Prospero Group

Susanne A. Shavelson, PhD, Senior Consultant

Dr. Susanne A. Shavelson brings years of experience in strategic planning, grant writing and non-profit administration to her work for The Prospero Group’s clients. She has a solid record of success working with funders and professionals in a wide variety of organizations. As co-founder of the Institute for Informal Jewish Education (IJE) at Brandeis University, where she was assistant director, Susanne played a key role in the Institute’s strategic planning, fundraising and communications initiatives. Susanne wrote or co-wrote all the IJE’s grants from 1999 to 2006, beginning with startup funding from the Charles and Andrea Bronfman Philanthropies. From 2004 until 2006 she directed the IJE’s Community Hebrew High Schools Initiative, funded by Legacy Heritage Fund, Inc.

In her work as a consultant Susanne assists clients in meeting a variety of resource development and communications needs. She is quick to grasp the nature and needs of an organization, and her understanding informs the strategic thinking and planning that follow. She assists clients with a number of research and communications functions including research, needs assessment, feasibility studies, marketing communications and grant proposal writing. Susanne’s clients also benefit from her strong skills in editing and the organization of information, which she applies to e-newsletters, websites and other media. She has worked with many different kinds of organizations in the fields of education, religion, healthcare and social services.

Susanne earned her PhD in American Culture at the University of Michigan, where she received a Mellon Fellowship, and a BA, magna cum laude, from Tufts University. She is a member of the American Grant Writers Association.

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	Our Team
	Executive Profile Doris R. Feinberg, CFRE President Consultant Profiles James Link Senior Consultant Trine Lustig, MA Senior Consultant Susanne A. Shavelson, PhD Senior Consultant Staff Profile Chani Adams Director of Operations


	Doris R. Feinberg, CFRE, President After an academic and clinical career as a clinical specialist in psychiatric-mental health nursing, Doris provided a distinguished nine years of service in non-profit development with Lifespan, Inc., in Providence, RI. During her tenure as campaign director for a $20 million capital campaign to build Hasbro Children’s Hospital, she was responsible for managing staff, trustees, and volunteers in the identification, research and solicitation of leadership level donors. The campaign exceeded its goal and raised an unprecedented $24 million. During her last five years at Lifespan, Doris served as president of the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation. As senior staff liaison, she successfully merged two distinct boards of trustees, combining the Rhode Island Hospital and its foundation board into one. Leveraging her success into a consulting career, Doris founded The Prospero Group, LLC, for which she serves as President. The Prospero Group counsels non-profit boards of directors, executive leaders, and fundraising staff. Recognized for her expertise in capital campaign planning and strategy, donor cultivation and recruitment, face-to-face solicitation training, major gift fundraising and stewardship, as well as board training and development, Doris services clients in the arts, education, environment and healthcare fields. Doris’s approach to philanthropy reflects a “donor-centered” philosophy. This engages individuals in the fabric of the organization, so that philanthropic support reflects the relationship between the organization and its donors. Her extensive experience in board development also shaped her belief that board leadership and passion for the organization’s mission lie at the heart of successful development programs. Doris is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the National Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, and is active in the New England Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. She is also a member of The Boston Club, the Boston area’s largest organization for senior executive and professional women. In addition, Doris remains an active community volunteer in Rhode Island with particular involvement in board development and fundraising efforts for human service initiatives. Having served as Vice Chairperson of the Newport International Film Festival, she has recently become a Governor of Newport Hospital. Doris currently serves as lay president of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island. View my LinkedIn profile < Back to Top


	James Link, Senior Consultant Jim brings over twenty-five years of successful experience in educational administration and institutional advancement to The Prospero Group’s clients. He has designed effective marketing programs, participated in fundraising campaigns that secured over $1 billion, and personally solicited over $100 million in charitable contributions. Among the strengths Jim offers The Prospero Group’s clients is helping organizations identify, cultivate and solicit major gift prospects. A pioneer in using technology to maximize fundraising revenues, Jim has significant experience in database screening and management. Before joining The Prospero Group, Jim served as president of the Coast Guard Foundation and as vice president for advancement at both Hartwick and Iona Colleges. At Hartwick, he completed a $30 million campaign and provided leadership for the College’s marketing, communications, fund development and constituent relations initiatives. At Iona, he planned and launched the College’s most ambitious campaign, targeted at raising over $80 million. He helped double the College’s annual fund within three years, and solicited the largest individual gift and government grant in the institution’s history. Prior to accepting these leadership positions, Jim served as associate director of major gifts at Dartmouth during the College’s successful campaign to raise $500 million. In addition, he worked with a variety of non-profits, helping plan, launch and direct capital campaigns at New Milford Hospital, Sound Shore Medical Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut. In a number of assignments, he doubled fundraising revenues within two years. Jim studied at Iona College, the Catholic University of America, and the Wharton School of Business. He served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Greenwich Council, Boy Scouts of America, and is active in his church. View my LinkedIn profile < Back to Top


