Jennifer
McKenzieFounder & Principal Consultant · Organized Synergy, LLC
I’m not a fundraiser. I’m a strategist who has helped organizations secure more than $15 million by making their work clear, credible, and fundable.
Funding follows clarity, not charisma.
Dollars don’t move because of a polished ask. They move when a funder can see exactly what an organization does, who it serves, what it costs, and why it will last. My methodology approaches fundraising as a business and design problem — built on what I know works about what to communicate to funders, and how.
Program Design
A clear model of what the program is, who it serves, and how it works in practice — before a single ask is made.
Impact Measurement
Defining the outcomes that matter and showing, credibly, that the work produces them.
Financial Clarity
Financials a funder can read and trust — cost per outcome, sustainability, and a story the numbers actually support.
Team Capacity
Demonstrating that leadership, governance, and infrastructure can deliver on what the organization commits to.
Sustainability
Positioning each opportunity within a durable funding picture, not a one-time gift.
Funder Alignment
Meeting the informational and relational needs of each funder — including demonstrated support from others.
secured across foundations, public agencies, and financial institutions — a cross-section of funder types, each with different priorities and different definitions of a credible case.
- The Ingram White Castle Foundation
- The Columbus Foundation — Targeted Fund
- The Columbus Foundation — Equity Fund
- The Columbus Foundation — Unsolicited / Non-Competitive Fund
- City of Columbus, Dept. of Development
- City of Columbus, Dept. of Education
- Columbus City Council — Discretionary Funds (former Pro Tem Elizabeth Brown)
- Franklin County Jobs & Family Services
- Franklin County Office of Justice Policy & Programs (TCAP)
- ADAMH of Franklin County
- Huntington National Bank
- KeyBank
- First Merchants Bank
- JPMorgan Chase
A representative sample — not an exhaustive list.
What the method produces.
The same discipline that has moved $15M+ shows up as concrete deliverables. A typical fundraising engagement produces four:
Funder Research & Alignment
Mission-aligned funders identified, with insight on what each funds, what they prioritize, and where alignment exists.
Program Definition (Logic Model)
A structured working session with leadership to align on a clear, fundable program model.
Case for Support
A concise case for support plus a one-page set of board talking points for funding conversations.
90-Day Fundraising Plan
A prioritized action plan with funder outreach guidance and clear next steps.
“My job is to make the work impossible to overlook — so when an organization pursues funding, it isn’t just visible. It’s compelling.”