeger-Thomas joined the Heller Fundraising Group in January 2023 with 20 years experience supporting organizations to become stronger and more sustainable, so they continue to positively impact their communities for years to come.
As Consulting Services Director, Katherine manages client engagement as well as our exceptional team of collaborating consultants.
She has served in almost every role in the nonprofit field, from founder to trustee to staff to consultant to client, and brings her comprehensive understanding of the sector’s inherent challenges and opportunities to every project she supports.
In 2003, Katherine’s career began with the co-founding and management of her own nonprofit organization, Ripple Productions, dedicated to producing original theater in New York City. The company relocated to Seattle WA in 2006. Katherine is proud of its nearly 20-year history of innovative storytelling.
Between 2005 and 2012, Katherine worked for some of New York’s most notable arts institutions, including The Center for Architecture/American Institute of Architects New York, Atlantic Theater Company and Signature Theatre Company, where she served as the Development Director from 2007 through late 2011.
During her tenure at Signature, Katherine led the $70 Million capital campaign to build its new 75,000 square foot home, the Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center. In addition to raising over 90% of its capital goal in three years, and more than doubling its annual budget during her time there, the company secured an additional $25 Million to subsidize 1 million low cost tickets with The Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. Her development expertise includes: top donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship; naming and recognition agreements; Board and Committee leadership development; VIP campaign event design; and government capital funding partnerships.
In 2012, Katherine launched her nonprofit management and fundraising consultancy, supporting performing arts organizations in New York and New England at critical moments of expansion, including Primary Stages, Dorset Theatre Festival, The Foundry Theatre and The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Certified as a Professional Coach in 2016, Katherine has since served as Business Strategist and Coach to over 100 small business owners in various industries.
Katherine is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Emma Camp
Senior Manager, Client Engagement
and Operations
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Emma serves as the liaison between clients and the Heller Fundraising Group team. Her client-based support work includes prospect research, scheduling, oversight of the contract/subcontract process, and the management of our suite of client campaign dashboards. She also oversees our email marketing, company databases, document drafting/editing, and ongoing administrative and technical support.
Emma is a proud graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts New Studio on Broadway, where she earned a BFA in drama with a concentration in musical theater and a minor in producing. Emma has previously worked as a literary intern for The Atlantic Theater Company, a casting intern at Ulrich, Dawson, Kritzer Casting, a production/teaching assistant at Idyllwild Arts Academy (California's premiere arts boarding school), and as a substitute dance teacher at NYU Tisch.
In addition to her work at the Heller Group, Emma actively pursues her career in the arts, performing Off-Broadway, regionally, and on screen. You can catch her laughing at Lenny Bruce on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel episode 5, season 2 or regularly onstage in NYC at the Irish Repertory Theater.
Jess Domain
Senior Project Manager,
Creative Strategy
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Jess has a degree in International Relations and Public Policy from Florida International University. As the Senior Project Manager, Creative Strategy Jess conceives and translates ideas into actionable strategies for Heller Fundraising Group. She is responsible for media planning, content production and project management. As the webmaster, she focuses on analytics, SEO friendly content and keyword strategy for the company.
Originally from Michigan, Jess has worked with the Donate Life Coalition of Michigan, where she created and co-chaired Alive 2002, an annual benefit concert and auction to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. Growing more popular each year, the event continues to unite NGOs and governmental organizations including the Michigan Department of State, National Kidney Foundation, The Gift Of Life, 35 area hospitals, and many local Detroit businesses.
In addition to her work with nonprofits, Jess is also an accomplished multidisciplinary artist. She has won an ASCAPlus Songwriters Award, performed in Sleep No More, and toured with Aretha Franklin. Most recently Jess performed Off Broadway as the lead actor in her original play, The Culture Of Now.
Adam Rabinovitch
Business Development
Manager
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Adam connects ambitious nonprofits leaders in need of serious fundraising results to our team of consultants.
A passionate nonprofit leader in his own right, Adam still serves as Executive Director of COPE, alongside his part-time Heller Group position. COPE is a nonprofit grief and healing organization dedicated to helping parents and families living with the loss of a child.
Previously he was Executive Director of GOAL - a nonprofit educational program providing children from under-served communities with the resources to help them get the most out of their education.
From 2011 to 2016, Adam was the Deputy Director of Neighbors Link, a nonprofit committed to strengthening the healthy integration of immigrants in local communities.
