About me
Hi, my name is Sharla, and my passion is helping small nonprofits accomplish big things.
We have one planet, one collective space to share, and a collective responsibility to leave a better world for the next generation. Environmental and humanitarian tragedies abound, enough to make the evening news a depressing spectacle of horror. What we don’t see and hear enough about is the positive changes. Nonprofit leaders aren’t out there trying to make headlines or trying to make money. They are trying – and succeeding – to make change.
The problem is, lack of funds, stacks of paperwork, complex financial tracking requirements… Too many of the world’s passionate change-makers are drowning in administrative tasks, tripping over the uncertainty of how to take the next step… And that is the problem I seek to solve!
What I do
Grant services
- Grant readiness assessment
- Grant funding research
- Proposal development
- Program evaluation reports
Bookkeeping
- Bank account reconciliation
- Chart of accounts
- Financial statements
- Budgets
Document writing and design
- Charts, graphs, infographics for reports and proposals
- Creating and/or designing marketing materials
- Impact and annual reports
- Policies, handouts, volunteer manuals, etc.
Consultation services
- Grant development and fundraising strategy
- Starting a nonprofit
- Budgeting and financial planning
- Marketing and branding strategy
- General operations and small nonprofit management
Proficient in:
- MS Excel, Google Sheets
- QuickBooks Online
- PowerPoint, Google Slides
- Adobe Illustrator
- Canva
- Wix
My Story
Like many people in the nonprofit space, I started out volunteering. I’ve served a wide variety of roles, from treasurer to internet researcher. I have also been on the ground floor of a couple of organizations (a 501c3 and a 501c4).
For 15+ years, I worked as a writer/designer/marketer, mostly for businesses. Recently, I decided to follow the often-given, rarely-taken advice of following one’s heart, merging passion and profession. In other words, I decided to focus my freelance work on what I truly love, which is working with nonprofits.
When I’m not at my computer, where will you find me? Probably shoveling snow. I live and work in far northern Maine, which means being snowed under most of the year. During the precious few green months known as Summer, you’ll find me in the garden.
Credentials
Grant Writing Skills Suite
-Maine Association of Nonprofits
Advanced Grant Writing
-Maine Association of Nonprofits
Bookkeeping Basics
-Intuit
Various
- Adobe Illustrator skills
–LinkdIn Learning - Business and Academic Writing
–EdX / Berkely - Grant Writing Essentials
–Nonprofit Ready