Hello and welcome.
I'm a Twin-Cities based development consultant with 30 years' experience helping nonprofit organizations strategize and grow. I work with executive directors, staff, and board members to develop strategy, raise funds, and build new programs and partnerships that support fundraising and organizational growth.
Below you'll find testimonials from some of the great people I've worked with over the years. This site also includes information on a few sample projects I've been fortunate to lead, and a list of all the great organizations I've had a wonderful time collaborating with.
Below you'll find testimonials from some of the great people I've worked with over the years. This site also includes information on a few sample projects I've been fortunate to lead, and a list of all the great organizations I've had a wonderful time collaborating with.
Client Testimonials
I enjoyed working with Margaret at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, Inc. while she served as Development & Grants Manager. In her leadership portfolio, she generated big impact by securing much needed resources ($5M+) to for the organization through her compelling grant writing and community partnership cultivation and stewardship. She is a strategic and creative thinker, detail oriented, persistent, has significant industry knowledge, is always on the lookout for new approaches and opportunities and is an A+ project manager. She also writes effective and compelling copy for donor communications. She possesses all the qualities you want in a star development consultant: proactive listener, collaborative, supportive, accountable, easy to connect with, hardworking, dedicated and deeply cares about the common good. Most of all, Margaret brings results!
Penny Schumacher, Advancement Officer, NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, Inc.
Margaret is a strategic thinker, excellent writer, and proactive and skilled facilitator. Her work at Dunwoody College has covered a broad range of subject areas, from equity issues to workforce development, STEM learning, and faculty professional development. Margaret has formed critical partnerships with faculty members, business and finance officials, college leadership, and external organizations; her work has ranged from preparation of large federal grant proposals to development of strategies for successful fundraising requests to both individuals and organizations.
Stuart Lang, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Dunwoody College of Technology
Margaret has helped build the grantseeking capacity of our staff by working hard to understand our organization, evaluating and communicating about potential funders, and creating a calendar and processes for us to manage our grantseeking work. She has strong detail and organizational skills and is a patient and insightful guide and coach.
Jean Lubke, Executive Director, Equity Alliance MN
Margaret is the consummate professional - creative, timely, and a top-notch grant writer. She was able to take our project and run with it, and produced a final product well before our deadline. We would recommend her unequivocally to other agencies and organizations.
Beckie Skelton, Community Development Director, Minneapolis Jewish Federation
Margaret immerses herself in the issues clients face and then presents those issues and the solutions to them with the perfect mix of head and heart. She’s a quick study, perceptive, tenacious in her pursuit of clarity, and a joy to work with.
Beth Schoeppler, Principal, Beth Schoeppler Consulting
Margaret has a remarkable talent for organizing, synthesizing and articulating complex, multi-dimensional initiatives. She is a gifted writer who gathered our dreams and visions and crafted them into compelling prose. She is a creative problem solver, thinks well on her feet and has a fun and easy style. I recommend her work with my highest endorsement.
Catherine Jordan, Executive Director, AchieveMpls
Margaret taught a grant writing workshop for the Minnesota Department of Health attended by 40+ public health and community resource professionals that was very well received. Those present gave her high marks for meeting workshop goals. I was impressed with her extensive knowledge of the subject area and presentation skills. I would definitely recommend her for others seeking this service.
Mary Bochek, Program Coordinator, MN Department of Health
I've had the pleasure of working with Margaret during the start up phase of a new theater company. While she was hired as a contract grant writer, she quickly became a valuable member of our team, providing clear, concise analysis of complicated issues, writing successful grant proposals, planning development strategy and most recently leading an extremely successful initiative for Give To The Max Day. Margaret cares enough to ask the tough questions and knows enough to help us find the answers. Straightforward, smart, patient and insightful, Margaret has been a key asset to our company.
Randy Nordquist, Board President, The Moving Company
Margaret's strength lies in her ability to take the passion we have for the work we do and put it into words that make it come alive to potential funders. The template that she developed for us was exactly what we asked for. She made the whole process of applying for grant funding painless.
