About Us

Alice L. Ferris, MBA, CFRE, ACFRE

Alice L. Ferris, MBA, CFRE, ACFRE, Founding Partner, has more than 30 years of professional fundraising experience, not including her volunteer start at PBS Wisconsin, blowing bubbles onto the set during pledge breaks for the Lawrence Welk Show.

Alice specializes in strategic and development planning, campaign and development program assessments, board and organizational training, executive leadership coaching, individual giving, and grant proposal evaluation. She is an advisory board member for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Communications Arts Partners. Alice is also a past chair of the ACFRE Credentialing Board and a former officer of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Global Board. In addition, she served as president of AFP Northern Arizona five times (don’t ask) and is an AFP Master Teacher. In 2020, Alice became the 21st recipient of the AFP Founders’ Medallion, recognizing extraordinary service to the sector. She was the 90th fundraising professional to attain the ​Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) credential and also maintains her Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) status, which she obtained in 1999. Alice is also the only three-time honoree of AFP-Northern Arizona Fundraising Professional of the Year. Alice also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Denver and represents GoalBusters as an Associate Member of Rogare, the international fundraising think tank.

Alice is recognized for her on-air presence on public television and radio pledge drives, and on the national PBS fundraisers such as the original run of Downton Abbey. She also hosts epic Chinese New Year parties, is a slow runner, and is a retired competition ballroom dancer.

Alice Profile

James S. Anderson, CFRE

James S. Anderson, CFRE, Partner, has more than 30 years of sales and sales training experience with local media and national research companies such as Nielsen Media, Simmons, and Scarborough Research. Consistently recognized as a top revenue producer ($30 million+), Jim earned “Sales Executive” and “Negotiator of the Year” awards.

Jim specializes in donor psychology, marketing and branding strategy, social media marketing, multimedia production, live stream and online event producing, direct sales and sponsorship training programs, and board and organizational training. Jim frequently supports public radio pledge drives with passionate, entertaining, and compelling on-air appeals coast to coast. Jim currently serves as the immediate past president of AFP Northern Arizona after completing his third term in this volunteer role at the end of 2020. Jim previously served on the AFP International Communications and Marketing Committee and the Committee on Directorship, and is an AFP Faculty Training Academy graduate. In addition, Jim was the 2010 Association of Fundraising Professionals Northern Arizona Fundraising Professional of the Year. He received his Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2013.

Jim has an extensive background in media production and has created projects ranging from training videos for 300+ television stations nationwide in the USA to promotional videos for client events. As an instructor at Northern Arizona University, he received superior evaluations from the hundreds of students who participated in his “Communications Analysis” and “Sales, Research, Marketing, and Promotion” classes. Jim speaks Spanish, is an avid photographer, and has more than 120 million views of his photos on Google Maps. He also married his cousin, but it didn’t last. Jim also has a list of “world-famous” (or maybe just infamous) Jim-isms.

Annagreta Jacobson, GPC

Annagreta Jacobson, GPC, Consultant/Grants Specialist, has over 20 years of research and writing experience and is well qualified to coordinate the grant process from the pre-award phase of research and proposal development to the post-award phase of program management, monitoring, and reporting. Contributing to the success of GoalBusters clients since 2010, Annagreta’s research and proposal development experience also includes a variety of education, social service, science, and public media projects. She provides a variety of nonprofit organizations with grant-readiness assessments, research on possible funding sources, case development, composing and editing proposals for submission, and written reports on grant use. Annagreta has experience in working with private and corporate foundations, state foundations, and federal grant cycles and has developed a grant-writing strategy focused on concise case development and outcome-based narratives. Annagreta is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and received her nationally accredited Grant Professional Certified credential in 2022. Since 2004, Annagreta and her family have enjoyed living in the Flagstaff community, raising two kids, and pursuing life interests, including residential architectural drafting, hiking, skiing, and teaching yoga.

