Lisa Hoffman is a nonprofit coach, consultant and facilitator with 25+ years of experience. She believes that nonprofit organizations must start where they are, building on their unique strengths to fulfill their potential and exceed their goals. As a coach and consultant, Lisa brings a wide range of effective communication and relationship skills, deep understanding of the unique non-profit culture, and the ability to help clients build on their strengths and transform their weaknesses. As a facilitator, she believes in a light touch to guide meetings and retreats that are dynamic, focused, enjoyable and goal-oriented. As fundraising counsel she specializes in individual giving, with an emphasis on major gifts, and a strategic, practical, creative approach.
Lisa is also an ordained Zen priest, bringing Buddhist practices of compassion, active engagement, and leaving the ego at the door to her nonprofit coaching and consulting.
Since launching her consulting practice in 1997, Lisa has had the privilege of serving dozens of nonprofits ranging in size from $100 million to $24,000 per year budgets. She assists not-for-profit organizations with organizational development; board and staff development and training; meeting and retreat facilitation; individual donor programs and campaigns; and much more. Lisa consistently helps her clients expand board and volunteer involvement in fundraising, raise significantly more money, and enjoy the fund development process.
As a chief development officer, Lisa excelled in launching and building individual donor campaigns and programs, as well as strengthening and expanding established efforts. After beginning her career at California Lawyers for the Arts and California Pacific Medical Center, Lisa served as development director at Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, The World Institute on Disability, and Bay Area Legal Aid.
Lisa’s current and past volunteer life includes: adjunct faculty and Advisory Board Chair, the Foundation Center; board member with the Russian River Zendo; faculty with Compasspoint Nonprofit Services; Fundraising Day co-chair, track dean and faculty; former president of the Development Executives Roundtable (DER); capital campaign volunteer with The Women’s Building; and board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She founded FAB (Fundraisers’ Anxiety Busters) a professional development forum for staff and volunteer fundraisers, co-sponsored by the Foundation Center and DER, and mentors a variety of nonprofit professionals. Lisa also provides informal pro bono counsel to various local nonprofits.
An active volunteer solicitor, Lisa feels that you have to sing in the choir if you’re going to preach to it.
