Development Bootcamp

Amy consults with day schools and communities in the areas of day school affordability initiatives and tuition assistance, enrollment, marketing and development. While building her professional career in corporate sales, Amy enrolled her eldest son in a Jewish day school and was inspired by the mission and rich educational experience of day schools - and found her true calling. Amy transitioned her decade of professional expertise to The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, where she held positions as the director of admissions and tuition assistance and the director of development. Amy has a BA in communication and public relations.

Judy’s nonprofit career dates back nearly 30 years to her early days as a camp counselor and a community based clinical social worker. Switching to the operational side of nonprofits close to 15 years ago, she has focused on organizational development, fundraising, and philanthropy. Judy’s strength lies in the blend of compassion and expertise she brings to her clients, and in the dedication and leadership she brings to her teams.

Judy has been consulting with nonprofit organizations since 2010 and launched Evolve Giving Group with several of her colleagues in 2020. Judy currently serves as its Senior Vice President, People & Projects, offering insight, possibility and strategic counsel to fundraising projects, and leading the Evolve team in alignment with its core values.

Judy’s commitment to doing meaningful work carries over to her personal life, where she is a trustee with the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago and a board member at Neighbor by Neighbor in Southwest Michigan. A native of Chicago, she now lives in Southwest Michigan with her family.

With 20 years of experience in institutional advancement, Nora joined Evolve Giving Group in 2021. Nora is a versatile fundraiser and nonprofit leader, having served in roles as diverse as a director of development in a comprehensive campaign setting in higher education and as a volunteer board member for a startup nonprofit art organization. As a consultant, Nora excels at assessing an organization’s mission and goals from the 30,000 foot view while simultaneously building “on the ground” plans that create sustainable fundraising growth and impact.

Most recently, Nora served as the Vice President for External Affairs at Openlands, an environmental organization that works to create equitable access to nature for the diverse populations of Chicago. Nora began her fundraising career in annual giving and communications for two of San Francisco’s leading independent schools after working as a teacher and writer. She believes that exceptional communication and storytelling are vital to realizing an organization’s most audacious dreams and goals.

With nearly 20 years of nonprofit experience, Jamie brings a strategic vision and collaborative approach to each project. Clients value her ability to evaluate their practices and offer creative solutions to help them strengthen their base of support. Jamie is also known for helping new nonprofits create the right structure and processes to carry out their missions successfully. She also leads business development efforts for the firm and is part of the management team. Jamie has been with the team since 2015, when she joined Giving Tree Associates as a senior consultant. In 2020, she began a new chapter in her role at Evolve Giving Group.

As a graduate of St. Olaf College, Jamie has a long history of volunteerism. Currently she serves on the board of the Oak Park Education Foundation and is actively involved in her daughter’s soccer club. Jamie lives in Oak Park, Illinois with her husband and teenage daughter. In her free time, she takes long hikes with Wilma (her rescue pup), bakes, and plans her family’s next travel adventure.

As a member of the Giving Tree team since 2017 and now at Evolve, Pam brings with her over 10 years of experience as a professional volunteer. Previously, she advised New York’s top corporations, law firms and banks on their organizational infrastructure to enhance service delivery and maintain cost efficiency. She also spent 10 years as a professional volunteer, serving on numerous boards, managing executive searches, chairing large-scale fundraising events, and overseeing committees ranging from community engagement to strategic planning. Pam feels it is a privilege to advise nonprofit clients and work alongside professionals and volunteer leadership to build capacity, broaden an organization’s reach and create innovative fundraising plans.

As a team leader, Pam is results-oriented and committed to the big picture without losing sight of the tactics involved in growing a community of stakeholders. Pam’s emphasis on effective execution, attention to detail and precise follow-through puts her clients at ease and lets them focus on what is most critical - building relationships with the community they serve.

Elissa is Prizmah's Chief Operating Officer. Learn more about her here.

Hannah is Prizmah's Senior Vice President of Development. Learn more about her here.

Dan is Prizmah's Senior Director of Consulting. Learn more about him here.

Traci is Prizmah's Senior Director of School Advancement. Learn more about her here.

For more than 25 years, Amy has partnered with nonprofit organizations to develop effective fundraising campaigns, build strong leadership teams and empower them with tools to visualize and achieve mission impact. Since 2008, Amy has co-founded two full-service consulting firms and helped over 300 schools, camps, synagogues, community, and human service organizations raise hundreds of millions of dollars, create growth strategies and recruit exceptional executives. Amy serves as a trusted fundraising coach and advisor to professional and volunteer leaders across North America.  

Amy has a robust background in fundraising and nonprofit management, holding leadership positions at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Jewish Council for Youth Services, Hillel and United Jewish Communities. She is a sought-after presenter at local and national conferences, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Forefront, Jewish Federations of North America, Legacy Heritage Fund, Hillel International, JCC Association of North America, JCamp 180, Prizmah, and Life & Legacy. Amy is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), The Association of Consultants to Nonprofits (ACN), Professionals in Development North, and Chicago Women in Philanthropy. She serves on summer faculty for the HUC/USC Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management in Los Angeles and the Spertus Institute in Chicago.