Who We Are
We Exist to Help Nonprofits THRIVE.
We know what it feels like to be stressed, without resources, without answers, or a plan. We understand how challenging it can be to have a lot of priorities and not enough knowledge or expertise.
We believe that all nonprofits deserve to do good, better, with confidence, capital, and support. We promise to improve your knowledge, expertise, and competency for your organization, as well as for your professional growth.
We will lead you through to competency with our Core Values of:
- Clear Communication: Our goal is to help you not only do good, better, but to clearly understand and be able to act on the guidance we provide.
- Objective Assessment: We will use data in defining the what and the how in guiding you forward.
- Identified Outcomes: Working with you to define specific targets and expectations toward which we will guide your work.
- Measurable Achievement: Your work will always have a way to measure success, to ensure your outcomes are aligned to your goals.
Sondra Lintelmann-Dellaripa
President and Principal Consultant
Sondra Lintelmann-Dellaripa is the principal consultant at Harvest Development Group, LLC. A twenty-plus-year veteran of the philanthropy industry, Sondra specializes in assessment, strategic planning, revenue development, research, and board relations. Her professional experience includes Vice President of the ECHN Community Healthcare Foundation, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Director of Development for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership as well as Community Director for the National March of Dimes. Additionally, she has provided counsel for a wide variety of national nonprofits, helping to define and re-energize philanthropy programs, recruit outstanding leadership, and facilitate vision and strategy.
Sondra’s professional enjoyment comes from improving underperforming or new philanthropy programs, enhancing trustee engagement, building strategic direction, and growing leadership. She is an elected governor to the Board of Governors for (the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives (NANOE) and past director of the board of the Disaster Accountability Project out of Washington DC.
Sondra has been a frequent conference speaker over the last 12 years, presenting at Blackbaud’s International Conference on Philanthropy, NACHRI-The National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, The Center for Nonprofit Success, and OEG Fundraising conferences along the east coast, as well as curriculum development and instruction at the Ct. Association of Nonprofits. Her presentations include corporate social responsibility, creating balanced fundraising programs, improving board fundraising, innovation, capital campaign management, and building a better board. She can also be heard on her podcast CHARITY CASE, where she uncovers – and tries to resolve – the best of the worst of the nonprofit world. She is a frequently published freelance contributor to a variety of nonprofit association journals and newsletters
Melanie Cecarelli
Partner, Vice President & Client Relations Director
Melanie joined Harvest Development Group in August 2014 as Interim Development Director for The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Connecticut, and later named Partner and Vice President of Client Relations oversees projects and consultants throughout Harvest’s engagement with clients. She is the lead on all client recruitment activity, and through the Careers Blossom Division, works with professionals advancing their careers in the nonprofit sector, creating a community of talented candidates.
Melanie was the catalyst for the Masterminds Founders, a small group of women nonprofit executives throughout Connecticut, to share insights and best practices as they lead their organizations.
Melanie enjoyed a long and successful career as a Senior Implementation Consultant and Strategic Director at Aetna, a CVS Company in the National Accounts Division where she successfully managed the transition of business for notable customers including ExxonMobil and The Washington Post Company.
Melanie served on several nonprofit boards, including the Board of Trustees at the University of Saint Joseph (CT), where she also served as the University’s Alumni Council President and was later awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award for her commitment to the University and Greater Hartford Community. It was through her volunteerism to several nonprofit organizations that lead her to her next career in the nonprofit sector.
After her corporate career, Melanie transitioned to the nonprofit sector and is an alum of the Encore! Hartford nonprofit program and began her new career at United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut where she furthered the launch of their Women’s United affinity group. Melanie was responsible for creating their signature event, “Power of the Purse” which raised over $1M in five years to support financial literacy programs for women and early childhood reading programs.
John Hesslein
SENIOR CONSULTANT, MEDIA, PUBLIC INFORMATION, and COMMUNICATIONS
John’s successful career in broadcasting and digital platforms brings resources, strategy, and tactics to our clients in Media and PR, as Senior Consultant for Harvest and leads our subscription Media and PR service “ENGAGE”.
In addition to leading this division, John’s broad experience in development and marketing, as well as in crisis communications, campaign publicity, and media training, offers a deep resource of knowledge and expertise on strategy, implementation of brand awareness, and cultivation of visibility to our clients.
From his start as an account executive and on-air talent with Berkshire Broadcasting, to his executive role as Vice President and General Manager for Meredith Corporation, an American media conglomerate owning Western Mass Media in Springfield, John’s talent for building authentic relationships, developing solutions to advance corporate objectives, and increasing market and revenue share earned him an honored place in the circle of media leaders as the recipient of the Edward R. Murrow National Award in late breaking video coverage. He brings this knowledge and thought leadersip, along with his experience on a variety of nonprofit boards and his family’s philanthropic practices, to his role at Harvest.
