“Sara is a seasoned professional. She knows the art of grant writing and approaches it in the most collaborative manner. In reading the same notice of funding opportunity all hopeful grantees read, she sees nuances and draws attention to items that help applicants raise the profile of their applications. At times a task master – needed in any grant application process, Sara sets a pace to meet deadlines, using a task list that helps organizations compile competitive applications. Her attention to detail is thorough, positioning applications to achieve serious consideration by accumulating the maximum possible scoring points. This was our company’s first attempt at submitting a grant application. We were happy with the process and even more excited when we were awarded grant funding.”
– Heather Floyd, Public Relations Specialist, Valley TeleCom Group
(January 2022, state grant application)
“Sara worked with Red Feather to develop logic models that have helped our organization develop a deeper understanding of the resources and processes needed to successfully implement and evaluate our programs. The logic models provide an easily-digestible visual representation of our programs that can be integrated into future grant proposals, to help them stand out from the mundane. Sara is an excellent communicator, highly-organized, and very professional. She takes the time to listen to her client’s needs, and delivers top-notch services in return.”
– Joe Seidenberg, Executive Director, Red Feather Development Group
(September 2021, logic model creation)
“Sara, we can’t thank you enough for jumping into this project with so little time to put this all together to be submitted. Finished reading final draft…great job Sara…I hope you are open to working with me again on other grant applications. I can’t believe how lucky I was to meet you when I did. As, without your help, this grant application would never have been completed.”
– Philip (Jay) McCarthy, Jr., Attorney at Law
(January 2020, state grant application)
“Grants that Go the Distance was just what our organization needed to win one of three nationwide, federal awards. Sara was flexible and responsive under a short timeline to bring together all the necessary components (logic model, work plan, etc.) for our multi-state project proposal to expand services in tribal areas for individuals and families of children with disabilities. Additionally, neither contributing state had ever met her in person. She adapted quickly, understood our needs and delivered. Thanks Sara!”
– Christopher Tiffany, M.A., Ed., Executive Director, Raising Special Kids
(September 2018, federal grant application)
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Sara on a very competitive federal grant opportunity. I had never written a grant before but my organization needed to access significant funding. Sara laid out the game plan – how the process would work, what she would do and what she needed from us. We had a very short window of time to submit our application. Sara’s preparation throughout the process equipped us to submit the final application two days before the deadline! She worked the weekend and long hours. Her leadership, patience with this rookie, willingness to ask clarifying questions of our project and knowledge of the process gave me confidence our grant proposal was the best it could be. I highly recommend Sara’s services! Permit Sara to compete for your business!”
– Stephen P. Puhr, Manager of Development and Strategy, Hopi Tribe Economic Development Corporation
(August 2017, federal grant application)
“Working with Sara has been an unparalleled positive experience. She has a buoyant personality, responds with alacrity and a sharp mind, possesses excellent attention to details, and imbues her work with a genuine passion for helping others. As a rookie, I was able to learn so much from Sara about the process of writing a competitive grant; she elevated our application from a somewhat chaotic proposal into a work of art. An intense week of editing, countless phone calls, meetings, and back-and-forths culminated in a triumphant final draft that we were immensely proud to submit. Sara was super-available, every step of the way. She even cancelled a trip so she could stay in town and continue working on our proposal; she definitely went the extra mile for us! It was an honor to have Sara’s considerable expertise and positive energy guiding us through this process. A New Dawn AZ looks forward to working with Sara again and again; we count her among our ever-growing list of friends and allies. Flagstaff and A New Dawn AZ are fortunate to have her working so hard, and so well, to brighten our community.”
– Macy Kiim, Co-Director, A New Dawn AZ
(July 2017, corporate grant application)
“Our recently-formed nonprofit organization was up and running but lacked a clear strategic focus. Sara led us through a weekend Board retreat in which we were able to articulate who we were and what we believed in and then proceed logically to specific strategic plans and actions. Throughout the process Sara was thoroughly prepared and organized, deeply engaging, quick to appreciate our situational strengths and weaknesses, wonderfully human and articulate, and able to keep us focused and on schedule. Over the years I have participated in numerous strategic planning retreats with many different facilitators. Our retreat with Sara was the most pleasant and productive I can recall. I would confidently recommend her services to any group with strategic or organizational needs.”
– Bert McKinnon, M.D., Vice President of Flagstaff Sports Institute, past Board Chairman of Northern Arizona Healthcare
(April 2017, strategic planning retreat)
“We’ve cultivated a compelling vision for how we might provide the same kinds of opportunities for young, underserved athletes as we do for elite-level Olympians, but had no idea of whether such a concept could prove to be feasible. Sara did an exceptional job of walking us through the process of assessing feasibility, finding potential sources of funding to support our vision, and generally guiding us down the path to bring our project to fruition. She’s simply been an invaluable resource for us and I cannot recommend her highly enough.”
– Sean Anthony, CEO, HYPO2
(November 2016, prospect research)