Our greatest asset is the collective knowledge, passion, and experience of our team members who excel in coming together to determine the optimum strategy to allow our clients to succeed. Like putting together the pieces of a puzzle—each piece is critical but the real value lies in understanding how to make them fit to create the successful strategy.
As seasoned consultants, we are flexible, creative and seek both intuitive and proven solutions. Our goal is to further your mission through innovative thinking, strategic insight and hands-on hard work. We thrive on tough challenges, those no cookie cutter solution can solve.
Our team approach to serving organizations means we’re able to select the right group of professionals with the right balance of knowledge, skills and experience to meet your needs.
Our aim is to leave your organization stronger as a result of our involvement.
Meet the team achieving results for your organization.
ELENA BRANDT
Founder and Principal
Elena is a relationship-building maven. Her natural ability to nurture authentic relationships and facilitate meaningful connections with clients, colleagues and her community at large has been a guiding force throughout her rewarding 30+ year career in philanthropy.
As founder and principal of Brandt Associates, established in 1995, Elena has passionately directed philanthropy, volunteer leadership, capital campaigns, major gifts and annual giving programs for clients throughout northern New England and internationally.
MICHAEL BARNDOLLAR
Senior Philanthropy Strategist
Michael is a passionate advocate for the nonprofit sector. He has dedicated his career to working with nonprofits to impact, change, or save lives, and help build sustainable, thriving organizations. He has 40 years of experience creating, implementing, and managing every aspect of fundraising, from annual fund appeals to planned giving programs.
Michael has special expertise in capacity-building analysis and strategy development, capital campaign feasibility studies, planning and management, development program audits, and board/staff fundraising training.
SUE-ELLEN ROPER MCCLAIN
Marketing, Communications and Digital Media Director
Sue-Ellen is owner and principal of McClain Marketing Group, a leading marketing communications firm in Portland specializing in developing and executing integrated marketing strategies.
A seasoned marketing veteran, Sue-Ellen launched the agency in 2001 and grew it to become one of the leading firms in Northern New England. Today, the firm provides integrated marketing communications strategies to Maine-based clients as well as national clients in both the non-profit and for profit sectors.
BILL BAYREUTHER, CFRE
Grants Counsel
Bill helps clients achieve their missions by working with nonprofit organizations to develop and implement comprehensive grant seeking programs that fund projects and yield increased and sustainable support, and by assisting businesses in securing capital funding.
He assists with operating, project, capacity building, and capital fund raising strategy; foundation, government, and corporate relations; institutional donor prospecting, cultivation, and stewardship; grant seeking and reporting; and coalition fund raising.
KAREN STIMPSON
Grants Counsel
Karen brings to grant writing 27 years as a professional writer and Executive Director of three non-profits. She has written over 700 grant proposals which have yielded millions of dollars. She has enjoyed an 87% award success rate, which she attributes to her careful grant research, pithy writing style, and relationship building with grantors.
A full-time grant researcher/writer now, Karen works with Brandt Associates serving a wide variety of clients representing conservation, responsible recreation, Native American culture, historical preservation, social services, and wildlife rehabilitation.
ERIC HOWARD
Organizational Development and Strategic Partnerships Counsel
Eric provides advisory services to non-profits, with a focus on strategic planning and collaborations with like-minded organizations and individuals. He guides the development of dynamic partnerships, integrating them into existing and new programs and advocacy/policy initiatives that will have a positive impact on communities.
Eric has worked with local, state, and national organizations as a grant writer and grant reviewer, helping secure or award many millions of dollars for programs in sustainability, global health, advanced manufacturing, nanotechnology, information access, and economic development.
KARI SIDES SUVA
Organizational Development and Leadership Counsel
Kari draws on her 30+ year career in the non-profit sector as a healthcare executive, civic leader, and NGO manager during which she gained broad-based management skills in operations, strategic planning, marketing and project management. A certified coach, she has mentored and advised both seasoned and emerging leaders.
Kari believes that grassroots, visionary organizations have tremendous potential to help alleviate poverty around the world. She has provided services to organizations working in China, Nepal, Cambodia, Haiti, Tanzania and Malawi in addition to domestic clients.
JENNIFER BROOKS
Corporate Sponsorship, Events and Media Relations
Jen provides a full range of corporate sponsorship strategy development and implementation, event planning, management and execution, and public relations services to assist nonprofits.
She has worked collaboratively with Brandt Associates for the past five years in helping clients with event planning and management, designing successful corporate sponsorship plans, managing media relations and press conferences, and leveraging her social media skills to help nonprofits share their story.
With its comprehensive array of services, Brandt Associates has a solid track record of providing organizations with fundraising counsel for annual funds, major giving and large capital campaigns, planned giving, campaign planning, assessment and management, as well as wealth screening, prospect research and grant writing solutions.
It’s all about mission. Sustainable and impactful organizations are first about mission, and to do that, they need to invest in their people and systems.
Brandt Associates can serve as an extension of your team to develop new leadership skills, guide strategic thinking, identify gaps and blind spots, improve operations, and advance outcomes and impact, all with an eye toward improving the long-term health of your organization.
A well-crafted communications plan is a key ingredient to any successful fundraising campaign, including face-to-face and remote solicitations. People give to people.
Consistent, compelling marketing will enhance relationships with donors, increase their engagement, inspire them to give and tell others about an organization’s mission.