We empower nonprofits to
make the world a better place.

Co-founder, Managing Partner & Chief Strategist

As co-founder, managing partner, and chief strategist of IPM, Russ has advised some of the most influential and impactful nonprofits and nonprofit leaders in the U.S. Russ' work is at the intersection of philanthropy, fundraising, strategic communications, content creation, marketing, brand development, and analytics. He has a proven track record of conceptualizing and implementing visionary, innovative solutions to achieve individual, team, and institutional goals. His programmatic and creative achievements have been nationally recognized with awards from both the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education (CASE) and the American Marketing Association (AMA). Russ has been a featured author, speaker, and presenter on strategic communications and constituent engagement with CASE, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the National League of Cities, and the Bridge Conference.

Connect with Russ on LinkedIn

Read more about Russ in our one-on-one interview here

Partner & CEO

As partner & CEO, Samantha Timlick serves as chief executive and head of operations, and leads IPM's team. She has been with IPM Advancement since launch, working with nonprofit clients on donor renewal, appeal, stewardship, and acquisition programs encompassing more than 250 million total recipients across all fundraising channels — including highly segmented direct mail microtargeting, personalized inbound and outbound telemarketing, and integrated e-campaigns. 

Connect with Samantha on LinkedIn

Read more about Samantha in our one-on-one interview here

Partner & Executive VP

As partner & executive VP, Matt Laughlin leads IPM's client solutions in nonprofit telefundraising. Matt is a seasoned fundraising professional with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has held roles such as vice president, client services with MDS Communications and Strategic Fundraising. Matt is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations achieve their goals through effective donor engagement and telemarketing strategies.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Read more about Matt in our one-on-one interview here

Co-founder & Senior Consultant

Jack Padovano, co-founder of IPM Advancement, works with nonprofit clients to create strategic, multi-channel donor and member engagement plans.  As a direct response professional with more than 30 years of experience in leadership and management positions, Jack focuses on the intersection of direct mail, telemarketing and online fundraising.  He has conceptualized and executed mail, phone and web programs for nonprofit organizations, national political candidates, and advocacy campaigns.  Jack began his career in direct marketing with ad agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (now Saatchi & Saatchi).  He later served as marketing director, and then president, at Wolferman’s.

Connect with Jack on LinkedIn

CFO

Kelly Burkhardt has worked with staff, clients, and vendors since IPM Advancement launched in order to coordinate the necessary resources for projects to be delivered cost-effectively and on time.  Whether making sure postage is ready, adequate materials are in place, or additional in-house staff need to be scheduled to meet project needs, Kelly’s career experience in hospitality is crucial to IPM.  She is also responsible for our daily accounting and general office management and has more than 25 years of experience in the field.  In her role, Kelly oversees client billing, vendor payments, project profit and loss analyses, and human resources.

VP of Operations

Joe Kubalek’s background in project management provides expertise for interfacing and coordinating with IPM Advancement clients to implement a variety of direct mail fundraising and telemarketing projects.  Responsible for all aspects of telemarketing programs from set up to return files, Joe is focused on meeting deadlines, ensuring program accuracy, and real-time monitoring and review of client programs.  With an eye towards advancements in technology, Joe assists in the development and implementation of new phone and mobile services.  He also manages production of smaller, specialized, high-touch leadership, major gifts, and planned giving direct mail projects for our clients.

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CTO

Todd Thisby has worked in the computer and telecommunication field for more than 25 years. He has held several leadership positions including network/system administrator, information systems manager, and technology consultant. As chief technology officer, Todd brings a depth of experience, technical skill, and management capabilities to IPM Advancement, where he supports IT administration and management operations as well as data analysis for client programs. He uses his knowledge of database management, analysis, and applications to analyze client files and ensure the highest quality output, resulting in higher ROI for clients’ targeted and strategic direct mail, email, and telemarketing projects.

Visual Design Artist

Dan is a graphic and web designer with more than 25 years of experience specializing in visual identity design, direct mail, print collateral, custom web sites, and CSS/HTML programming.  He has led creative and branding efforts for a variety of industry clients including Cold Stone Creamery, China Mist Tea, and Banner Health.  As an expert visual design artist for direct response communications, Dan provides IPM Advancement with a sharp eye for aligning visual communications with nonprofit fundraising strategy.

