Client Testimonials: Proven Impact in Action

Cynthia Rios, Executive Director
The Haven Home

"Working with Danielle has been a real pleasure. She helped us get our annual appeal started and the whole process was seamless. We acquired new donors, and she helped us develop an ongoing cultivation strategy.

It was our first time using a fund development consultant and the experience exceeded our expectations. It was a great investment that will continue to benefit it us long after the contract ends. I would confidently recommend her to others."

Ryan Aroney United Way Headshot_edited.j

Ryan Aroney, Executive Director
United Way of Greater Lorain County

"Danielle has been everything we’ve needed her to be as we’ve worked together to create a new organizational function within our fund development department.

She’s been organized, accessible, open, honest and has held us accountable. She’s also been willing to do anything we need her to do, from administrative assistance to meeting with donors – and everything in between – and I’ve been impressed with how thoroughly she’s able to communicate our mission. Her expertise has helped to expand our capacity and I’ve been very happy with our partnership."

Chris Sommers, Executive Director
Campbell Christian Community Center

"Working with Danielle has been an absolute game-changer for our capital campaign.

From the very beginning, she took the lead in coordinating with local foundation leaders, securing key meetings with area funders, and ensuring every detail was handled with professionalism.

She helped us develop a compelling presentation that truly told our story, and she personally coached me and our executive committee so we could deliver it with confidence. Her commitment didn’t stop there, through weekly meetings and consistent check-ins, Danielle was always quick to respond, offering guidance and encouragement every step of the way.

She has a remarkable ability to both see the big picture and manage the fine details, and her and her team’s expertise have been invaluable to our success. Beyond her skills, Danielle is simply a pleasure to work with, collaborative, insightful, and deeply invested in helping organizations thrive. I can’t recommend her highly enough."

Kerri Broome, Executive Director
Lorain County Historical Society

"I found Locke Step Partners' workshops incredibly useful for nonprofits.

Danielle's expertise was outstanding, and her friendly teaching style made it easy to take away practical knowledge that could be implemented immediately."

Nina Fisher, Program Director
The MAD Factory

"Danielle at Locke Step Partners is a great ally for those of us at small non-profits.

She has provided our organization with actionable steps towards reaching our fundraising goals that aren't overwhelming for an already thinly stretched staff. Definitely recommend!"

Rev Melanie Harrell Delaney,
Co-Executive Director
Bethany Fellows

"While working with Danielle we quickly identified gaps in our fundraising program. I never left our sessions feeling overwhelmed.

This was an excellent investment – we not only received actionable steps toward a better development and fundraising strategy for the organization, I received a boost of confidence in my ability to lead us well in this work."

Darren Hamm
Former Executive Director
Oberlin Center for the Arts

"Danielle has a deep knowledge of nonprofits; understanding operations, board management and fund development, among others.

This expertise allows her to quickly identify those areas of greatest need, make meaningful recommendations and take direct action.

Danielle is a thoughtful, trustworthy and dependable colleague in this field that we would strongly recommend to anyone interested in growing the capacity and effectiveness of their respective organization. "

Denise Shafer
Retired Wealth Advisor
Landing Point Financial Group

"Danielle is generous with her time, talent and treasure, providing help professionally to organizations who hire her as their trusted advisor, and volunteering in various capacities and organizations as well.

She is uniquely qualified to help organizations realize their mission vision by bringing broad perspective from the highest level to the minutest detail.

Proudly her friend, I know Danielle to be of good character, has a wonderful demeanor and is deeply compassionate. She is dedicated to doing her best work always and being her best self as well."

Kathleen Jackson,
Executive Director at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA)

"Danielle has been a godsend to FAVA!

In her role as a volunteer Board member, she has helped us put together a comprehensive development plan that helps build (and build upon) relationships with potential donors in our community.

She helped organize and implement the best fundraiser FAVA has ever seen and did it with a great attitude and spirit of dedication.
She has background not only in donor cultivation, but in nonprofits as well—so she understands the needs and realities of a small nonprofit staff and not just its financial needs. I don’t know how we ever got along without her!"

Testimonials: Testimonials

Joan Perch, Executive Director
FireFishArts

"Danielle’s specific recommendations quickly led to increased donations from past donors and in better organizing and implementing our FireFish Festival campaign for outreach to new sponsors.

A true professional in every sense, Danielle quickly became a trusted and valued colleague, working effectively alongside staff and board members. While always keeping us on track and focused on our work together, she brought a sense of humor, flexibility and understanding that kept the work upbeat and positive."

Alyssa Perna, Owner, Experience Events, & Marketing

"I've known Danielle professionally for over a decade. Danielle is a dynamic, knowledgeable, trustworthy development professional who has coached me in different roles throughout my career.

At Ingenuity, she helped us identify potential new donors and made suggestions to help our nonprofit organization expand and grow beyond the norm. Danielle comes highly recommended and is an asset to any team!"

