TEAM
Meet a collection of talented humans driven to make a positive impact.
Before we go any further, we think you should know something: we love our jobs. No, seriously. With authenticity and kindness at the forefront, our passion for fundraising makes every project we work on impactful and enjoyable. And who doesn’t love to make a difference?
We’ve been lucky (and determined) enough to build a crew of world-class experts in marketing, fundraising, and analytics. We come together on a daily basis to solve problems, push boundaries, change the world — and drink tons of coffee.
Meet our Leaders
Candice
Briddell
PRINCIPAL, OWNER
Passionate about data-driven analytics, Candice uses her 25 years of industry experience to push her clients to think outside of the box and break through old plateaus. Candice understands (and loves) the need for comprehensive systems to address internal organizational and external environmental challenges.
Erica
O’Brien
PRINCIPAL, OWNER
Erica utilizes her 25 years of experience to help her client partners meet the needs of the changing marketplace. With a commitment to ethical, resonate storytelling, Erica takes an active role in curating engaging omni-channel content for the organizations she serves.
Courtney
Lewis
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Courtney has spent nearly 20 years in the direct marketing industry developing complex, multichannel strategies for some of the country’s most successful brands. She has a strong analytic foundation with a solid creative eye that leads to unique, exciting, and successful fundraising campaigns.
Nancy
Eiring
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES
Over the course of more than 25 years, Nancy has worked at and with many big and small organizations. Her passion is designing growth strategies for multichannel direct response fundraising programs to help diversify channel and donors to meet long-term revenue goals. She continually innovates to solve for her clients so their programs can evolve and deliver on their mission.
David
Jorgensen
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC ANALYTICS
Dave is a master analyst with a knack for bridging the gap between the art of fundraising and the science of data. With over 30 years of experience in nonprofits and direct response agencies, Dave answers the ‘why’ by drilling into results to uncover and exploit the most promising opportunities.
Leah
Farmer
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
With more than 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing — as well as deep roots in direct response fundraising — Leah is a natural leader, strategic partner and creative dynamo. She is dedicated to crafting award-winning marketing campaigns that translate powerfully (and beautifully) across both traditional and digital channels, for maximum impact on brands and donors alike.
Maria
Harmer
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CREATIVE OPERATIONS
Maria leverages 25+ years of experience in direct response fundraising and marketing as she leads creative operations and strategy. She is passionate about cultivating cross-team, cross-functional collaboration, optimizing processes and building scalable systems that support the creative team as they develop breakthrough campaigns and results for our clients.
Michelle
Gunn
VICE PRESIDENT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle is an award-winning copywriter and creative director who has devoted her 20-year career to telling nonprofits’ stories — for supporter relationships that grow and last. Her passion for powerful content dates back to the second grade, when she would make up radio spots and produce them on her cassette player. She holds a PhD in English from Emory University.
Madeline
Ruffin-Thomas
VICE PRESIDENT, FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES
Madeline Ruffin-Thomas has 20+ years experience in nonprofit marketing and fundraising. She uses her passion for direct marketing and analytics to improve nonprofits' campaigns, strengthen their strategies, and build their programs. She develops integrated and channel agnostic strategies to help nonprofits acquire, retain and deepen their connection with supporters.
James
Bruening
VICE PRESIDENT, FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES
James is an experienced fundraising professional with over a decade of experience in data analytics, strategic planning, and performance reporting for nonprofit clients. He excels in developing and managing integrated direct marketing budgets, forecast projections and comprehensive campaign plans.
Jennifer
Queen
VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES
Jennifer Queen is a seasoned nonprofit expert with more than 20 years of fundraising experience with specific focus in the digital landscape. She consistently exceeds client revenue goals, generating substantial digital revenue and direct mail revenue. She is known for fostering lasting client relationships built on trust and performance.
Dana
Drever
VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS
With a background in operations management and a passion for driving organizational excellence, Dana brings extensive experience to her role at Fuse Fundraising. As the VP of Operations, Dana oversees the strategic planning and execution of operational processes to drive efficiency and effectiveness within the organization.
Kyle
Fisher
CONTROLLER
Kyle is a seasoned accounting professional in the direct response industry with a passion for accuracy and financial innovation. With extensive experience in the field, Kyle has honed his skills in financial analysis, reporting and strategic planning. His attention to detail and commitment to delivering accurate financial insights have earned him a reputation for excellence among colleagues and clients alike.
Jon
Cohen
SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION
With over 25 years of print production experience, Jon leads our internal production department. Jon has an outstanding work ethic, excellent vendor relationship management, and solid negotiating skills which help him execute direct mail projects that exceed quality and timing expectations while minimizing costs.