Associate Visual Designer

Kendall works with IPM as an Associate Visual Designer.  With a passion for design, illustration, and organically inspired handwork, she brings a fresh approach focused on clean, contemporary designs.  Certified in Inbound Marketing and Google AdWords, Kendall combines intuitive design with competent marketing strategies to create compelling visuals for print and digital assets.

Digital Content Producer

As Digital Content Producer, Curtis oversees the creation and distribution of online media including IPM’s nonprofit resources library. He is also the producer of IPM’s podcast, NPFX: The Nonprofit Fundraising Exchange, where he brings together IPM leadership, strategic partners, and other nonprofit experts to share their wisdom and perspective on the latest and most important topics in nonprofit fundraising, acquisition, and advocacy. From 2013 to 2019, Curtis served as a fundraising copywriter for nonprofit clients including Autism Speaks, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and more. In addition to his background as a content creator, Curtis has decades of experience in digital audio production, website design, film/video production, digital course creation, and blogging.

Senior Consultant

Rich is a nationally recognized fundraising consultant and nonprofit strategist with more than 35 years of experience in the sector. As Senior Consultant with IPM, he partners with organizations nationwide to build sustainable fundraising programs, strengthen governance, and drive strategic growth. A Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer, Rich has worked with nonprofits of all sizes to help them navigate complex development challenges. His expertise spans capital campaigns, strategic planning, board governance, feasibility studies, and fundraising program assessments. Before consulting, Rich was a senior fundraising and executive leader at some of the most respected arts, higher education, and healthcare organizations, including the Walton Arts Center, Arizona State University, and Dignity Health. He has also served on numerous boards over the past three decades and is president of the Arizona Academy of Performing Arts. This experience gives him a deep understanding of building high-performing development programs and engaging board members in meaningful, results-driven ways.

Connect with Rich on LinkedIn

Read more about Rich in our one-on-one interview here

Consultant

Frank Baselice has a passion for marketing honed over a 30+ year career influencing brand perceptions, crafting compelling strategies, and implementing tactics to accomplish business objectives. He brings a contagious enthusiasm and unique blend of art and science to every client engagement. Frank and his teams have delighted accounts such as The Center for Services Leadership in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, the Franciscan Renewal Center, Sojourner Center, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and many others. Frank holds a BS degree from Northern Arizona University and lives in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix.

Consultant

Alan has worked in the non-profit sector for over 30 years.  He has held positions at The Nature Conservancy Arizona, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation, and Valley of the Sun United Way.  Alan is a Certified Fund Raising Executive from the Association of Fund Raising Professionals and earned a diploma from the National Planned Giving Institute from the College of William and Mary.  He has served as the President of the Greater Arizona Planned Giving Roundtable in Phoenix and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Estate Planning Council.  Alan also has served as an officer on the Greater Arizona and San Diego chapters of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and received the Greater Arizona Chapter’s President’s Award in 2012.

Read more about Alan in our one-on-one interview here

Consultant

A seasoned philanthropic and community-engagement professional, Michele has a deep passion for creating opportunities that educate and assist people in giving back to their community. Her work supporting nonprofit organizations focuses on building and maximizing donor relationships that result in greater levels of giving. Michele also has a rare expertise in effecting strategies that acknowledge the role and importance of women donors and their impact on the future of philanthropy.
Michele has served the nonprofit and fundraising industry for more than 28 years developing innovative programs. She has worked with large and small organizations, education and healthcare institutions, social services and communities. Michele also serves as a highly regarded speaker for many conferences and symposiums. Prior to her consultant career, Michele led the ASU Foundation’s Women & Philanthropy program for nearly a decade, creating innovative and strategic opportunities for female donors that inspired continuous growth in engagement and individual contributions. Under her leadership, Women & Philanthropy became a renowned pathway for female community leaders to make meaningful financial and intellectual impacts on the future of higher education.