JC Patrick, CFRE

JC Patrick, Consultant, has over 30 years of development experience and an extensive background in marketing. JC has worked with GoalBusters clients since 2014. She specializes in corporate and individual giving programs, writing donor communications, program analysis, social media, generational trends, fundraising for public broadcasting, and marketing plan designs. JC spent ten years as the Station Development Manager for NPR, working with 800+ member stations in all areas of corporate fundraising, with a focus on online sponsorship and generational marketing. She held two positions at Houston Public Radio – Director of Corporate Support and Director of Marketing and Development, where she and her team were the recipients of national awards in marketing, underwriting, and overall development. JC began her career in commercial television production, then moved into advertising before coming to fundraising. She is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and workshops. JC holds a BA in Radio/TV from the University of Houston and is a graduate of the Honors College. She successfully earned RAB’s title of Certified Digital Marketing Consultant and earned her Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2024. JC lives on ten mountaintop acres in rural Arkansas with her family and pets. She spends her free time writing her blog, making and selling jewelry, and collecting all manner of interesting antiques.

Robin A. Kasel, CFRE

Robin A. Kasel, CFRE, has over 20 years of experience in sales, project and account management, and professional fundraising. She started in promotional merchandising, working with clients such as Target, Kohls, Kimberly-Clark, and Sam’s Club before transitioning into the professional fundraising industry with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA Aviation Foundation) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Robin has extensive, practical experience in annual fund management, strategy and fund development, capital campaigns, board management, event planning, and major gift fundraising. With a degree in Psychology, she understands what drives people to make decisions and what causes them to give. Robin has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 2014 and received her Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2020. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin and chairs their Gala committee, and the Canary Fund of Green Bay, which focuses on granting change-makers in Northeast Wisconsin who work to address unmet needs in our communities. She also recently joined the Development Committee of the Women’s Fund of the Fox Valley. Robin enjoys spending time with her family and training in martial arts with her two children when not fundraising. She is a second-degree black belt in karate.

Jeffrey C. Hall, Ph.D.

Jeffrey Hall, Ph.D., Consultant, received a B.A. in Physics in 1986 from the Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics in 1991 from the Pennsylvania State University. He joined the staff of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ in 1992 as a postdoctoral research fellow, specializing in stellar astrophysics and the variations of the Sun and sun-like stars. He served from 2010-2024 as the Observatory’s Executive Director. During Jeff’s tenure, the Observatory completed the construction and commissioning of the $53M Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT), and in 2023, the Observatory completed a $53M capital campaign to build the Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center (ADC), which opened in November 2024. During this time, Lowell has received well over $100M through University partnerships for access to the LDT, through foundation, corporate, and individual gifts in support of the ADC, and through philanthropic contributions to many other programs. Jeff’s principal avocation is music, and he served from 1992-2024 as an assistant organist at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Flagstaff. He has occasionally performed with orchestras and ensembles, and he enjoys creating synthesizer realizations of various works, including his own ragtime, with his home studio. He enjoys reading, board and video games, and training for and participating in triathlons. Upon his retirement from Lowell in November 2024, Jeff and his wife Schenley relocated to Tucson. They have three grown sons, Jonathan, Benjamin, and Nicholas.

Lisa Actor

Lisa Actor, Consultant, has over 30 years of experience in fund development with special expertise in capital campaigns, major gifts, foundation grant writing, and planned giving. She has led small development teams of 2 people and large teams of up to twenty. Lisa has a B.S. in Biology. She began her career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her first non-profit position was as Executive Director of a public school foundation. She moved into higher education, working at a small, private university for 19 years, where she rose from a major gift officer to Associate Vice President. Lisa was recruited into the Chief Philanthropy Officer role at Lowell Observatory where she spent nine years and led a successful $53.6 million capital campaign for a new astronomy discovery center. Lisa volunteers on the Fund Development Committee of Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana. She led an all-volunteer campaign resulting in a $1 million endowment for outdoor leadership experiences for girls. She has raised over $250 million during her career.

Dave Tinker, CFRE, FAFP

Dave Tinker, CFRE, FAFP, Special Projects Consultant, has more than 30 years of fundraising and nonprofit management experience after a summer internship at Ketchum, Inc. Fundraising Counsel led him to change his career path from medicine to fundraising. Dave has worked in education, health, workforce, and disability nonprofits throughout the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Dave specializes in grant proposal creation and editing, prospect research, capital campaigns, technology in fundraising, social media marketing, major gift and planned giving programs, annual giving programs, team problem-solving and collaboration, and board and volunteer management.

