Matt began his development career in 1988 as a development associate, and then director of development at a think tank in San Francisco. After completing graduate studies, Matt worked for Forbes Magazine and then founded Bola Associates, a consulting firm in New York to service clients in non-profit housing development, inner-city education, and arts-in-education. In 1995, Matt moved his firm to Massachusetts, and in 2000 merged Bola Associates with FDA. During his career, Matt has raised more than $50 million for clients in education, libraries, museums, housing and homeless sheltering, land conservation and environmental advocacy, arts-in-education and the arts. Recent career highlights have included completing a $9 million library project in Chicopee, developing new mentoring and tutoring initiatives for the Springfield School Volunteers, assisting the New England Forestry Foundation in developing and implementing a $28 million campaign to secure 700,000+ acres of Maine forest land, and securing several million dollars in New Markets Tax Credits for Holyoke Public Library capital campaign project.
Matt graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in history and government and received a Master of Arts Degree from the University of California, San Diego in 1990.
Claudia has worked in development since 1992, helping a diverse array of organizations enhance their capacity and meet their fundraising goals. A founding partner of Financial Development Agency, Claudia combines a focus on the firm’s daily operations with the management of all grant-related services. Claudia specializes in grants research, grant writing and reporting, corporate and foundation relations, and the creation of capital campaign and other fundraising materials. She enjoys her volunteer role as the Coordinating Chair of the Samuel Minot Jones Awards for Literary Achievement for the Jones Library of Amherst.
Claudia graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in English and received a Master of Library and Information Science Degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Megan has extensive experience in higher education advancement. She worked in Annual Giving and Regional Advancement for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute raising funds for the Annual Fund as well as connecting alumni through events around the country. Returning to her alma mater, Megan served in a major gifts capacity raising funds for the college’s endowment, for capital needs, and for the annual fund. Since joining FDA, Megan has provided guidance in campaign management and feasibility studies for a variety of clients. Megan has a B.A. from Union College and a Master of Business Administration from Bay Path University.
Sarah Tanner has worked in the resource development field for over 30 years. Tanner started her career at the Mile High United Way, serving as a marketing manager for information and referral services. She continued her tenure with the United Way system serving in leadership positions with United Way of New York City, United Way of Hampshire County (Northampton, MA), and United Way of Pioneer Valley (Springfield, MA) where she served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications and Resource Development. She has also served in development positions with UMass Libraries (Amherst, MA) and Noble Health Systems (Westfield, MA). Sarah brings a strong background in strategic planning and communications for nonprofits, as well as extensive experience in annual fundraising and executive leadership, to the agency.
Sarah received her Master of Public Administration degree from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado. She earned her B.S. from the School of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.