Jeannette Archer-Simons, CFRE - Management and Fund Raising Consultant is an expert in organizational assessment and planning, growth and change strategy, fund raising planning and implementation and nonprofit leadership. She raised over 50 million dollars during her nonprofit career. She has developed and implemented successful strategy to address fund raising, Board, transitional, and start up issues for numerous nonprofit and for profit organizations. She has served as a Preferred Consultant for the Nonprofit Resource Network at Millersville University and for Third Sector New England.
She has served as CEO of three large youth organizations and a homeless/housing organization. During her tenure the organizations achieved significant growth in volunteer involvement, membership growth in diverse communities, and sustained funding growth across multiple funding streams. In addition, she led organizational and staff development strategy to build strong boards and leadership teams that were recognized in each community served. In 2008 she launched her consulting practice and has provided strategic planning, fund raising and organizational development support to a variety of organizations ranging from the foundations, senior centers, crisis management, mental health and victim’s services organizations, education institutions, municipal agencies and emergency services organizations. She has provided fund raising, communications/advocacy strategy and board development workshops for thousands of participants of organizations including; Leadership Harrisburg, the Association for Fund Raising Professionals, University of Pittsburgh Child Welfare Training Program, Penn State University, the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Association of Girl Scout Executive Staff and CASE. She also has held multiple roles serving as an interim Executive Director and teaches college business courses for Central Penn College.
Prior to her nonprofit leadership, she has worked in the for-profit sector and has experience in financial and estate planning, insurance and in advertising and marketing. She has a Bachelors Degree in Economics from the University of Iowa and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from St. Ambrose University. She is currently writing her dissertation for a PhD. in Higher Education and Leadership. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). She also has certificates in Executive Education in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University, Mandel Center and has completed the Management Training Institute from Yale University and Conflict Resolution Training from Nova Southeastern University. She is a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University.
She has served in numerous community leadership positions from Board Chair/President to various officer, board and committee positions. Some of the executive leadership positions include the boards of Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley and Family Support Alliance (Pennsylvania), Supportive Housing Works, Opening Doors Fairfield County and Emergency Shelter Food Program (Connecticut) Junior League (Connecticut and Florida), Association of Fund Raising Professionals (Connecticut and Florida), Women’s Campaign School at Yale, Broward Women’s Alliance, United Way of Broward County (Florida) and the Capital Area (Connecticut), She is a graduate and member of Leadership America, a national women’s executive leadership program. She has been recognized with a Frances Hesselbein Scholarship award, as a Woman of Influence by the Central Penn Business Journal, Woman of Distinction by the March of Dimes and as a Woman of Note, by the New Haven Business Times. She is also the recipient of the highest national awards in Girl Scouting, the Thanks Badge (1992) and the Thanks Badge II (2007)
She is also a national speaker and trainer, having presented at meetings such as the National Sheriff’s Association, the National Parole and Probation Officer’s Conference, Big Brother, Big Sister Conference, and Association of Fund Raising Professional’s. She also is a contributing writer and trainer for Charity Channel a nonprofit web resource.
Browse Articles by Jeannette Archer-Simons
Developing the GREAT Grant Writer
The title of grant writer does so little to describe the potential role that this person can play in an organization. Because grant writers can be pivotal to an organization’s success, having a plan to develop good grant writers into great grant writers can only enhance an organization’s results. Writing Style and Quality Writing is…
Stone Soup for the Grant Writer (or Resource Ideas When the Cupboard is Bare)
Many of us have heard the story about the hungry soldier who walks into a town when resources are slim. He puts a stone in a pot of water and starts to inspire the community to bring a little flavor to the pot—some carrots and turnips, some meat bones, a few potatoes, some salt, until…
Five Mid-Year Resolutions for Your Grant Development Department
As we approach mid-year, it is time to ask ourselves a question. Are we doing all we can to have a better fund raising year? The year 2011 might offer the same for nonprofits as 2010. Of course, it could offer more funding possibilities. Whatever the changes are in store for the funding community, to…
Engaging the Board
One of the challenges that nonprofit leaders and fund development professionals face is how to engage the board in meaningful and productive work on behalf of the organization. Engaging the board can be achieved in four basic steps. Ignite the boards passion for the mission. Every meeting should have a mission moment where the impact…
Looking Beyond the Usual Places for Funding
Habits are hard to break. Thus, it is not surprising that we often go back to the same comfortable sources for funding because we can count on them for support. While having great relationships with funding partners is good, always asking for help from the same friends can wear out the relationship. So now is…
Nagging Mom or Bragging Coach - Winning Ways to Build a Grant Reporting Team
Do you ever feel like a nagging mother when you are trying to get a grant report done? While staff members love to have the funding, they often hate the reporting requirements. Much like children avoiding homework, staff can try everything possible to procrastinate and not provide the information you need to do your job. So here…
