BearFruit specializes in building the fundraising infrastructure for social impact organizations that want to grow.
We help them develop the strategy and execution to retain current funders, grow existing relationships, and find new donors.
RIPE STRATEGY FUNDING FOR IMPACT.
About BearFruit
We are the team behind your fundraising machine – hungry to help you plant the seeds that bear fruit, so you can raise the funding to make a deep, long-lasting impact on the communities you serve.
We are particularly passionate about working with causes focused on poverty alleviation, helping children, and education.
Fundraising runs on relationships. We help you build the systems and processes that keep those relationships strong — so you retain the donors you have, grow those relationships over time, and find new donors who believe in your mission. That means the right strategy, a clear story of impact, and a systems approach to ensure “the machine” runs no matter what.
Rooted in many years of experience working directly with donors and grantors, our team helps you communicate your needs, impact, and why you’re worthy of investment in a way that’s compelling and clear.
Together, we’ll plant the seeds that bear fruit for years to come.
Together, we will plant the seeds that bear fruit for years to come.
BearFruit Services
- Fundraising Strategy
- Grants Strategy, Writing & Management
- Donor Research & Prospecting
- Fundraising & Executive Leadership Coaching
Our mindset is long-term growth. Fundraising is not complicated, but that does not mean it’s easy – and what you need help with depends on where you are.
It could mean a strategy to deepen your donor relationships, advice on how to reach the right audiences, hands-on help with your grants, or coaching on the day-to-day management of your fundraising and leadership.
Donors give because they trust you, so we start by building, protecting, and growing the relationships you already have before chasing new ones.
Good data tells us who your best donors are and where your time and energy should be dedicated, and we let that same insight shape your marketing and communications, so the two work together instead of apart.
That’s the machine we help you build – one that keeps running, year after year, no matter who’s on your team.
Fundraising Strategy
A clear plan for how you’ll retain, grow, and find funding, built around your mission, your donors, and where you want to go. We help you set priorities and build a roadmap your team can follow.
Grants Strategy, Writing & Management
From researching the right funders to writing winning proposals and tracking every deadline and report, we run your grants program end to end — so nothing falls through the cracks, and every request positions you for investment.
Donor Research & Prospecting
We help you find donors who are the right fit: individuals, foundations, government, and corporations aligned with your mission. That means identifying prospects, understanding what motivates them, and building the pipeline that fuels growth.
Fundraising & Executive Leadership Coaching
One-on-one coaching for leaders and fundraisers who want to grow their confidence and lead with more clarity, whether that’s mastering donor conversations, sharpening strategic thinking, or stepping into a bigger executive role.
BearFruit’s Approach
At its core, successful fundraising – and life in general, for that matter – is about relationships. Therefore, it is important that we understand your relationships with funders and how you navigate them to seek investment in your mission. Simply, it is about aligning your mission and programming to those funders who are the most interested in what you do and the issues you help solve.
Our approach starts with understanding your needs. We ask a lot of questions about your fundraising, marketing, data, and grant writing such as:
- How you ask for funding – key messages, the need you address, your impact and outcomes, your positioning in the market
- Why funders invest in your cause
- What separates your organization and services from others
- Your strategic framework/vision
We don’t just sit behind a desk. We are strategic and proactive in how we think about supporting and augmenting your funding needs.
Our Team
The BearFruit team is made up of fundraising strategists, grant writers, former grantors, project managers, and communicators who bring deep experience in social impact.
Sam has spent his 25-year career as a fundraiser, writer, and marketing executive. His purpose in life, and his drive, come from helping others and making an impact on the world.
His experience spans global, national, and local philanthropy. Sam leads BearFruit’s fundraising strategy work with clients and builds the internal processes that free our team to focus on client strategy and service.
Prior to founding the company, Sam spent 10 years as Chief Development Officer at Junior Achievement of Arizona, guiding the organization to its most successful fundraising in history, fueling its impact on more than 170,000 K-12 students annually. During his tenure, Sam re-designed the fundraising team, and together, they nearly tripled annual giving and raised more than $40 million to support the organization’s community impact and student outcomes.
He started his career in advertising and public relations, co-founding and running his own PR agency, serving clients such as Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity, Dunkin’ Donuts, Cox Communications and NPR.
Sam has an MBA and BA in journalism from Arizona State University. He was a 2021 Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Fellow and was honored as a “40 Under 40” by the Business Journal. He has also served as chairperson and board member for education, social services and healthcare nonprofits. But, most of all, Sam is a proud husband and father to two beautiful daughters.
Vanessa is a bilingual executive with a distinguished career in journalism, higher education, and community advocacy. She co-leads our growth strategy and heads our coaching division for female leaders.
At Arizona State University, Vanessa led a team of over 100 professionals as Deputy Vice President of Educational Outreach and Student Services, reaching more than 100,000 students annually through partnerships with K-12 schools, foundations, nonprofits, and corporations across Arizona.
Prior to ASU, Vanessa spent over 20 years as an international journalist — including as the main evening news anchor at the NBC affiliate in Phoenix and the youngest news anchor for Telemundo International in Miami — delivering stories to millions of U.S. and Latin American viewers in English and Spanish, from interviews with heads of state to on-the-ground coverage of the Rio Olympics, and reporting on issues impacting the western U.S., with the PBS News Hour.
