“I first met Kelly in 1997 when we were raising funding and planning a major event for a local non-profit organization. Since that time, I have worked with Kelly on a number of innovative and unique fund development projects – all of which have been high-impact and successful campaigns. She is organized and goal-driven; and she has the ability to recognize, set and reach reasonable targets. Most currently, we are working together to fund a start-up youth outreach program in the urban core of Kansas City; her insights and support have been invaluable to the organization.” Kari O’Rourke, Executive Director, The Mark.
“RCH is a small rural hospital, dedicated to serving our surrounding community. We don’t have access to a lot of larger Foundations and grant opportunities. Kelly found and successfully applied to several Foundations that were new to us. She also wrote our tax credit application. Now, we are able to replace much-needed medical equipment.”
“Appalachian Ministries Educational Resource Center (AMERC) works to provide contextual education to
“CDD had never engaged in fundraising. We decided that we needed help to prepare for a capital campaign and to supplement our client support activities. Kelly researched opportunities, helped me get acquainted with funders and other community leaders, created a fundraising calendar and grants list. We went from having no plan to having a workable strategy to get us where we need to go.
Before we had a Development Director, Kelly wrote our first successful private grants and created our Public Relations plan. Now, we have a full-time Development Director and Kelly still works with her to help CDD succeed.”
“HAHA had never done any official fundraising. Kelly helped us prioritize our opportunities and engage our Board and volunteers. When we needed hands on, she provided it, but she really encouraged us to be self-sufficient when we could. Most other consultants expected big upfront fees and contracts, Kelly respected our resources and helped us use our money wisely.”
“Advocacy in Motion (AIM) is a new nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the greater Kansas City area. Kelly’s extensive knowledge of nonprofit organizational structure and operations is profoundly beneficial as we establish the programs and services of our organization. We are impressed with her strategies of community integration,
Kelly Willoughby is a seasoned grant and fundraising professional and one you want on your team! I had the fortune of working with her as my supervisor at SAFEHOME when she was the Director of Development for 3 years. Working with Kelly helped take my grant writing skills to a new level. She commands excellence and has a tenacious attitude in pursuing new opportunities. I enjoyed the ease of working with her as she is a top-notch professional with an excellent sense of humor; a tremendous asset under pressure of deadlines. Bouncing ideas off of her helped me to be able to forge a way forward to overcome challenges and devise a strategic solution to submit the most competitive grant proposal. She is a powerhouse of ideas, creative and innovative in her writing and approach to program design. Her writing style is precise, well-researched, persuasive and attention grabbing. She enjoys consistent success due to her concise and convincing grant writing. Well-versed in end-to-end proposal writing, she also has honed skills in Monitoring and Evaluation – often taking existing M&E systems and raising them to the highest standards. At SAFEHOME, she initiated a full review and revamping of Program Outcomes for 7+ programs resulting in highest quality, more consistent and impactful agency outcomes that spoke to donors. She has a unique way of bringing the narrative to life through her energetic, direct and concise narratives. Kelly can take a complex topic and walk the reader through making it easy to understand.
She intrigues the reader with exciting new ideas, sound program design, making it compelling for any review panel to fund. With her determined, energetic and positive attitude, she overcame initial resistance to the idea of undertaking a grueling capital campaign. Spearheading the capital campaign, for a much-needed expansion of infrastructure and to meet increased demand for services, she succeeded in raising over $3,000,000 USD for SAFEHOME within one year. Having been in the industry for 20 years, it has been thrilling to see Kelly launch her own Consultation Business and enjoy quick and sustainable success. If you need to write a winning proposal, you need Kelly on your team!