Third Sector Consulting

Find More Funders
Win More Grants
Raise More Money

Founder & Principal

Laura Rhodes, CFRE
Nonprofit Consultant | Speaker & Trainer
"HI, I'M LAURA! And I want to help you find more funders, win more grants and raise more money for your nonprofit. Are you ready?"

Laura Rhodes is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and fundraising trainer who has 20+ years of experience working with – and for – nonprofits.

Laura started her nonprofit career in development and communications. She later served as an interim executive director. As a volunteer, Laura has been a board member, board chair, marketing committee chair and resource development committee chair. And prior to starting her consulting business, Laura was a regional program officer with the American Express Foundation, which awarded $30 million to nonprofits each year.

Having been both a grantmaker and a fundraiser, Laura uses her unique perspective to help nonprofits find more funders, win more grants and raise more money for their cause.

Laura has helped nonprofits raise millions of dollars from grants, events, direct mail and workplace giving campaigns. She also provides prospect research and grant writing support for organizations that want to write their own grants.

She is a popular nonprofit conference speaker and leads workshops and trainings for nonprofit staff and boards across the U.S.

Certifications & Professional Affiliations

 

What nonprofits say about Laura...

If you have the privilege of working with Laura and Third Sector Consulting, it is my wholehearted belief that you will see the positive impact not only in your development department, but in your organization as a whole.

Jenna Taylor, Executive Director, Child Bridge

There is no way we would be able to navigate the nuances of a federal grant under such a short timeframe without Laura! Her dedication and attention to detail are second to none!

Kent Doughty, CEO, oneHealth

Laura is a valuable resource in our community. Her presentation this year on fundraising for our monthly Nonprofit Cafe had our highest attendance to date. Laura is able to make fundraising and grant writing accessible to a nonprofit of any size and capacity.

Bridget Wilkinson, Foundation Manager, Bozeman Area Community Foundation

Laura's work to help us identify foundations that may fund our work filled an important gap for us. She is professional, and her work is thorough and well researched. I have already recommended her to several other nonprofits, which speaks to my high opinion of her work and of her.

Penelope Pierce, Executive Director, Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Featured Blog Post

"Let's Talk Nonprofit" is a blog by Third Sector Consulting that addresses common questions that nonprofits have. Ready? Great! Let's Talk Nonprofit.

Is Your Writing Too Long, Too Short, or Just Right
Twitter recently increased the number of characters per tweet from 140 to 280. Just because you can say more, should you? The same question holds true for grants. If you're writing an online application and the response allows 300 words, do you need to use all 300 words? If it's a paper application, and you're allowed 5 pages, do you need to fill every page? And what about your donor appeals? What's the right length of the fundraising materials you write for your nonprofit? (read more)