Consultant

Melissa has 20 years of experience in philanthropy, strategic planning, and programming for art museums and higher education institutions across the United States, including School of the Art Institute of Chicago ($50M campaign), Columbia University ($4B campaign), Pérez Art Museum Miami, and Parsons School of Design. She has worked with internationally renowned cultural, corporate, and academic leaders, philanthropists, collectors, and artists. A philanthropy consultant for nonprofit organizations, an advisor to next generation philanthropists, and arts advocate working across industries, she was named to the Artnet 2020 Innovators List as one of 51 global innovators transforming the art industry. Melissa founded advising firm MCW Projects LLC in 2017 to expand the next generation of cultural philanthropists, advocates, and audiences. She is also the founding director of the Arts Funders Forum (AFF) an advocacy, media, convening, and research platform designed to develop new models of impact-driven financial support for the cultural sector. Clients, collaborators, and partners include cultural organizations, museums, foundations, family offices, philanthropists, collectors, financial institutions, media companies, universities, galleries, artists, art fairs, auction houses, and corporations throughout the world. Her work has been profiled in The New York Times, Financial Times, Inside Philanthropy, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Art Newspaper, Artnet News, and more. Melissa is a contributor to Artnet and The International Family Offices Journal, a member of the World Economic Forum Arts & Culture Global Solidarity Network, and a frequent speaker on cultural philanthropy.

Read more about Melissa in our one-on-one interview here

Consultant

Gina is a Certified Fundraising Executive, Certified Grant Writer, AFP Master Trainer and trained Strategic Planning Facilitator with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from State University of New York and Certificates in Nonprofit Board Consulting and Board Education from Boardsource. Possessing nearly 20 years of experience in leadership and development for patients advocacy/ non profit health organizations, specifically for those serving patients with rare or stigmatized conditions, Gina provides strategic planning, fundraising planning and execution, Board and staff development, therapeutic advancement and engagement with industry to patient advocacy groups. Gina has worked with the Alport Syndrome Foundation and has held executive director positions with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, American Liver Foundation, and Muscular Dystrophy Association. She is frequently asked to speak at conferences and trainings, including the National Organization for Rare Disorder Summit's plenary session on Ethical Engagement of Industry, and World Orphan Drug Congress. She has also served as a consultant for numerous publications, including resources developed for Global Genes.

Consultant

Colton C. Strawser, PhD is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, AFP Master Trainer®, Certified Nonprofit Professional, and Certified Facilitator of the Core Capacity Assessment Tool with TCC Group. As a practitioner and academic, Dr. Strawser’s consulting work primarily focuses on organizational assessment, program evaluation, capacity building, and research. Most of his nonprofit experience involves working with foundations, education nonprofits, and social service agencies. He has served as a university faculty member where he has taught courses on nonprofit management, fundraising, community development, and program evaluation. Dr. Strawser completed his PhD in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Leadership at The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego.

Read more about Colton in our one-on-one interview here

Consultant

Beth has served the not-for-profit sector for more than 35 years, specializing in transformational giving, vision casting, inspiring boards, and building passionate, effective teams.  Her career began at The Carter Center of Emory University where she discovered the powerful impact of philanthropy when combined with the promise of inspired thinking. Beth has been instrumental in cultivating major gifts for capital campaigns in healthcare, two presidential libraries, higher education,  K-12 independent schools and social service organizations. Prior to her move to Kansas City, she spent the majority of her career in Tampa, Florida where she facilitated philanthropic support for medical institutions including The Moffitt Cancer Center, University Community Hospital, and the University of South Florida Health Sciences System. As a subject expert in Individual and Principal giving, Beth understands the crucial, foundational role that articulating a compelling vision plays in maximizing donor investment. Beth is a graduate of Emory University, and received her MBA from the University of South Florida.  She currently resides in Kansas City and serves on the Boards of the Truman Heartland Community Foundation and Community Services League in Independence, Missouri.

Connect with Beth on LinkedIn

Read more about Beth in our one-on-one interview here

Consultant

Josh has spent his career in nonprofit, initially as a crisis counselor and later in external relations. For over a decade, he has worked in public interest communication. He served as the communication director for Cure Violence, an internationally renowned violence prevention program featured in the award-winning film The Interrupters. Josh helmed the rebrand of Integrate Health, a global health initiative in West Africa, on two continents — helping increase their budget by nearly $1 million and propelling the organization forward as a thought leader. Most recently, Josh led communication efforts for Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH), a Program Office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focused on national multi-sector data sharing to address social determinants of health. As a creative, Josh has applied his craft to writing, spoken word, filmmaking, comic books, and other media. His nonfiction has been published in PopMatters, The Guardian, Huffington Post, and Medium.

Read more about Josh in our one-on-one interview here