Our network of skilled colleagues provides expertise in fundraising messaging and case development, prospect research, board development, and event management. Together, we are all focused on helping you and your development team meet — and exceed — your goal
Click the photographs below to learn more about our team members.
ETHICS:
We subscribe to the Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and support the Donor Bill of Rights.
© Focus Fundraising, LLC
Nadine Gabai-Botero, CFRE
President
Nadine specializes in annual and campaign fundraising, board development, and major gift solicitations, and excels at guiding nonprofits seeking to expand their revenue and donor base. She has a proven record in securing individual major gifts, national and regional support, and at developing innovative ways to improve donor engagement to achieve results. Nadine has 25 years of experience in fundraising, and has been working as a consultant to nonprofits since 2009.
Before establishing Focus Fundraising, Nadine served for eight years on the senior management team of CulturalDC, an organization that partners with real estate developers and arts organizations to drive community development. There, she directed annual fundraising and led two capital campaigns. Prior to that role, Nadine managed marketing and branding projects at Iconixx, a web development firm, and was a program director at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Nadine is a Certified Fundraising Executive and is a past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, DC Chapter. She is currently the Secretary of the Board and Development Committee chair of the Catalogue for Philanthropy in DC and is also a member of Somos el Poder, a national Latinx fundraising institute. Originally from Lima, Peru, she brings her diverse background and perspective to all client engagements. Nadine has an M.A. from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of Florida and is fluent in Spanish. She lives in Bethesda, MD and she and her husband have two sons.
JoAnne Scribner
Sr. Consultant
JoAnne has been a development professional and nonprofit leader for over 20 years. She has helped large and small nonprofits alike raise millions of dollars through annual fund and capital campaigns, gala and event fundraising, anniversary celebrations, corporate and foundation donations, major gifts programs, multi-channel fundraising, and planned giving. JoAnne has helped build and scale programs and teams—creating and improving operations and systems in the process. With a broad background in fundraising, operations, communications, community building, and governance, JoAnne matches bold, big-picture thinking and a detail-oriented systems approach to success.
JoAnne has supported several national and international research and advocacy nonprofits focusing on police reform and redesigning public safety systems, sexual health and reproductive rights, climate change, sustainable development, and criminal justice reform. She also has a long history of supporting education and community-building–whether that’s in support of women in energy and environmental fields, women entrepreneurs, youth social justice entrepreneurs, schools, or underserved youth. Prior to joining Focus, JoAnne served as COO and Associate Head of School for Advancement for The Field School in Washington, DC. She also served as Vice President of Springboard Enterprises and Deputy Executive Director for the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment.
Leila Fitzpatrick
Focus Consultant
& Donor Communications Specialist
Leila specializes in writing smart, savvy fundraising collateral. A skilled writer, ruthless editor and strategic communicator, she works with organizations to craft donor communications that will motivate existing donors and attract new ones.
In her role at Focus, Leila leads the writing process for cases for support, strategic messaging, annual reports, and campaign messaging. She’s an accomplished writer with a proven track record creating fundraising materials that have successfully raised funds from individuals, private foundations, corporations, and local and federal government agencies.
Before becoming an independent consultant, Leila worked in nonprofit management and arts administration. She has extensive expertise in institutional advancement, from strategic program development to effective fundraising, budgeting and financial management. During 14 years at CulturalDC, Leila’s portfolio ranged from oversight of internal operations as Deputy Director to program management and directing arts-focused real estate development projects.
Leila has served on the Board of Directors for Innovation Network and Atlas Performing Arts Center. She graduated from Bowdoin College and lives in Washington, DC with her husband, twin daughters and Golden Retriever.
Isabelle Blanco
Sr. Prospect Researcher
Isabelle provides research services to Focus clients seeking new sources of support and details on their current donors’ giving interests and goals. Isabelle has extensive experience in the research field and is adept with numerous databases including Donor Search and Candid’s Foundation Directory Online, among others.
Prior to her work as a research consultant, Isabelle served as The Foundation Center’s Assistant Librarian for nearly three years, where she provided services and trained clients on research tools and techniques. Before that, Isabelle worked with the Philanthropic Initiative for Social Justice as an editor of their yearly report on the state of Racial Equity Issues in grantmaking organizations; and for the Paul G. Allen Foundation investigating program opportunities in Solar micro-grids in East Africa. Isabelle also worked for USAID, the United Nations, Catholic Relief Services and Care International working in refugee camps and famine assistance programs in Africa and Asia. Born in Havana, Cuba, Isabelle holds an M.A. in International Affairs and Development from Webster University, Geneva, Switzerland and a B.A. in History and African Studies from Kalamazoo College. She is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish.