Adam has more than 25 years of progressive management and supervisory experience with nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as a proven track record in business and organizational development, revenue generation and strategic planning, with emphasis on education, poverty reduction and healthcare in under-served communities.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and lives in Manhattan with his daughter.
Dan Baker
Collaborating Consultant
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Dan Baker's career in advancement, spanning four decades, has focused on major gifts, donor and trustee relations, and management.
As a consultant, Dan integrates a unique blend of strategic planning along with practical skills and creative problem-solving techniques. He believes that excellence in the not-for-profit sector can be found at the intersection of mission, integrity, and performance. To Dan that means that those of us who serve the public good must keep the higher calling of our organizations always in focus; adhere to the highest ethical standards; and do our jobs to the very best of our ability.
At Columbia for more than a decade, Dan was focused on engagement with the University’s top donors. He established the University's donor relations and stewardship program. Before Columbia, Dan was CEO of the Jewish Center for Community Services in Bridgeport, CT. Prior to that, he was executive director of the supporting foundation of the Jewish Home for the Elderly of Fairfield County. A Boston native, Dan graduated from Columbia where he began his career. He returned to Boston to direct the development program of the Boston Ballet and subsequently served at senior levels at two Boston teaching hospitals.
Joseph J. Barretto
Collaborating Consultant
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Joseph is a management strategist with 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. His consulting expertise includes assignments in strategic planning, impact measurement, fundraising campaigns, and board development. He also facilitates strategy, leadership, and fundraising workshops and trainings to nonprofit leaders and boards.
Joseph’s focus on providing nonprofit leaders with the management tools and strategies they need was honed by his experiences in various management roles, including Deputy Director at the New York City Anti-Violence Project, Deputy Executive Director at Hudson Guild, and Executive Director at The DOME Project.
Joseph sits on the Selection Committee for The New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Filipino American Human Services, Inc., and Co-Chair of the National Advisory Board for Public Service at Harvard College. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Nonprofit Specialists and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus.
Kim Catley
Collaborating Consultant
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Kim is a writer, editor and content strategist with more than 15 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit communications. She often uses storytelling to bring university priorities to life. She has contributed to print and digital publications for several institutions, including the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Williams College, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Fordham University.
Prior to her communications consulting practice, Kim was the associate director for print and digital content at VCUarts. She oversaw a team of writers and visual content producers, and implemented a content strategy and process for several key institutional publications, including development case statements, the admissions viewbook, and the annual magazine. Each involved coordination and integration with school and university leadership, faculty, and communications team members.
Before Kim worked at VCUarts, she was a senior writer in the University of Richmond communications office, where she served as the lead writer for the university’s capital campaign. She worked closely with the advancement and communications teams and university administrators to draft case statements for major campus initiatives, as well as institutional materials related to strategic planning and presidential reports.
Kim recently completed her term as president of the board of directors for the nonprofit Project Yoga Richmond. She received her bachelor’s degree in Media Arts and Design from James Madison University.
Seanna Crosley
Collaborating Consultant
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Seanna is a development consultant working with nonprofit organizations to reach their fundraising goals. Seanna has broad philanthropic and fundraising expertise with seventeen years of accomplishments working for nonprofits nationally including La Salle University (2004-2007), The Wharton School (2008-2010), The Michael J. Fox Foundation (2010 – 2013), iMentor (2013-2014), The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love (2014 – 2019) and Make-A-Wish (2019 – 2021). At these organizations, she worked in all fundraising areas including - corporate and foundation partnerships, major gifts, special events, annual fund, grassroots community fundraising, and campaigns.
In her most recent position, Seanna was the Vice President of Development for Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware and Susquehanna Valley where she successfully managed the development and marketing departments and a $4.5 million annual fundraising goal through the global pandemic.
Prior to Make-A-Wish, Seanna was a senior leader of a startup nonprofit, the One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love. One Love is the lead educator of young people on the topic of healthy and unhealthy relationships. In her role, Seanna was a ground floor member of the leadership team that scaled One Love from a team of three to a team of 36 in under four years and was an integral part in scaling the organization nationally. She successfully grew the organization’s fundraising from $1M to $7M in 4 years and supported the launch of three offices across the country including San Francisco, Seattle and Baltimore.
Derry Deringer
Collaborating Consultant
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Derry loves helping nonprofits transform themselves through solid capital campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.