A three-time Emmy winner, Vanessa was named a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Phoenix Business Journal and received the 2024 Tribute to Leadership Award from the YWCA of Metropolitan Phoenix. She holds a B.S. in Communications from Florida International University and a Master in Liberal Studies from Arizona State University. She has served on numerous community boards, including Friends of KJZZ, CALA, ASU’s Women’s Faculty Caucus and currently sits on the board of the Phoenix Art Museum.
As Chief of Staff, Maria owns the BearFruit strategy and operations, advises social impact organizations on funder relationships and organizational capacity, and mentors our grants and fundraising team.
She brings 35 years of experience in philanthropic strategy and community investment, including a 31-year career at Bank of America, most recently as Senior Vice President and Community Relations Manager for the Phoenix market. She began her career in housing and community development in local government.
At Bank of America, Maria oversaw more than $20 million in charitable foundation grants advancing racial equity and economic opportunity and led the bank’s Jobs Initiative — including its investment in ASU’s Leverage AZ program. Across the West and Southwest, she shaped market strategies that aligned business priorities, corporate responsibility, and community leadership.
Her commitment to service is personal: her parents faced inequity and discrimination yet built strong families rooted in love and resilience — experiences that continue to shape her drive to expand opportunity for others.
Maria serves on the boards of Arizona Impact for Good and member of Arizona Community Foundation’s Latinas in Philanthropy & Service and is a longtime volunteer with Year Up and Boys & Girls Clubs’ AZ Youthforce. She holds a BA from Arizona State University, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and is a Six Sigma Green Belt.
Maria and her husband, Craig, raised their four daughters in Gilbert, Arizona. Outside of work, she loves visiting her grandchildren, indoor cycling classes, and catching local concerts with Craig.
Linda has spent her 20-year career as a grant writer and manager, working for both government agencies and non-profits alike. Her purpose and drive are helping organizations build the capabilities to secure new and sustained funding.
Linda has worked with several Arizona and Texas organizations to build effective, efficient grant offices, including the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the cities of Goodyear, AZ and San Antonio, TX, Dallas CASA, Childhelp, Inc., Central Arizona Shelter Services, and Save the Family Foundation of Arizona.
During her 8 years with Save the Family, Linda grew the organization’s foundation and corporate grants from $300,000 to more than $1.5M, developing systems to track, monitor, and execute all grant research, writing, and reporting.
Linda earned a Master of Public Administration and a B.S. in Justice Studies, both from Arizona State University. Her entry into grants began as a Project Assistant for the City of Goodyear, where she secured the city’s first parks and recreation grant — and later, a $6M grant for the City of San Antonio that expanded its 9-1-1 capabilities.
Linda is most passionate about children and family issues and serves on the Board of Arizona’s local chapter of the Grant Professionals Association. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and is passionate about nature and fitness.
Jill is a nonprofit executive dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations amplify their impact through strategic grant writing, donor engagement, and community outreach. With nearly two decades of experience in fundraising, grant writing, marketing, and event management, she brings a comprehensive, results-oriented approach to nonprofit sustainability.
Most recently, as development and communications manager at Collier Youth Services, Jill oversaw growth for critical programs to help at-risk youth, leading the full grant lifecycle from prospect research to stewardship.
Jill also led the launch of a $1.3 million capital campaign and increased event revenues by 40% in her first year, directing multi-channel fundraising and marketing initiatives to deepen donor engagement.
Jill holds a Master of Urban Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a BA in sociology from the College of the Holy Cross, and a Mini MBA in digital marketing from Rutgers Business School. She is a former Peace Corps volunteer, having served in Kingston, Jamaica.
When she’s not helping nonprofits reach their potential, Jill can be found hiking, baking, and spending time with her husband, John, and their dog, Carrie.
Angie is a development and fundraising strategist with over 10 years of experience driving revenue growth, building high-impact partnerships, and securing transformative funding for mission-driven organizations. She specializes in grant strategy, donor engagement, and systems-building that enable sustainable, long-term impact.
Angie has led successful fundraising initiatives across Arizona, Washington D.C., and Chicago nonprofits, spanning human services, education, food security, and violence prevention. Her work has helped organizations secure 5-7 figure gifts, including a $2 million award — the largest in one organization’s 30-year history.
Angie holds a BBA from Indiana University and certifications in grant seeking, fundraising, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She is deeply committed to advocating for underserved communities through thoughtful, relationship-driven philanthropy.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, nature, the arts, and trying new restaurants.
As Administrative Manager, Marcela Botero keeps BearFruit’s operations, marketing, and internal systems running smoothly. In her role, she manages the company’s day-to-day administrative needs, leads marketing and creative execution – from branded content to email campaigns and the company website – and oversees the workflows and operational infrastructure to help BearFruit clients raise more money.
Marcela brings more than 10 years of experience in operations, project management, visual communication, branding, and process optimization. Before joining BearFruit, she spent a decade with Ventolini, one of the most well-known restaurant chains in Colombia, coordinating communications, production workflows, packaging, and budgets across multidisciplinary teams. Previously, she held operations and leadership roles with Balsora Hotel, La Sucursal en Casa, and Thinkjaca.
She holds a bachelor’s in graphic design from Instituto Departamental de Bellas Artes, a Master’s in Branding and Packaging Design from ESdesign Barcelona, and a postgraduate diploma in Strategic Communications from Universidad de La Sabana.