Phillip Simon
Phillip Simon has been creating digital media productions and distance training for more than two decades. He specializes in interactive program design, content strategy, information architecture, and is a photographer and video maker. Phillip also has expertise in online learning systems. He created and produced Web-based interventions for the Yale School of Nursing and Veterans Administration and managed online training projects for Yale University, Yale-New Haven Health System, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Quinnipiac University.
Phill is currently a senior teaching professor in the Department of Interactive Media and Design and director of the Interactive Media and Communications graduate program at Quinnipiac University and has taught courses in user experience design, content strategy, visual design, photography, and project planning. Before joining Quinnipiac in 2009, Phillip worked at Yale University as a video producer, managing editor of the Center for Advanced Instructional Media, director of the Department of Biomedical Communications, and director of Operations for Web Design and Development at the Yale School of Medicine.
He has spoken at national conferences on health science communications and Web-based learning, and brings his expertise to Harvest Development Group in web based applications and virtual learning platforms.
Phillip received his bachelor’s degree in printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and completed a master’s degree in liberal studies at Wesleyan University.
Mary Jane Lund
SENIOR CONSULTANT, INTERIM LEADERSHIP and DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Mary Jane Lund launched her nonprofit career as the Director of Alumnae and Annual Fund for the University of Saint Joseph (formerly Saint Joseph College) in West Hartford, Connecticut. She continued her career as Director of Development for Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden, CT before returning to the University of Saint Joseph as the Director of Major Gifts. Mary Jane continued her career as Vice President, Special Events for Junior Achievement of SW New England. After retiring from her 15 year career with Junior Achievement, Mary Jane joined Harvest Development Group as a Senior Consultant where she served as Interim Director of Development for YWCA Hartford Region, Interim Executive Director for Gifts of Love in Avon, CT, and continues to provide her insights to fundraising strategies and development to our clients.
Mary Jane is an alumni of the University of Saint Joseph, earning her degree at the University of Saint Joseph.
Tim Dzurilla, PhD
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Tim has been a consultant in economic and community development and has worked in over a dozen countries including Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, East Timor, Nepal, and Rwanda on projects that promote local entrepreneurship and local self-determination. He has experience helping social enterprises develop go-to market strategies; professional services and research institutions improve their services and labor management operations; and large organizations identify needed resources and business processes to scale-up and market competitively in new target markets. His strategic planning and program development experience brings valuable insights to our Harvest clients and community.
Tim received his Bachelor’s Degree from Clark University where he later earned his Master’s Degree in Community Development from Clark University. He earned his PhD in Political Science – Political Economy from the University of Connecticut.
Marie Massaro
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Marie’s work with philanthropic organizations includes research and develop potential philanthropic strategy focus areas, and analysis of best practices and emerging trends. She has developed and implemented local and national philanthropic initiatives on children’s health, AIDS, education, economic development and the arts.
Marie successfully managed the Aetna Foundation’s partnership with Hartford Public Schools; served as Chairperson of the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, working with Hartford high school students, Aetna in-house teams,, police and community leaders to create a video about gang violence.
Marie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from The University of Connecticut
Corey Wrinn
Corey joined Harvest in 2014 as our senior researcher. His ability to take complex data collected through comprehensive stakeholder interviews, surveys, and environmental scans and present it in a comprehensive report to our clients is the cornerstone of our work in Audit and Assessments and Feasibility Studies. His work with Harvest Development Group includes CT Public, CHR, and Gifts Of Love. He was also instrumental in leading the Community Health Assessment for the Town of Glastonbury, CT and provided market surveys and analysis for potential degree programs
Corey received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Urban Studies and Masters in Public Policy, both from the University of Connecticut. He has certificates from Cornell University in Project Leadership and from Fairfield University for Advanced Studies in Finance
Sue Davison
SENIOR CONSULTANT, SOUTHERN U.S.
Sue’s experience in the nonprofit sector encompasses fund development, major gifts cultivation and stewardship strategies and board and staff training. Throughout the course of her career, Sue has worked in development positions at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Connecticut and the United Way of Greater New Haven. She has served in senior staff roles at the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Museums, Hartford Stage and Neighborhood Music School, Girl Scouts of Connecticut, The Legacy Theatre, and The Marco Players. During her tenure with Harvest Development Group, Sue was instrumental in advancing Office of Sponsored Programs and Research for the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Sue earned her Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College as an English Major and Psychology minor.