Derry has served over 60 diverse nonprofit and association clients in fundraising and strategic planning. He delivers a tailored blend of facilitation, advisory, and coaching services to help clients exceed their revenue and strategic goals, ranging from successful capital campaigns to securing institutional grants and major gifts.
Derry served as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations (2008-2011) and Director of Major Gifts (2006-2008) for World Food Program USA (WFP USA), a Washington DC-based nonprofit that supports the UN World Food Program (WFP) and other humanitarian assistance and hunger relief organizations around the world. There he helped triple philanthropic revenue in five years to $40 million in revenue.
Derry is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and holds certifications in professional culture facilitation (PCF) and professional coaching (CPCC). Derry received his Bachelor of Arts in Managerial Economics from Hampden-Sydney College (1992). Derry lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children.
Jen Fenwick
Collaborating Consultant
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Jen is a foundation strategist with over 20 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations. She began her career as an educator, researcher, and leader in science museums, and in 2007 shifted her focus to grant writing and fundraising. Since then, Jen raised millions of dollars annually through foundation, corporate, and government grants for organizations by which she has been employed. She has worked with hundreds of program officers, Board members, founders, and executives at grant making organizations across the United States. Jen is based in New York City.
Jen helps organizations understand the nuances and realities of foundation and grants fundraising. Beyond fundraising strategy, she also offers services in development planning, creating organizational infrastructure for fundraising programs, prospect research, staff and Board training, grant writing and budgeting, proposal process management, and funder communications.
Jen has completed successful grant fundraising projects for education, foster care social work, economic development, social science research, journalism, and public television. Her current and past clients include Uplifting Nonprofits, SAE Associates, Fostering Change for Children, the Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation, Knology, League of Young Inventors, Instrumentl, and Associated Universities, Inc. through Heller Fundraising Group.
Jen received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from William Jewell College and studied abroad at Hong Kong Baptist University. She holds a master’s degree in Science Education from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, she completed a Certificate in Design Thinking from IDEO, and completed the Support Center for Nonprofit Management’s interim executive director training program.
Gary Friedmann
Collaborating Consultant
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Gary hired Peter Heller for his first fundraising job at College of the Atlantic 25 years ago and has been a mentor and colleague ever since. Recently, Peter and Gary have been collaborating on several consulting assignments including the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue campaign.
From 2004-2007 Gary was President of his Bangor, Maine Reform congregation, Beth El, and led two capital campaigns for their growth.
Gary has helped dozens of nonprofits raise over $60 million over the last 30 years. In addition to designing and carrying out dynamic fundraising campaigns and writing many cases for support, Gary has trained more than one thousand volunteers and professionals in the theory and practice of successful fundraising in seminars and workshops. He served as Director of Development for College of the Atlantic and Director of Operations for Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Gary lives in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Kim Gerstman
Collaborating Consultant
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Kim has almost 30 years of experience in development. She started consulting in 2015 and her clients have included Lantern Community Services, the Alpha Workshops, Citizens Union, JCCs of North America, and the Interfaith Center of New York. Her expertise includes major gifts, foundation relations, donor communications, online marketing, direct mail, large-scale campaigns, special events programs, and strategic planning.
Prior to consulting, Kim managed small and large development operations in organizations concerned with global health, the arts, scientific research, social justice and social services. She has held senior development positions with long tenures at the Population Council, American Civil Liberties Union, and NARAL Pro-Choice New York. She started her fundraising career at Bailey House and School of American Ballet.
Kim serves as Vice President of the Board of NOW-NYC, on the Board of Advisors to Exhale to Inhale, and on the Community Organizing Committee of East End Temple in New York. She is a member of the professional groups Women in Development and the Association of Non-Profit Professionals. Kim has a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA with a specialization in arts management from Binghamton University.
Bethany Goldszer
Collaborating Consultant
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Bethany Goldszer has over ten years of nonprofit experience, specializing in education, workforce development, and community and economic development. As a coach, facilitator, and mentor, Bethany works with organizational leaders and staff to assess starting points, design and implement growth strategies, and develop a process that yields effective results.
