Who We Are

We are strategic thinkers and passionate problem solvers. We love what we do, and our enthusiasm for building vibrant, sustainable communities drives us to go the extra mile for our clients.

Gary Friedmann, Senior Counsel

Gary has helped dozens of Maine nonprofits raise more than $100 million over the last 38 years. In addition to designing and managing dynamic and creative fundraising campaigns, Gary has trained thousands of volunteers and professionals in the theory and practice of successful fundraising in seminars and workshops. He founded Gary Friedmann & Associates in 1992 after serving as Director of Development for College of the Atlantic and Director of Operations for Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Gary serves on the Bar Harbor Town Council, on the steering committee of Maine Climate Action NOW, and is Chair Emeritus of A Climate to Thrive, the grassroots initiative to make Mount Desert Island energy independent by 2030. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University.

Peter J. Heller, Senior Counsel

Lynn Hempen, Senior Counsel

Lynn’s 25-year fundraising career began at UCSF in San Francisco, as part of a team charged with raising $1 billion to build their recently completed Mission Bay campus. She has served as Director of Major Gifts and Development for organizations in the New York Tri-State area and Maine, leading teams to raise their largest-ever gifts. During her tenure as Executive Director of a Maine Habitat for Humanity affiliate, Lynn helped build a team of staff, board, and community members that increased fundraising revenue by 50% and doubled the number of families served annually.

In her current role as a consultant to nonprofits, Lynn has managed capital campaigns, analyzed and reorganized development programs, conducted feasibility/planning studies, led fundraising workshops, facilitated strategic planning retreats, and trained volunteer solicitors. Lynn’s expertise includes fundraising information technologies, prospect management, named gift strategies, donor stewardship, and event planning and production.

Lynn was a Fulbright Scholar and graduated cum laude from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in communications. She earned her masters from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Lynn lives in Bangor with her husband and two teenage boys.  An intrepid traveler and outdoorsperson, Lynn can often be found on Maine’s trails and rivers.

Renee Johansson, Campaign Counsel

Renée has over 20 years of experience in nearly all areas of nonprofit operations, including fundraising, communications, finance, technology, people ops, and executive management. Growing up in Hancock County, she was bit by the nonprofit bug as a young volunteer at her local library and WERU-FM community radio. Since then, Renée has been steadfast in only working with organizations that align with her values, such as the Woodland Park Zoo, AIDS Task Force, UpStart Maine, Cultivating Community, and NextStep Domestic Violence Project. She spent four years as the communications director and eight years as the executive director of Sustainable Harvest International.

She recently served as interim executive director at the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, publisher of The Maine Monitor. As an independent consultant, Renée loves her work with nonprofits on fundraising and outreach campaigns. She provides strategy and coaching, appeal writing, grant seeking, and creative-yet-practical systems thinking to improve development programs. Engagements often include conversations with stakeholders such as donors, program partners, beneficiaries, community leaders, and board members. She is honored to be a trusted steward of these important relationships. Whether camping in the Maine woods, spending time with her stepchildren or working with a local nonprofit client, Renée is guided by the principle that we should "always leave things better than we found them."

David Malakoff, Consulting Writer and Editor

David is a longtime journalist and editor who also has extensive experience in nonprofit development and board service. A graduate of the College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, Maine, he has worked for local, national and international environmental organizations, including stints as the editor of publications for Friends of the Earth and as executive director of a local, science-driven river conservation organization. He has served as a development officer at COA and other educational institutions. As a freelance journalist, he has reported for numerous outlets, including The Economist, PBS, and Audubon Magazine, and worked as a staff correspondent and editor for NPR and Science. An avid whitewater paddler and birdwatcher, his board service has included assisting nonprofits involved in education, land preservation, and bird and river conservation.

Zoë Alexis Scott, Campaign Counsel

Jordan Colbeth, Campaign Counsel