In 2016, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International recognized Dave as one of the first six Distinguished Fellows of AFP (FAFP). In 2013, Dave was honored as the AFP Western Pennsylvania Chapter’s Outstanding Fundraising Executive. Dave was appointed to the Brentwood School Board in 2020 and was elected to his first full term in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. He is also an AFP Faculty Training Academy graduate and a Grant Professionals Association (GPA) approved trainer, where he also served on the Ethics Committee. He received his Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2001.

Having served on dozens of nonprofit boards and committees during his career, he is currently on the board of the AFP PAC, the government relations committee of AFP, and is a staff parish relations committee member at his church. Dave was an adjunct professor of informatics at Muskingum University for their Master of Information Systems, Strategy, and Technology program for over a decade. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and English, a Master of Information Strategy, Systems, and Technology from Muskingum University, and a Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University at Indianapolis. Additionally, he is also a graduate of Leadership Works-Indianapolis-Class III and the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities-Class 44. Dave lives in Pittsburgh with his family and enjoys sports, art, Lionel trains, and rooting for his Fighting Muskies.

Nancy L. Wood

Nancy L. Wood stumbled into nonprofit fundraising more than 30 years ago when she interned at KUWR while earning her B.S. in journalism at the University of Wyoming. (In retrospect, her success at selling Girl Scout cookies and other childhood fundraisers was probably a sign of things to come.) Her public radio career took her across the country, from membership roles at KJZZ/KBAQ in Phoenix and WBEZ in Chicago to senior leadership roles at Nevada Public Radio in Las Vegas, WESA & WYEP in Pittsburgh, and The Public’s Radio in Rhode Island. She has also held advancement and development roles in independent schools and child welfare organizations. A seasoned nonprofit leader, Nancy brings expertise in annual giving, case development, midlevel and major donor cultivation, overall program design, campaign strategy, and more. She is most fulfilled when helping organizations connect purpose with passion—fostering meaningful philanthropy that strengthens communities and enhances quality of life. Nancy lives in New England with her feline family. She thinks music makes the world a better place and believes in the power of laughter and a nice glass of wine. She is training to be a Pilates instructor and is currently writing a memoir about the years she spent growing up on a horse ranch in Wyoming.

Elizabeth Shaffer

Elizabeth Shaffer, Grants Associate, has a diverse background in leadership, business, healthcare, and nonprofit grant research. She earned a B.S. in English Literature from the United States Naval Academy in 1988, followed by graduation from the Navy Supply Corps School. Elizabeth served as a Supply Officer aboard USS MONONGAHELA (AO-178), where she was responsible for ship’s accounting, payroll, and logistics. She later returned to NSCS as an instructor in leadership, personnel management, and business writing, guiding junior officers in career development.

After resigning her commission, Elizabeth pursued an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology and spent two decades in the healthcare field, specializing in cognition, communications, and swallowing disorders for patients recovering from stroke, brain injury, and other neurological conditions. She transitioned to nonprofit consulting with GoalBusters, leveraging her extensive experience in research and report writing to help match nonprofits with their best grant opportunities.

A lover of the outdoors, Elizabeth took a post-pandemic sabbatical to crisscross the United States in a small RV, enjoying hiking and kayaking adventures with her dog. She relocated to Wilmington, NC in early 2025 to be near her first love, the ocean.

Amanda Butterworth

Amanda Butterworth, ​Executive Assistant, provides project management related to conferences, speaking engagements, and operations. With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Amanda has a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that nonprofits face. Amanda works closely with the team to ensure that projects are delivered on time, and to the highest standard. Her experience and knowledge of the nonprofit sector allow her to provide valuable insights and support to the team. In her spare time, Amanda is an active volunteer and has served on the board of several nonprofits, where she has helped to fundraise and organize events. Her dedication to the sector is reflected in her frequent speaking engagements at nonprofit conferences, where she shares her expertise with others. Amanda holds a degree in Community Studies from the University of Massachusetts Boston, which has provided her with a strong foundation in community engagement and development.

Matthew J. Ferris

Matthew J. Ferris, Technical Assistant,was the inspiration for this company’s start, founded while Alice was a stay-at-home mom, going crazy with a newborn. Matthew has attended meetings for GoalBusters since he was born and, as was pointed out by Jim, is the senior employee. He specializes in website design and maintenance, data entry support, design, and conference and meeting staffing.