Bethany started her career as an NYC Teaching Fellow, teaching social studies (2005-2008) at Banane Kelly High School. Bethany left teaching to pursue her passion for the nonprofit sector in fundraising and leadership roles, joining Urban Upbound in 2009, as well as Bronx Charter School for Children.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bethany holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Chicago, a Masters of Science in Education from Pace University, and a Masters in Nonprofit Management from The New School. Bethany received the Astoria, Queens Chapter NAACP Trailblazer Award and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, and ABC World News Tonight. Bethany is a former Coro New York Workforce Development Systems Fellow. Bethany lives with her partner Mark and three children in Long Island, NY.
Megan Hodges
Collaborating Consultant
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From her time on the ground broadening access in higher education at Princeton University to expanding the educational landscape for tens of thousands of low-income public school children at DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI) and Success Academy Charter Schools, Megan is motivated by the ability of individuals and organizations to translate mission and vision into impact.
She has driven over $150 million in fundraising revenue in the last 10 years alone, built and managed high-performing teams and led organizational expansion to new states and cities.
Megan spent five years working on the team that provided overarching strategy and day-to-day oversight of Princeton University’s $2 billion Aspire capital campaign and led DREAM’s $25 million Level the Field capital campaign to success, raising a total of $88 million during her tenure.
At Success Academy Charter Schools in NYC she focused on designing strategies aimed at growing the network’s philanthropic revenue from $375 million in 2018 to $1 billion by 2028. This included establishing a leadership giving program to feed the organization’s growing principal gift program.
As a consultant for a broad range of nonprofit clients, Megan is currently focused on major gift fundraising, capital campaigns and steering development offices to success.
Megan attended New York University receiving a B.S. in Media Theory and Communications. She is currently based out of Richmond, VA with her wife and two dogs.
Devon Lawrence
Collaborating Consultant
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For the past ten years, Devon has been working with non-profits big and small, both domestic and international, to advance their capabilities around development operations, fundraising events, project management, and leadership. She focuses on building foundational tools for non-profits to help enhance their fundraising infrastructure and to efficiently and successfully reach their goals. Her clients have praised her ability to be well attuned to the needs, opportunities, and challenges of non-profit organizations and her reliability as a source of guidance on fundraising and organizational development.
Prior to consulting, in 2017 Devon was the Director of Development for the Lowline, leading fundraising strategy and operations for a $100MM capital campaign. From 2010 to 2017, Devon held strategic roles at two of the most formidable fundraising institutions in New York City: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Robin Hood Foundation. At The Met, she led the planning and fundraising for high-end capital campaign events for the Southwest Wing Project, a multi-year $600MM effort to rebuild the contemporary art wing, and also ran the Travel with The Met program representing 30 trips, 600 travelers, and 50+ countries per year. At Robin Hood, she managed the year-end donor solicitation campaigns and increased fiscal year donation fulfillment by 15% over 3 years, ran cultivation events, and improved protocols for processing $80MM in donor funding.
Lisa A. Mantone
Collaborating Consultant
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Lisa is a senior fundraising executive with highly impactful results for Annual and Capital Campaigns as well as a leader in building winning teams to achieve maximum results.
She served as Senior Vice President, Development for The New Jersey Performing Arts Center where she advanced a five-year $175M Capital Campaign, raising more than $116M in two years. Prior to NJPAC, Lisa was a Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement at the New York Philharmonic where she led fundraising and communications teams for annual/endowment support and, with Lincoln Center, the Capital Campaign to renovate David Geffen Hall.
She was also Vice President of Development and Communications for WNET New York Public Media launching a $150M Endowment Campaign during the stations 50th anniversary. For nearly 14 years, she was Director of Development at the Museum of Modern Art, where she oversaw a comprehensive fundraising department and was part of the team that raised over $900M in funds for the Museum’s Capital Campaign. Earlier in her career, Lisa held fundraising positions at the Columbia University and the State University of New York.
Building on this vast knowledge and expertise in fundraising, she focuses on listening to the needs of her clients and creating fundraising plans unique to their organization. By using best practices and focusing on staff resources and capabilities, she works to elevate current fundraising and build for future success. She is a partner with her clients in discovering the opportunities and highlighting the impact of the work being done to better engage existing donors and attract new resources of funding.
She holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Communications from William Paterson University.
Ross Mudrick
Collaborating Consultant
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Ross brings more than a decade of development experience to his work as a writer for nonprofit organizations, including two years as an independent consultant and nearly ten years in-house with organizations where he helped develop messaging to engage constituencies including individual donors, foundations, corporations, governments, volunteers, and voters. He has a Master’s in Public Administration from NYU Wagner, a Bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and hands-on fundraising experience working with organizations that build diverse communities committed to progressive values.