	Trine Lustig, MA, Senior Consultant Trine Lustig brings 15 years of non-profit fundraising and management experience to The Prospero Group, LLC. After receiving her bachelors degree from Brown University, Trine received a prestigious FEREP scholarship in recognition of her academic excellence and her work training college students at 20 New England campuses in leadership and advocacy skills. This award funded Trine’s two masters degrees at Brandeis University – one in Jewish Communal Service from the Hornstein Program, with a major in fundraising, and one in Management of Human Services from the Heller Graduate School. Trine launched her fundraising career at the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island (JFRI) where she advanced quickly through the management structure, developing an impressive portfolio of skills. During her tenure as Director of the Women’s Alliance, she implemented a three-year strategic plan to restructure the division. As a result of her efforts, the annual campaign for the Women’s Alliance grew to $1 million and its endowment more than doubled. In addition, she oversaw numerous committees, including the Board and Executive committees. Trine also played a significant role in developing JFRI’s vision and strategy for future campaigns as Assistant Campaign Director. Finally, as Associate Endowment Director she identified, researched, and cultivated major donors and top prospects in the Rhode Island community and launched JFRI’s endowment marketing efforts. Leveraging her wide-ranging experience at JFRI, Trine entered the consulting world in 2001, working with an array of non-profit institutions, from leading private schools to the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) in Boston, Massachusetts. She has helped launch numerous capital campaigns, overseen annual campaigns, and developed strategies for long-term cultivation of top prospects. Trine also has coordinated numerous conferences, professional development seminars, and grant allocation programs for Brandeis University. Her background in annual campaigns, capital campaign, planned giving, special events, board development, and strategic planning enables Trine to provide a comprehensive approach to agencies with diverse fundraising and management needs. View my LinkedIn profile < Back to Top


	Susanne A. Shavelson, PhD, Senior Consultant Dr. Susanne A. Shavelson brings years of experience in strategic planning, grant writing and non-profit administration to her work for The Prospero Group’s clients. She has a solid record of success working with funders and professionals in a wide variety of organizations. As co-founder of the Institute for Informal Jewish Education (IJE) at Brandeis University, where she was assistant director, Susanne played a key role in the Institute’s strategic planning, fundraising and communications initiatives. Susanne wrote or co-wrote all the IJE’s grants from 1999 to 2006, beginning with startup funding from the Charles and Andrea Bronfman Philanthropies. From 2004 until 2006 she directed the IJE’s Community Hebrew High Schools Initiative, funded by Legacy Heritage Fund, Inc. In her work as a consultant Susanne assists clients in meeting a variety of resource development and communications needs. She is quick to grasp the nature and needs of an organization, and her understanding informs the strategic thinking and planning that follow. She assists clients with a number of research and communications functions including research, needs assessment, feasibility studies, marketing communications and grant proposal writing. Susanne’s clients also benefit from her strong skills in editing and the organization of information, which she applies to e-newsletters, websites and other media. She has worked with many different kinds of organizations in the fields of education, religion, healthcare and social services. Susanne earned her PhD in American Culture at the University of Michigan, where she received a Mellon Fellowship, and a BA, magna cum laude, from Tufts University. She is a member of the American Grant Writers Association. View my LinkedIn profile < Back to Top


	Chani Adams, Director of Operations For the past six years Chani has been working to expand small organizations of all types. From helping small businesses develop new sales opportunities and improve their presence in their local community, to implementing new services and programs for non-profits, Chani’s focus is the development of solutions that are achievable, flexible, and sustainable. With a background in visual and performance arts, marketing communications, and management, Chani has experience that spans a variety of fields. She specializes in collecting and interpreting data to gain a broad picture of an organization’s operations and pinpoint innovative opportunities for improvement and growth. Chani provides project support for The Prospero Group, assisting with research, data management, and client deliverables. View my LinkedIn profile < Back to Top

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Our Team