Carolyn Strnad, Executive Director, MN Parent Leadership Network
I worked with Margaret on a large-scale grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Education, as well as on behalf of our little theater company, I'm Telling Productions. Margaret listened carefully to our ideas and found a way for our voices to come through in her writing. She was timely and encouraging and left us with writing that we will adapt for future projects.
Maria Asp, Children’s Theatre Company
Margaret brought fresh new language into our proposals. She had intuitive understanding of the spirit of our projects and was able to articulate the personality of our organization with energy and creativity.
Melinda Hobbs Childs, Program Director, Forecast Public Art
Penny Schumacher, Advancement Officer, NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, Inc.
Margaret is a strategic thinker, excellent writer, and proactive and skilled facilitator. Her work at Dunwoody College has covered a broad range of subject areas, from equity issues to workforce development, STEM learning, and faculty professional development. Margaret has formed critical partnerships with faculty members, business and finance officials, college leadership, and external organizations; her work has ranged from preparation of large federal grant proposals to development of strategies for successful fundraising requests to both individuals and organizations.
Stuart Lang, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Dunwoody College of Technology
Margaret has helped build the grantseeking capacity of our staff by working hard to understand our organization, evaluating and communicating about potential funders, and creating a calendar and processes for us to manage our grantseeking work. She has strong detail and organizational skills and is a patient and insightful guide and coach.
Jean Lubke, Executive Director, Equity Alliance MN
Margaret is the consummate professional - creative, timely, and a top-notch grant writer. She was able to take our project and run with it, and produced a final product well before our deadline. We would recommend her unequivocally to other agencies and organizations.
Beckie Skelton, Community Development Director, Minneapolis Jewish Federation
Margaret immerses herself in the issues clients face and then presents those issues and the solutions to them with the perfect mix of head and heart. She’s a quick study, perceptive, tenacious in her pursuit of clarity, and a joy to work with.
Beth Schoeppler, Principal, Beth Schoeppler Consulting
Margaret has a remarkable talent for organizing, synthesizing and articulating complex, multi-dimensional initiatives. She is a gifted writer who gathered our dreams and visions and crafted them into compelling prose. She is a creative problem solver, thinks well on her feet and has a fun and easy style. I recommend her work with my highest endorsement.
Catherine Jordan, Executive Director, AchieveMpls
Margaret taught a grant writing workshop for the Minnesota Department of Health attended by 40+ public health and community resource professionals that was very well received. Those present gave her high marks for meeting workshop goals. I was impressed with her extensive knowledge of the subject area and presentation skills. I would definitely recommend her for others seeking this service.
Mary Bochek, Program Coordinator, MN Department of Health
I've had the pleasure of working with Margaret during the start up phase of a new theater company. While she was hired as a contract grant writer, she quickly became a valuable member of our team, providing clear, concise analysis of complicated issues, writing successful grant proposals, planning development strategy and most recently leading an extremely successful initiative for Give To The Max Day. Margaret cares enough to ask the tough questions and knows enough to help us find the answers. Straightforward, smart, patient and insightful, Margaret has been a key asset to our company.
Randy Nordquist, Board President, The Moving Company
Margaret's strength lies in her ability to take the passion we have for the work we do and put it into words that make it come alive to potential funders. The template that she developed for us was exactly what we asked for. She made the whole process of applying for grant funding painless.
Carolyn Strnad, Executive Director, MN Parent Leadership Network
I worked with Margaret on a large-scale grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Education, as well as on behalf of our little theater company, I'm Telling Productions. Margaret listened carefully to our ideas and found a way for our voices to come through in her writing. She was timely and encouraging and left us with writing that we will adapt for future projects.
Maria Asp, Children’s Theatre Company
Margaret brought fresh new language into our proposals. She had intuitive understanding of the spirit of our projects and was able to articulate the personality of our organization with energy and creativity.
Melinda Hobbs Childs, Program Director, Forecast Public Art