Organizations he has worked with include New York City Economic Development Corporation, Working Narratives, Citizen Engagement Lab, NEO Philanthropy, Coalition for Engaged Education, You Tell Me Stories, P.S. Science, Junior State of America, Seeds of Peace, Presente, Color of Change, 18 Million Rising, CoWorker.org, CultureStrike, The Peace Project, The Opportunity Agenda, The Urban Death Project, Seneca Family of Agencies, and Future Speak.
Gina Schmeling
Collaborating Consultant
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Gina is an experienced fundraising professional with advanced skills in donor engagement and individual giving. She has specific knowledge of Jewish philanthropy, LGBTQ+ equality, youth leadership, climate and sustainability, synagogue and membership campaigns, and social justice projects – including the management of numerous record-breaking campaigns. She also has a deep understanding of data and analytics, marketing and digital communications, as well as major gift cultivation.
Having started her career at NPR affiliates in Chicago and New York (WBEZ, WNYC), Gina then became Director of Membership at the national office of the ACLU. In the last decade, she has focused on the Jewish world, working at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (2020-2022), Hazon (2015-2017), UJA (2019-2020), and as a recent interim staffer at AJC, while managing projects for clients (Congregation Beth Elohim, Institute for Sustainable Communities, Vera Institute of Justice, Healthy Schools Chicago, The Hunger Project, and Public Policy Lab are a few).
For four years, Gina was a co-organizer for the NYC Nonprofit Technology Community of NTEN. She has served on the boards of The New Shul, Hannah Senesh Community Day School, and Eden Village Camp. A Chicagoan living in Brooklyn, she is a distance runner and a member of Prospect Park Track Club. She has degrees from New York University (MA) and Stanford University (BA with Honors), and was a Critical Studies fellow at The Whitney Museum of American Art.
Bruce Temkin
Collaborating Consultant
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With over 20 years of development experience, Bruce has been involved in all aspects of the donor lifecycle. From his first role inspiring young leaders to make their initial philanthropic support to his work with supporters making their ultimate gifts, Bruce’s career in fundraising has run the gamut of individual giving.
Bruce has held senior development roles at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Amnesty International and the New Israel Fund. At the IRC, Bruce led their Planned Giving efforts, supervising a team of five other professionals, and closing multiple 8-figure gifts. He has worked for small nonprofits as well as international organizations with multiple offices spanning continents and double-digit times zones.
Having recently launched his consulting work, Bruce has also consulted with Hillel International, NYC’s LGBT Community Center, Keshet, God’s Love We Deliver and the National Council of Jewish Women.
As a former client of the Heller Fundraising Group when running Amnesty’s National Major Gift Program, Bruce has had the privilege of experiencing Heller Groups’ work from the inside, and is particularly proud to be a new member of their team.
Prior to his work with nonprofits, Bruce was a licensed tour guide in Israel, a travel writer, company member with the Israel Ballet and served as a battle medic for the Israel Defense Forces.
Mieke Vandersall
Collaborating Consultant
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With over 15 years of executive leadership experience in the religious nonprofit arena, Mieke guides people and institutions to remove barriers in order to live into their dreams. She is a detail-oriented project manager and brings extensive development, fundraising, administrative, and supervisory knowledge, having successfuly begun multiple programs and organizations. She has been consulting with organizations and congregations since 2014. Clients include the Leo Baeck Institute, the Synod of the Northeast of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), St. Lydia’s Dinner Church, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, and Astoria First Presbyterian Church.
In addition, Mieke coaches nonprofits, congregations and religious leaders as they work to fund their ministries; this work comes out of a deep knowledge of the particular exhilaration and stress of working for long-term structural change and beginning and sustaining programs.
She is also currently the Founding Pastor of Not So Churchy, a progressive, arts-based community which meets several times a month. This community has received attention in the New York Times and Presbyterians Today as an emerging community reaching those previously hurt by or uninterested in the church. Mieke provides pastoral care, organization, and vision for this community.
Prior to her consulting work she was the Executive Director of Parity, where she founded a program for LGBTQ Future Pastors. This post spanned from 2003-2014. Mieke and the Future Pastors Program are featured in the forthcoming documentary film, Out of Order. Before serving Parity, she was the Executive Director of Voices of Sophia while attending Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.
