MEET THE TEAM. WE GET RESULTS.
Allyson Goodwin
Owner and Principal
Allyson has over 40 years of fundraising and hiring experience in independent schools, colleges, and community non-profits. Allyson is highly skilled with advancement communications, audits, campaign planning, annual funds, alumni and donor relations, principal gift fundraising, and mentoring/coaching. She is a problem-solver and strategic thinker and is able to utilize these skills conducting thoughtful and impactful development and organizational audits with tools to review an operation from the highest level, she conducts stakeholder interviews and digs deep into the everyday operation. She then helps craft plans moving forward to enhance office operations. Allyson utilizes these skills for campaign feasibility studies as well. She also has a deep love of mentoring and training and working with others to maximize their potential and have fun along the way. She often says, “the first three letters in fundraising are FUN, after all!”
Allyson has traveled the country and the world, taught Diversity and Social Justice courses and advised student groups. She co-founded the Upper Valley Planned Giving Council of VT/NH, served on the Board of Trustees at Bement School, is on the alumni council of her alma mater, Colby College, and serves on the Board of the Boothbay Opera House.
Allyson grew up in Western Massachusetts and she and her husband raised their family in Lebanon, NH and Gill, MA. She and her family are proud graduates of Northfield Mount Hermon School. Allyson lives in East Boothbay with her husband and border collie and finds peace and balance by being close to the sea.
Eric Rolfson
Of Counsel
Eric spent more than 40 years securing support for various educational institutions and held leadership staff positions in $10 million, $35 million, and $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaigns. He founded The Rolfson Group in 2015, a fundraising consulting firm, and has consulted with more than three dozen nonprofit organizations in sectors including health services, arts and culture, social services, and education. Allyson was Vice President in that firm.
Eric handed over the reins of his company to Allyson in 2023 in a second attempt to retire, and happily serves as counsel on engagements as needed.
Prior to his career in fundraising, Eric taught English, French and American Studies at the secondary and college levels, both in the United States and abroad. Additionally, Eric was co-founder and President of Toast Technologies Inc., a Massachusetts-based information technology company with expertise in network infrastructure consulting.
An avid musician, Eric toured internationally with Old Grey Goose and Project Troubador, the missions of which were to promote multi-cultural appreciation and understanding through the performance and exchange of traditional song and dance. Tours over the past 20 years included collaborations with local musicians in Niger, Benin, Mauritania, Algeria, Poland, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Mongolia, Ukraine, Israel, and Jordan. He currently performs with The Oystermen and Belfast Bay Fiddlers.
In his spare time, Eric operates a family maple syrup operation, raises chickens, and maintains trails on his land in rural Maine.
Marci Bernard
Senior Consultant and Corporate and Foundation Relations Specialist
During more than 25 years as a fundraiser, primarily in corporate and foundation relations, Marci has secured more than $50 million in grant support for a wide range of institutions and organizations, including the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Emmanuel, Bates, and Colby colleges. She is a skilled researcher and strategist, capable of designing and implementing foundation plans to match institutional needs with funders’ priorities.
Dorrie Hipschman
Senior Consultant and Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Communications Specialist
Dorrie’s 30+ years of nonprofit executive management includes fine arts, tourism, and environmental organizations, as well as significant experience in museums. Dorrie is best known for her exceptional skills in strategic planning, marketing, and communications, especially in fundraising.
As a former Vice President of the international advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi and as a Senior Advertising Officer at Bank of America’s world headquarters, she combines for-profit marketing expertise with nonprofit needs for maximum effect.
Julie Macksoud
Senior Consultant and Research Specialist
Julie has more than 25 years’ experience working for institutions like Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Colby College, and Choate Rosemary Hall. She has held leadership positions with NEDRA (New England Development Research Association) and APRA (Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement) and serves on the board of the Portland (CT) Historical Society.
Jimmy Jung, PhD
Admissions and Enrollment Management Specialist
Jimmy has spent more than 20 years working in admissions and enrollment management. He has served as chief enrollment officer at the University of Maine and several institutions in the northeast. Jimmy has expertise in implementing recruitment systems, leveraging financial aid, and developing new markets. As a consultant, Jimmy has helped schools and universities improve their enrollment and increase net tuition revenue. He has a doctorate in educational psychology from the City University of New York.