Theresa Nelson & Associates specializes in fund development, campaigns, board development and governance, and strategic planning for nonprofit organizations and public agencies, and Founder and Principal Theresa Nelson, MBA, CFRE, has more than 35 years of experience. Theresa has served as a consultant since 1998, for a diverse group of organizations, including: the California Academy of Sciences; Earthjustice; Asian Art Museum; University of California, Berkeley; Save the Bay; The Marine Mammal Center; St. Paul’s Episcopal School; NatureBridge; Bay Area Discovery Museum; Pacific School of Religion; Homeless Prenatal Program; the Center for Elders’ Independence; Summer Search; EAH Housing; and the San Francisco Ballet. Earlier in her career she served as a campaign director, director of development, and executive director of various nonprofits. She also taught nonprofit management at U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and in the University of San Francisco’s Master of Nonprofit Administration program.
Theresa serves as President of the Board of Directors of Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, and as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Humanities West. She is past Chair and Board Member of the Rockridge Community Planning Council, chaired the recent $3.0 million campaign for a new community park (Frog Park), and served 10 years as a Commissioner on the City of Oakland’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. She holds an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Marketing.
Philosophy/Approach: We offer a customized and integrated approach to consulting, responding to the unique profile of your organization and your priorities, and bringing together a range of services and capacities to fit those specific needs, and drawing on our knowledge of the local philanthropic environment and national trends. Our focus is always on creating long-term value for everyone involved in the organization: donors, volunteer leadership, and staff. As governance is key to a healthy board, we seek to work closely with your Board, volunteers, and staff in a collaborative way which respects the varied capacities and approaches of all those involved. Based on our more than 35 years of experience in a wide variety of organizations, and through a flexible approach with clients, we develop strategies to broaden organizations’ support beyond their core funding base, diversify their sources of revenue, and build effective boards of directors.
Types of clients: Private foundations, Small to mid-size nonprofits, Major nonprofits, Universities
Specialization: Our experience spans a wide range of organizations as clients, including K-12 education (charter and independent schools), museums, human services, higher education, public policy, advocacy, the environment, performing arts, health care, and scientific research. In the fund development area, we offer interim leadership, campaign feasibility studies and campaign management, development assessments, and advising on executive search, interim staffing, and specialized vendors. Working with Boards, we offer general coaching on governance and advising on how to implement sound policies and practices, retreat facilitation, and we also coach boards on how to raise funds and partner effectively with staff. For organizations seeking to develop workable, specific strategic plans, we offer a range of activities to create new plans or update and refresh existing ones.
"Theresa was the Interim Director of Development at the California Academy of Sciences while I was the Director of Leadership and Planned Gifts. Together, we completed the final $27 million of the $500M Campaign for the new Academy. Theresa helped us honor several prominent trustees who retired and also led the building of staff portfolios. She was an excellent advocate for staff, volunteers, and donors. Theresa excels at leading organizations during times of transition. Our paths crossed again when she was the Interim Director of Director at the UC Berkeley Library prior to my assuming the permanent role. She established and implemented a development plan that enabled me to step into the position with a foundation for success. Theresa's skill and leadership have made an important impact on my career and I highly recommend her for interim leadership positions, and development and campaign counsel."