Testimonials
"We have been working with Alison and her team on board development and tear-end donations and will soon be starting our strategic planning process. Our experience has been nothing but positive and we have total faith in their ability to assist us with becoming a stronger, healthy and sustainable organization! Highly recommend them!"
Sue Kirby | Executive Director | Brightstar Community | Rochester, NY
"Benezet Advisors' work on The Margaret Home's goals of board development and fundraising has made a significant difference to our non-profit. With Benezet Advisors' guidance we have improved our board, increased our engagement with donors and had a successful year end campaign. Alison is honest, competent and professional. Her integrity and professional acumen are attributes that place her above others in her field. We trust her with our goals and highly recommend her and her company."
Paula Belemjian | Founder and Executive Director | The Margaret Home | East Rochester, NY
"Benezet Advisors launched a donor development program at St. John Bosco Schools to help put the school on a path to financial sustainability. This year for the first time in our 14-year history we will end the year with a small surplus. At last, we see a long future ahead for our beloved school and a return to the dream to grow and thrive.
We have been helped in so many ways including record migration to a new donor database; new donor cultivation events; creation of an annual report, donor impact reports, and other critical donor touchpoints; a year-end appeal that was nearly twice as much as our goal; and we now know the status of all our major donors and are building comprehensive cultivation and solicitation plans including a planned giving program. We are pleased to be working with Benezet Advisors. We now have a renewed sense of hope for the future and a real plan we can execute to get there."
Mark S. Peterson | Founder, Board of Governors | St. John Bosco Schools | East Rochester, NY
"It's so refreshing to work with a consultant who genuinely cares about her clients. That's what I've found in working with Alison Finstad at Benezet Advisors. She is not only creative, energetic, and highly competent in practically all things Fundraising related, but she has a knack for meeting you where you are and crafting a mutually agreeable plan for how to reach your goals. She then wholeheartedly applies her skills and capabilities to make them happen."
V. Dale Sedgwick | Chief Executive Officer | Hope Initiatives | Rochester, NY
"If you need to develop a sustainable fundraising plan that will put your nonprofit on the right track then Benezet Advisors is the perfect choice. They will work with your team to create a plan that works for you so that you can fulfill your mission.
We definitely felt like they understood our vision, and were willing to do what it took to help us make it happen with practical and visionary strategy."
Wayne Sommers | Chair, Board of Directors | His Heart Foundation | Vancouver, WA
"In July 2020 our organization, Keeping Our Promise, took the big leap and became an independent 501(c)3 non-profit. What could have been a difficult transition was made much easier by Alison's guidance. She created a manageable development plan customized to the needs of our organization and helped us through multiple strategic planning sessions.
In her friendly and collegial manner, Alison helped us to solidify our mission and goals and gave us well-needed advice in communications. It is a pleasure to work with Alison!"
Irwin Solomon | Chair, Board of Directors | Keeping Our Promise | Rochester, NY
"Alison partnered with our struggling organization and brought to light previously unseen weaknesses and underrated strengths. She also provided a month-by-month action plan towards our desired end.
Her weekly phone meetings gave us the support we needed to put these details into action. We ended our year $40,000 ahead of where we expected to be."
Dan Bumstead | Founder, Chair of the Board of Directors | Love's Door | Zambia
"We contracted with Alison to lead the Spirit Gala - a two-day event with a family evening on Friday then a black-tie optional dinner with silent and live auctions on Saturday. More than 900 people attended.
Alison guided the work of the parent volunteer committee, coordinated 75 student volunteers, and was instrumental in the financial success of the Spirit Gala, which raised more than $150,000, a new record at that time."
Julie Marsiglio | Past Director of Development | Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women | Rochester, NY
We help nonprofits become financially successful and sustainable.