Meet the Advisors Strengthening Nonprofits Across Northern Michigan
Meet the Advisors Strengthening Nonprofits Across Northern Michigan
Miriam • Jan 14, 2026
Why We Invest in Nonprofit Capacity
Behind every nonprofit that adapts, grows, and stays rooted in community need are the people who help leaders think clearly, ask better questions, and build systems that last.
Rotary Charities’ Capacity Advisory Pool (CAP) was created to make that kind of expertise more accessible to nonprofits. Through CAP, nonprofits across our 5-county service region in northern Michigan can connect with seasoned consultants at no cost, receiving targeted support in areas like governance, fund development, communications, financial management, organizational leadership, and more. The goal is to help organizations not only respond to immediate challenges, but to build the foundations that allow their missions to thrive for the long term.
As we welcome four new advisors into the CAP, we continue to grow the relationships, learning, and support available to organizations working to meet the needs of our region.
Brad Coulter — Petoskey Consulting
Executive leadership, board development, financial management, and organizational structure for nonprofits navigating growth and transition.
What drew Brad to the CAP
Brad joined the Capacity Advisory Pool because he knows firsthand how isolating nonprofit leadership can be. Having served as a nonprofit CEO, he values Rotary Charities’ focus on strengthening organizations, not just funding programs, and believes no leader should have to do this work alone.
Background and what inspires his work
After spending nearly a decade in Asia, including five years in India, Brad saw how nonprofits addressed deep poverty with limited resources. That experience convinced him that with the resources available in the United States, communities can do more, and it ultimately led him to dedicate the later part of his career to the nonprofit sector.
How he helps build lasting capacity
Brad focuses on helping organizations put strong management systems in place, from accounting and grant management to compliance and human resources. These behind‑the‑scenes systems are essential to long‑term sustainability, and he brings an outside advisor’s perspective to help leaders build the structures that support their mission.
A perspective shaped by place
Having led a nonprofit in Detroit and now living in northern Michigan, Brad sees clear parallels between urban and rural poverty: limited services, transportation barriers, housing challenges, and gaps in access to health care and living‑wage jobs. He brings that statewide lens into his work, believing communities can learn from one another to create stronger solutions.
Mary Grace McCaskill — Think and Do Good
Fund development, annual giving, communications, marketing strategy, and nonprofit management.
What drew Mary Grace to the CAP
After participating in Rotary Charities’ Leadership Learning Lab, Mary Grace saw how many nonprofit leaders across northern Michigan feel overwhelmed by fundraising. Joining the CAP felt like a natural way to offer practical, hands-on support to organizations doing important work in their communities.
Her areas of expertise
Mary Grace began her career in communications and quickly discovered that strong fundraising and strong storytelling go hand in hand. With more than 25 years in the nonprofit sector, she has led annual giving programs, capital campaigns, fundraising and communications teams, and strategic planning, bringing both creativity and rigor to the work of raising resources.
How she approaches new partnerships
Mary Grace starts by listening to learn what’s working, what feels heavy, and where an organization hopes to go. From there, she helps leaders focus their time and energy where it will have the greatest impact, balancing immediate needs with longer-term strategy.
A practical, inside-the-work perspective
Having spent her career inside nonprofit organizations, Mary Grace is focused on solutions that can actually be implemented. She helps teams break big goals into clear, manageable next steps, bringing focus and momentum to complex challenges.
Keri Amlotte — River & Birch Consulting
Strategic communications and marketing for organizations navigating growth, change, and new opportunities.
What drew Keri to the CAP
Keri knows from experience how powerful the right outside perspective can be. After benefiting from consultants in her own nonprofit roles, she is excited to pay that forward through the CAP, helping more organizations access expertise that makes their work stronger and more effective.
Her areas of expertise
Keri specializes in communications and marketing for organizations at key inflection points, from launching new programs to refreshing a brand or rolling out a major initiative. Her work spans communications strategy, messaging, storytelling, branding, and campaign launches.
How she builds lasting capacity
Rather than creating one-off materials, Keri helps organizations develop communication plans, messaging frameworks, templates, and tools that can be used long into the future. By working closely with both development and program teams, she ensures communications systems support the whole organization.
A perspective grounded in place and experience
Having worked with nonprofits of all sizes and across many sectors, and as someone who was born and raised in northern Michigan, Keri brings a deep understanding of what resonates here. She values learning each organization’s unique culture and challenges so that strategies truly fit the communities they serve.
What Comes Next
The advisors featured here reflect the heart of the Capacity Advisory Pool: practical expertise grounded in a deep respect for the people doing the work. Whether an organization is navigating leadership transition, launching a new fundraising strategy, clarifying its message, or building internal systems for growth, CAP consultants are available as trusted advisors and thought partners.
Nonprofits can request support through the Capacity Advisory Pool at any time, with up to five hours of consultation available per year. Rotary Charities covers the cost as part of our commitment to strengthening the organizations that serve our five-county region.
To learn more about the Capacity Advisory Pool or to request support, visit our website and explore how this network of advisors can help your organization build the clarity, capacity, and resilience needed for what comes next.