Third Sector Consulting

Find More Funders
Win More Grants
Raise More Money

Founder & Principal

Laura Rhodes, CFRE
Nonprofit Consultant | Speaker & Trainer
"HI, I'M LAURA! And I want to help you find more funders, win more grants and raise more money for your nonprofit. Are you ready?"

Laura Rhodes is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and fundraising trainer who has 20+ years of experience working with – and for – nonprofits.

Laura started her nonprofit career in development and communications. She later served as an interim executive director. As a volunteer, Laura has been a board member, board chair, marketing committee chair and resource development committee chair. And prior to starting her consulting business, Laura was a regional program officer with the American Express Foundation, which awarded $30 million to nonprofits each year.

Having been both a grantmaker and a fundraiser, Laura uses her unique perspective to help nonprofits find more funders, win more grants and raise more money for their cause.

Laura has helped nonprofits raise millions of dollars from grants, events, direct mail and workplace giving campaigns. She also provides prospect research and grant writing support for organizations that want to write their own grants.

She is a popular nonprofit conference speaker and leads workshops and trainings for nonprofit staff and boards across the U.S.

Certifications & Professional Affiliations

 

What nonprofits say about Laura...

I can't tell you how much your classes have taught me and how valuable they are going to be to our Chamber! Whipping our board into shape is the first item on our list and we wouldn't be able to do that in an effective way if it wasn't for you!

Keri Driggers, Membership Director, Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce

It is so time consuming to research grants, and having Laura put together a full report on each prospect was extremely valuable to our organization. We also appreciate Laura's expert advice and suggestions on grant proposals that we have submitted.

Neelie Burman, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gallatin County

I have already benefited from the practical advice that Laura gave in a grant writing workshop. I emailed a foundation officer to ask a few questions and when she called me back, she gave me a few tips to make our request more likely to be successful!

Sarah DeOpsomer, Development and Programs Manager, Bozeman Public Library Foundation

The prospect report Laura prepared for us is very well organized and has been highly researched. As a small nonprofit, this would have taken us many months to put together. Laura got this to us within two weeks with more information than we asked for or expected.

Angela Van Slyke, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gallatin County

Featured Blog Post

"Let's Talk Nonprofit" is a blog by Third Sector Consulting that addresses common questions that nonprofits have. Ready? Great! Let's Talk Nonprofit.

5 Little Things That Will Make a Big Difference in Your Next Fundraising Appeal
Here's a little fundraising inspiration from the football field. Bear Bryant, legendary coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, once said, "Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things." That's true for your fundraising appeal, too. Yes, there are best practices in letter writing - those are the big things. This post shares 5 simple "little things" you can do to make your next fundraising letter stand out. (read more)