Hi! I’m Jamie.
I’ve spent more than 15 years working in nonprofits. At the start of my career, I did anti-violence direct service work with students at the University of Iowa, then moved on to teach K-12 students in seven counties of Southern Illinois. In between, I assisted with research at the VA, surveying women veterans on their experiences during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. I returned to St. Louis in 2014 and spent two years serving families in crisis while working for Saint Louis Crisis Nursery.
Since 2019, I have worked in fundraising and development, taking on advancing roles across three organizations: Jazz St. Louis, Arch Grants, and Trailnet. In May 2020, I earned my Masters Degree in Nonprofit Administration. From 2024-26, I served as Trailnet’s Director of Development, working to secure ~$840k in annual revenue through grants, individual giving, events, and Trailnet’s membership program of more than 1400 annual donors.
Now freelancing after 7 years of full-time fundraising, I offer short-term assistance with most any “behind-the-scenes” or internal facing nonprofit development or comms projects–things like managing online giving, executing annual fund appeals, writing donor newsletters, or just general development admin support during your heavy season.
Why work with me?
I’ve been the over-stressed DoD who has Too Much to Do and deadlines that don’t relent. I’ve worked in donor CRMs that leave you wanting more. I know first-hand how important it is to get the details right the first time when addressing donors. I have a proven track record of producing effective, engaging, and budget-friendly annual fund campaigns.
Donor newsletters
Donor CRM guidance
Annual appeals
Fractional operations support
Areas of expertise:
Nonprofit organizations with an annual budget of $3m or less
Annual fund campaigns
Online giving page design and copy
Acknowledgement letters so beautiful they make donors weep
Assistance with handwritten projects
Advice on sensible donor segmentation and ways to streamline the process
Fractional development operations support
“Hey could you just take a look at this and tell me what you think?” (Honestly this might be one of my favorite things.)
No thank you:
Grant writing (though I have some great referrals to share upon request!)
Donor calls
Events
Bilingual campaigns (Mon français n’est pas encore assez bon. Je regrette!)
A full time development job
What my colleagues say
★★★★★
Jamie’s thoughtful, process- and detail-oriented approach is a breath of fresh air in a field that tends toward the hectic. As a leader, Jamie takes a warm, kind, and empathetic approach, building trust while consistently pushing a higher standard. She leads by example, naturally encouraging others to rollow. Her warm personality and relationship-building skills combined with her ability to identify opportunities and create efficient processes to solves challenges will be a benefit to her clients.
Corinne Austin
Chief Operating Officer, Trailnet
★★★★★
Jamie is an exceptional professional: incredibly thoughtful, organized, and strategic, and an outstanding communicator. She has a remarkable ability to remain steady, calm, and collected while managing an enormous range of responsibilities and competing demands. At the same time, she never loses sight of the bigger picture or the people behind the work.
What especially sets Jamie apart is the thoughtfulness she brings to development. She understands that successful fundraising isn’t simply about bringing in more resources, but about finding resources that align with an organization’s mission, strengthen its staff and programs, and ultimately create meaningful impact for the people and communities it serves. That perspective consistently informed her work at Trailnet and made her an important voice in broader conversations about the organization’s direction.
Dr. Erich Hellmer
Director of Partnerships and Practice at the Bursky School of Public Health, WashU
★★★★★
Jamie is the kind of fundraiser who makes donors feel seen. She writes letters that sound like they come from a real person (because they do!), and she works hard to keep your data clean enough to trust. Jamie is diligent with follow through.
Audrey Schlote
Former board member, League of Women Voters