About Us
.png)
Meet the Team
Alison L. Finstad, MPA, CFRE
Founder and Principal
Alison brings more than 25 years of nonprofit experience, having played key fundraising roles in both local and international organizations. Alison holds a Master’s in Public Administration, a certificate in Marketing from the Simon School of Business, a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from the University of Rochester, and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive. She has served as a board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Genesee Valley Chapter and The Margaret Home. Currently, she provides board leadership to The Salvation Army of Greater Rochester. She lives in Penfield, NY with her husband and two kids, and enjoys training for triathlons.
Olivia Williams
Executive Assistant
Olivia supports Benezet Advisors’ clients in a variety of ways including administration, IT, and marketing. She received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Francis Marion University and has a background in IT in the finance industry. Olivia thrives when serving others and is inspired to make a difference in the world through supporting a diverse array of nonprofits. She lives in Hemingway, SC with her husband and two sons and loves the beach.
Strategic Partners
The Benezet Advisors team also includes the trusted colleagues below who excel in their fields and provide project-based assistance as needed.
Henderberg Business Solutions
Henderberg Business Solutions specializes in helping leadership teams get organized by transforming chaos into clarity through hands-on workflow optimization and detailed process documentation. With decades of experience and a proven framework, Jason guides nonprofit teams in building practical systems that reduce overwhelm, boost staff efficiency, and align day-to-day operations with their mission.
Impact Ink
Impact Ink is where storytelling meets funding strategy. With nearly a decade of experience in grant writing and nonprofit development, Emily Carpenter helps nonprofits and mission-driven businesses get funded and get heard through sharp grant writing, smart management, and copy that connects. Whether you need someone to tackle an upcoming deadline or want to build capacity to manage your next 10 grants, Emily makes the process easier and more effective.
Livingston Associates
Livingston Associates partners with organizations to provide a variety of operational solutions that help our clients reach their full potential. Focus on what YOU do best; let us handle the rest.
Red Panda Advisors
Red Panda Advisors aims to demystify major gift fundraising, empowering organizations to build and maximize a major donor portfolio of their own. Red Panda Advisors is an organization of consultants leading with agility, creativity, and loyalty—attributes for which the red panda is known.
Spark Content
Krista has built a career in the trenches of nonprofit management and small business entrepreneurship, cultivating the growth of fundraising and marketing initiatives for more than a decade. Her mission-minded approach to fundraising, paired with her data-driven outlook on impact, brings the perfect balance of head and heart to solicitations, appeals, and fundraising storytelling.
Inspiration and Progenitor
Anthony Benezet is Alison Finstad's eight-times-great-granduncle. Benezet was a French Quaker who lived in Philadelphia in the 1700s. He was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin and worked ceaselessly toward the abolition of slavery and education of people of color. He is also considered the "Father of Philanthropy" in recognition of his boldness in asking presidents and royalty around the world for financial help to free slaves. Alison is proud and humbled to name Benezet Advisors after this exemplary ancestor.
​
Oprah Magazine mentions Anthony Benezet: Little-Known Black History Facts You May Not Have Learned In School.