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We're Nonprofit People,
Through and Through
We're not consultants who learned about nonprofits from a distance. Every member of the Hayse Group team has worked inside mission-driven organizations, navigating tight budgets, demanding grant cycles, and the very real weight of doing meaningful work.
That shared experience is what makes us effective partners. We know the rhythms of your world because we've lived them. When you bring us in, you get colleagues, not contractors.
Meet the Team
Britt Hayse
President
Britt has been working in resource development and grants administration since 2007. She has raised over $15 million in public and private resources for diverse nonprofits in sectors such as education, health, and economic development. She held progressive development positions before founding her consulting firm and now offers grant writing, grant administration, fundraising, and related services to clients in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Education
M.A, International Policy Analysis, Middlebury Institute of International Studies
B.S., International Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Michelle Beach
Senior Grant Writer
Michelle is passionate about social justice and has expertise in the sociology of health, women and gender studies, and human ecology. She has been involved in both nonprofit and academic grant writing for five years. In her free time, Michelle enjoys gardening and yoga.
Education
M.A., Cultural Anthropology, University of Colorado
B.S., Biological Anthropology, James Madison University
Jordan Finke
Senior Grant Writer
Jordan has over 10 years of experience in public policy, communications, and writing. Before joining Hayse Group, he served as Deputy Communications Director at the Ohio House of Representatives. He holds an M.S. in Urban Management from the Technical University of Berlin and a B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University. Jordan has lived and worked in four countries and enjoys traveling and reading nonfiction in his spare time.
Education
M.S., Urban Management, Technical University of Berlin
B.A., Political Science, The Ohio State University
Megan Haeger
Senior Grant Writer
Megan is an accomplished resource development professional with over 15 years of experience and a demonstrated record of success securing 6- and 7-digit grants. She is skilled in public and private grant writing and management, public health and social programming, relationship cultivation and management, environmental health and sustainability, and legal affairs. Before coming to Hayse Group, Megan worked for a large healthcare and social services provider in the HIV space and managed a portfolio of +$132M in grants for 16 locations in five states.
Education
J.D., University of Nebraska College of Law
M.A., Environmental Law, Vermont Law School
B.A., Political Science, University of Arizona
Lessa Manotti
Grants & Marketing Strategist
Lessa Manotti is a nonprofit fundraising strategist with extensive experience generating revenue through fee-for-service models, individual giving, and partnerships with foundations, corporations, and public-sector agencies. Since 2017, she has worked with Hayse Group to secure funding for clients in workforce development, education, and supportive housing, while also advising on marketing, digital strategy, and partnership development.
Education
M.B.A., Social Impact, San Francisco State University
B.S., Marketing & International Business, Pennsylvania State University
Joanna Miller
Grant Writer
Joanna is a nonprofit professional with over 15 years of experience in grant writing. She has served as Director of Grants for the University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO, an international health and education organization, where she directed all pre-award activities. She also served as Senior Grant Writer for a community development financial institution and Senior Director of Development for a children’s services nonprofit, where she directed all grant writing efforts over five states.
Education
M.A., International Human Rights & Nonprofit Administration, University of Denver
B.A., History & Sociology, University of New Mexico
Cassie Newman
Grant Writer
As part of the team at Hayse Group since early 2024, Cassie supports clients with funder research and cultivation strategies; grant writing and reporting; revenue planning; database management; corporate engagement; and external communications. Originally from the mountains in Colorado, a passion for wine led her to Sonoma County, where she now lives with her husband, their two young boys, and a cat.
Education
B.F.A., Drama/Theater Arts and Stagecraft, New York University
Brooke Barber
Grant Writer
Brooke is a fundraising and grant development professional with 10+ years of experience, and has directly secured over $40M+ in funding from government, foundation, corporate, and multilateral sources. She has led grant strategy and proposal development across nonprofit, NGO and humanitarian organizations in the U.S. and abroad, with 4 years of prior field experience in Africa. Based in Fort Collins, CO, she focuses on the intersection of philanthropy, public funding, and community impact.
Education
M.A., Rural Development, University of East Anglia
B.A., Anthropology, Illinois State University​
Diploma in Non-Profit Administration, Louisiana State University
Jenna Boyer
Grant Writer + Evaluation
Jenna has 15+ years of experience in program evaluation, institutional funder relations, and data visualization. In her most recent position, Jenna managed evaluation design and strategy for the US’s largest nonprofit small business lender, becoming the organization’s data expert and building creative solutions to collect hard-to-track metrics. Jenna specializes in logic model development, survey design, and creating synergies between mission, measurement, and donor engagement.
Education
M.P.A., Middlebury Institute of International Studies
B.A. in International Studies & Spanish, University of Oregon
Sara Haimowitz
Grant Writer
Sara holds a Masters in Social Work and worked with children and families for many years. While doing this work, she took an interest in outdoor adventure therapy and started writing grants to lead her own outdoor adventure programs. Discovering a talent for raising money and growing programs from concept to completion, she moved from social work into development and non profit administration. Sara has been in the field of Development for 20 years, raising money for social service, arts and political advocacy organizations.
Education
M.S.W., San Jose State University
B.A., Psychology & Creative Writing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Nicholas Boldt
Grant Writer
Nicholas is a University of California Davis graduate with a B.A. in International Relations now currently working as a grant writer for Hayse Group. Before joining Hayse Group, he spent four years working for Lawrence Berkeley National Lab while pursuing his degree. Outside of work, Nicholas takes an interest in international politics, urbanism, and social justice.
Education
B.A., International Relations, University of California, Davis
Certificate in Software Engineering, General Assembly
Katelynn Regner
Grant Writer
Katelynn has worked in many nonprofit sectors, including workforce development, disability rights, youth programming, and permanent supportive housing, in roles that range from program management to federal grant compliance to grant writing. She is passionate about sharing these skills with nonprofits and helping her community through the power of fundraising.
Education
M.A., Management, Goucher College
B.A., Business Management & Peace Studies, Goucher College
Alyssa Speece
Grant Writer
Alyssa’s first experience with grant writing was as an AmeriCorps VISTA in a small public health department. Since then she’s worked for a national nonprofit and helped community-based organizations find and apply for funding. Alyssa has a special interest in maternal and child health, with a background in midwifery and early childcare.
Education
M.P.H., Oregon State University
B.A., Sociology & Women's Studies, Wayne State University