About Rooney
My work sits at the intersection of leadership, fundraising capacity, and organizational structure.
Over the last several years, I’ve worked as a nonprofit founder, board member, coach, and fundraising consultant, supporting organizations across the United States to move away from reactive fundraising and toward sustainable funding systems.
Also, I’ve contributed to raising over $5 million in unrestricted funding for nonprofits and trained hundreds of founders, executive directors, and fundraisers in the US, Canada, and the UK.
What I have learned, consistently, is this: Most nonprofit funding challenges are not strategy problems. They are capacity problems.
Why This Work Exists
I entered the nonprofit sector because I believe deeply in service to humanity and the responsibility that comes with stewarding resources well.
But I also saw something troubling.
Founders were being taught how to raise money without being taught how to build the capacity to raise money.
They were expected to:
- fundraise alone
- manage disengaged boards
- execute outreach personally
- delay hiring until “money shows up”
This creates fragile organizations where funding depends on one individual carrying too much responsibility for too long.
That model burns leaders out and limits impact.
My work exists to change that.
My Focus: Fundraising Capacity, Not Fundraising Pressure
I do not specialize in writing grants for organizations or running fundraising campaigns on their behalf.
Instead, I focus on helping leaders build the internal capacity that makes fundraising sustainable.
This includes:
- activating boards for real funding responsibility
- designing fundraising strategies others can execute
- building fundraising teams
- creating clear roles, accountability, and leadership rhythms
- helping founders step out of constant execution and into leadership
The goal is simple: fundraising should not depend on one exhausted founder.
Who I Typically Work With
My work is best suited for:
- nonprofit founders and executive directors
- nonprofit associations and membership bodies
- capacity-building organizations
- accelerators and incubators
- funders and foundations focused on long-term sustainability
Especially those who are tired of surface-level training and want practical, structural outcomes.
Why Licensing Matters
After years of working directly with individual organizations, it became clear that this work needed to scale beyond one-on-one engagements.
Associations and support organizations are uniquely positioned to:
- reach founders earlier
- standardize capacity building
- reduce repeated failures
- strengthen funding outcomes across entire ecosystems
The fundraising team capacity framework was developed to be teachable, repeatable, and licensable, so it can be deployed responsibly at scale without depending on me personally delivering every engagement.
Licensing allows this work to live beyond any single organization.
A Final Note
I take this work seriously because it affects real organizations, real leaders, and real communities.
Capacity building is not about growth for growth’s sake.
It is about stewardship, responsibility, and sustainability.
If that aligns with how your organization thinks about impact, I look forward to our conversation.
