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I’m passionate about writing, from the first draft to the last.
My mission is to help you translate big ideas into powerful narratives that get and keep the attention of leadership, donors, and people of influence.
Writing is fundamental to any program or development project. Good writing matters, every project, every time.
See my Short Takes articles to learn about my approach to writing.
Contact MarthaI love what I do
President, Shared Cause
I have worked for nonprofits and with parents, hospitals, health centers, universities, foundations, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), and many others to launch programs to improve health and learning. I was a home visitor for teen mothers and helped young people in public housing start a teen center. I managed the implementation of a hospital-based domestic violence program and directed a multi-sector partnership with 12 BPS schools to assess student needs and design models to help them do well in school. I ran programs for Planned Parenthood, supervised the programs and operations of a large nonprofit, and directed Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s community health programs.
Since starting my business in 2004, I have worked for over 60 diverse organizations, from the smallest to the biggest. Each experience informs every project, often in vivid memories about the realities of families and the challenges of nonprofits.
About the Beads
These beautiful beads were made at Kazuri, a wonderful place in Nairobi where women learn skills, make jewelry, and have stable employment. It’s a place of hope for their futures. For me, Kazuri represents hope for our world. Like your programs. It’s why I do what I do.I love what I do
I have worked for nonprofits and with parents, hospitals, health centers, universities, foundations, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), and many others to launch programs to improve health and learning. I was a home visitor for teen mothers and helped young people in public housing start a teen center. I managed the implementation of a hospital-based domestic violence program and directed a multi-sector partnership with 12 BPS schools to assess student needs and design models to help them do well in school. I ran programs for Planned Parenthood, supervised the programs and operations of a large nonprofit, and directed Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s community health programs.
Since starting my business in 2004, I have worked for over 60 diverse organizations, from the smallest to the biggest. Each experience informs every project, often in vivid memories about the realities of families and the challenges of nonprofits.
About the Beads
These beautiful beads were made at Kazuri, a wonderful place in Nairobi where women learn skills, make jewelry, and have stable employment. It’s a place of hope for their futures. For me, Kazuri represents hope for our world. Like your programs. It’s why I do what I do.President, Shared Cause
What I do
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Any kind of document for any kind of donor
Writing is a strategic activity that reflects your entire organization. Powerful documents integrate input from key players, community data, organizational information, program designs, and evaluation models using cohesive, persuasive language. To create stand-out documents I:
- Manage teams across leadership, staff, providers, and community partners.
- Distill diverse perspectives into compelling narratives.
- Draft, edit, and re-draft as many times as needed.
- Prepare detailed plans to complete the work on schedule.
I write about topics from health care, the environment, education, racial and social justice, the arts, housing, climate, and even physics.
Products: proposals, reports, talking points, mission statements, and more.
Cases for support
I specialize in brief, persuasive cases for support that describe what you do, how you do it, and why it matters. These documents imagine a better future and inspire engagement by leadership and donors. They:
- Anchor your work within the broader social context.
- Imagine the future by articulating your big ideas, priorities, and models.
- Inspire engagement with compelling and persuasive language.
- Can be used for proposals, campaign documents, presentations, or talking points for trustees, volunteers, staff, and others who promote what you do.
Development plans and assessments
I help organizations assess, improve, and guide their Development programs with:
- A review of organizational materials, budgets, and funding.
- Interviews with board members and leadership, development staff and committees, donors, community partners, and/or external experts.
- Consideration of trends and influences in the field.
- A final presentation and report that incudes next steps toward long-term goals.
I share what I learn
Short Takes. My monthly one-page articles about aspects of writing for donors are read by hundreds of writers of all kinds. Examples include: Keep it Short: The Case for Brevity and Equity in Writing.
Be a better writer
Wordy documents can distract - or worse, frustrate - even your most engaged supporters. In this 30-minute session, we’ll discuss tips for brevity in writing that:
- Clears out the clutter to get and keep the attention of busy readers.
- Quickly directs them to the most important content.
- Energizes your narrative with clever strategies.
- Polishes it with careful editing.
I care about quality
I personally deliver all services, stay in touch, and complete work on time. I prioritize accuracy and accountability and I’m accessible and flexible.
I stay calm when deadlines loom, and believe work should be fun whenever possible.
Some examples
What I do
Any kind of document for any kind of donor
Writing is a strategic activity that reflects your entire organization. Powerful documents integrate input from key players, community data, organizational information, program designs, and evaluation models using cohesive, persuasive language. To create stand-out documents I:
- Manage teams across leadership, staff, providers, and community partners.
- Distill diverse perspectives into compelling narratives.
- Draft, edit, and re-draft as many times as needed.
- Prepare detailed plans to complete the work on schedule.
I write about topics from health care, the environment, education, racial and social justice, the arts, housing, climate, and even physics.
Products: proposals, reports, talking points, mission statements, and more.
Cases for Support
I specialize in brief, persuasive cases for support that describe what you do, how you do it, and why it matters. These documents imagine a better future and inspire engagement by leadership and donors. They:
- Anchor your work within the broader social context.
- Imagine the future by articulating your big ideas, priorities, and models.
- Inspire engagement with compelling and persuasive language.
- Can be used for proposals, campaign documents, presentations, or talking points for trustees, volunteers, staff, and others who promote what you do.
Development plans and assessments
I help organizations assess, improve, and guide their Development programs with:
- A review of organizational materials, budgets, and funding.
- Interviews with board members and leadership, development staff and committees, donors, community partners, and/or external experts.
- Consideration of trends and influences in the field.
- A final presentation and report that incudes next steps toward long-term goals.
I share what I learn
Short Takes. My monthly one-page articles about aspects of writing for donors are read by hundreds of writers of all kinds. Examples include: Keep it Short: The Case for Brevity and Equity in Writing.
Be a better writer
In this 30-minute session, we’ll discuss tips for brevity in writing that:- Clears out the clutter to get and keep the attention of busy readers.
- Quickly directs them to the most important content.
- Energizes your narrative with clever strategies.
- Polishes it with careful editing.
I care about quality
I personally deliver all services, stay in touch, and complete work on time. I prioritize accuracy and accountability and I’m accessible and flexible.
I stay calm when deadlines loom, and believe work should be fun whenever possible.
Martha efficiently packages information from multiple sources into grants with impact. On a scale of one to ten, Martha is a ten plus!
Director of Development
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Program Manager and Supervisor, MGH Chelsea Health Care Center
Some examples
A college planned to prepare a proposal for a person of influence to launch a bold new initiative. The institution’s leadership formed a national planning team of internal and external experts, and hired me to manage the writing and editing process. During three rounds of conference calls, the team reviewed and edited successive drafts. Within weeks, a final version was completed and submitted.
A public health organization had a report due to a state department of public health with results from eight focus groups with 52 young people at risk of gun violence. I received their comments on a Saturday morning, reviewed and organized them into themes, drafted and edited the report, and submitted it to my client first thing Monday morning.
The leaders of a New York City hospital’s human rights program decided to apply for a grant from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). I worked virtually with the director to prepare this complex application—the first of its kind for the applicant—that received a perfect score from the ORR.
A large program in a teaching hospital planned a fundraising campaign and needed a concise case statement for use by hospital trustees when talking with donors. I worked with the development office to prepare a strong three-page draft, integrate feedback from the program’s leadership team, and finalize the document with input from the committee.