Jennifer Letowt
Prospect Researcher
Jennifer Letowt has spent over 25 years in the development research field. She has extensive experience identifying prospects and opportunities, preparing detailed biographical, financial, and philanthropic profiles, and training and mentoring staff.
Jennifer has been a consultant for the past 12 years, helping clients identify and qualify donors. Previously, she was the head of development research at The Johns Hopkins University, The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and Capital Caring, a hospice serving the Washington, DC metro area. All of these roles have taught her how to align research efforts with an organization’s fundraising goals.
A graduate of Goucher College and Johns Hopkins University, she is a past board member and Chair of the Green Hedges School, an independent school located in Vienna, VA. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and APRA, the international prospect research organization.
Rachel Lesher
Prospect Researcher
Rachel is a prospect researcher with over nine years of experience creating in-depth and dynamic research for universities, nonprofits, consulting groups and other institutions. A skilled writer and detailed researcher, she works with organizations to provide research profiles, screenings, and donor insight and strategy to maximize institutions’ engagement with and cultivation and stewardship of their donors. In her role at Focus, Rachel provides research services to Focus clients seeking new sources of support and details on their current donors’ giving interests and goals.
Before becoming an independent consultant, Rachel worked at Duke University as a prospect researcher in their Office of Development. Prior to her career in prospect research, she worked in the fields of public policy analysis and education. A graduate of Messiah College and Palmer Theological Seminary, she lives with her husband and two young children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Amber Haywood
Grant Writer & Development Specialist
Amber is an experienced fundraiser and storyteller passionate about building a global beloved community. Prior to her career as a development professional, Amber served as a community organizer working to establish permanently affordable housing in Birmingham, Alabama. After realizing that even the most equitable, data-driven solutions required funding, she decided that connecting donor passion with nonprofit missions would be her contribution to her community.
Utilizing her expertise in corporate/foundation partnerships, individual giving, and federal funding, Amber has helped a host of equity-focused organizations build the capacity they need to do transformative work. Amber is CEO at Fundraise Inc., a consulting firm that empowers nonprofits to achieve extraordinary fundraising results. Before that, she served as Head of Development for Alabama Arise, a statewide, member-led organization advancing public policies to improve the lives of Alabamians who are marginalized by poverty.
Amber holds a bachelor’s in Communication Studies and African American Studies from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Jackie Indek Beres
Grant Writer & Development Specialist
Jackie is an accomplished non-profit professional with over 15 years of success in relationship-based fundraising for nationally recognized foreign policy, public affairs and health and human service organizations. She is a skilled professional with extensive experience in bringing in revenue streams of $1M+ to nonprofits through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-net-worth individuals, corporate sponsorships, grants and special events, and has a talent for providing excellent customer service to a wide range of key stakeholders and executive leadership.
Jackie began her development career in Atlanta as the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. To pursue her passion for policy and advocacy, she moved to Washington, DC and became a development officer for the Brookings Institution, helping to manage a $21M annual revenue goal in the Foreign Policy Program.
As the Development Director for organizations such as the American Society of International Law and the Southeast Regional office of the Anti-Defamation League, Jackie succeeded in creating a culture of philanthropy by advising staff and senior leadership on how best to identify and move major donors through the giving cycle, leveraging data to encourage philanthropic investment, and researching potential donors’ ability and willingness to donate.
Most recently, she was the Senior Director of Major Gifts and Individual Giving for Make-A-Wish Georgia, spearheading strategies for year-end and mid-year giving campaign development.
Jackie graduated with a B.A. from the University of Georgia and resides in Atlanta with her husband and their elementary aged son.
Laura Johnson
Marketing Assistant
Laura Johnson is a freelance writer, digital marketer, and social media strategist. Though originally from Minneapolis, she’s called New York City home for the past 15 years. Laura is a contributing writer for publications like Emerging and Tasting Table and has overseen digital marketing and social media strategies for small and start-up women-lead brands.
Laura is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.