Sara Godfrey, Executive Director, United Way of Erie County

"I would refer colleagues to work with Danielle without a doubt. Her upbeat attitude and schedule flexibility along with knowledge was top tier.

She went above and beyond to share any examples and provide any needed resources. I learned so much valuable information and strategies to assist me in achieving success."

Frances Jo Hamilton, Director of Revitalization, Heritage Ohio

"Danielle hosted a fundraising training for a group of Main Street managers last year. Her information was fresh and new.

I am always in a struggle to find speakers that can teach standard information in a new and interesting way.

Danielle met that challenge and my managers got a lot out of their time with her. She was great at scheduling a virtual meeting and using the platform in a way that did not fatigue the attendees. I would certainly recommend Danielle and Locke Step Partners."

Cheryl Senko, Retired Communications Director
Koinonia Homes

"Danielle helped us evaluate our current development efforts, identify strengths and weaknesses, and then create a strategic plan with a budget and action steps.

We were so impressed that we have now hired her as a full-time development consultant."

Tierra Banks
Former Executive Director
Mended Inc Foundation

"Both the quantity and quality of information was perfect.

My only request would be a part two. Our board of directors are new to their roles and this training gave them small ways to make a huge impact in the organization"

Nathan Kreis, Senior Manager
Akron Canton Regional Foodbank

"Danielle exceeded our expectations! She was prepared, engaging and knowledgeable.

I especially appreciate the way she connected with the audience and ensured the material was relevant to their critical work in the community. Everyone left motivated and with practical action steps!

Danielle is a wealth of information! We may want to hone in on specific topics or expand the presentation time. But that's on us because we gave her a pretty broad topic."

Cindy Einhouse
Former President & CEO
Beck Center for the Arts

"Danielle has been terrific to work with over the past few months.

She has excellent insights and ideas to help us with our fundraising efforts and was an engaging and animated speaker at our board retreat.

I look forward to working with her in the future to help us meet our goals and appreciate that she is a knowledgeable resource for Beck Center."

Kelsey Mulhall
Former Development Associate at Koinonia Homes, Inc

"Locke Step Partners was absolutely INCREDIBLE to work with!!

Danielle was a major help as we hosted our first ever virtual Night at the Races. She guided my colleague and I throughout the whole process, as it was an event we decided to host last minute! The event was such a success!!

Thank you for your help Danielle!"

Alex Moen, Formerly with United Way Greater Lorain County

"Danielle shared her expertise with me as a mentor early in my career.

Later on I had the chance to work with her at my organization where she offered outstanding advice on attracting and retaining major donors.

Even after leaving that organization, she remains a fountain of knowledge for myself and other Lorain County organizations. I would recommend her to any organization looking to grow their donors!"

Janus Small, President
Janus Small Associates

"I have had the honor and pleasure to know Danielle Locke for over five years in various capacities with quite a few clients.

Not only is Danielle a wise, thoughtful and creative fundraiser herself, her skill and care in teaching others - Board members, staff, and volunteers - is outstanding.

She exemplifies the “teach a person to fish…” proverb, teaching and guiding organizations to develop their own strong skills and internal culture of fundraising. I am proud to recommend her to nonprofit organizations in the region."

Ryan Wood,
Former Chief Financial & Operations Director, Koinonia

"Danielle helped us organize a chaotic fund development system, fixing errors in the CRM database and allowing us the ability to focus our efforts on the most lucrative opportunities.

She filled an important role of Director of Development on a contract basis and helped create stability and structure for development needs.

Her upbeat demeanor and enthusiasm, coupled with her superior problem-solving ability, made it easy for staff and potential donors to warm to her quickly."

Stacy Sufka, Founder & CEO
Gladegy Consulting, LLC

"Danielle's knowledge, expertise, and passion for helping us succeed were evident from the start. She invested time in understanding our organization's unique needs and objectives, conducting a comprehensive assessment of our donor engagement practices to identify untapped opportunities and areas for improvement. Her thought-provoking questions and ability to challenge our assumptions encouraged us to think creatively.

Danielle's guidance and coaching were crucial in developing a strategic approach to donor engagement. She provided practical resources, tools, and frameworks that helped us strengthen our relationship-building efforts. Her insights into donor psychology and effective communication strategies transformed the way we interacted with supporters.

What impressed me most about Danielle was her commitment to fostering a collaborative environment. She ensured that everyone felt heard and valued throughout the coaching process, facilitating meaningful conversations to enhance our collective efforts."

Colin Holter
Former Executive & Artistic Director
Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra (NOYO)

"NOYO's relationship with Danielle has been warm, fruitful, and supportive (mutually, I hope). Undoubtedly there are NOYO development practices, if they can even be called that, which Danielle would handle differently; however, she's always met us where we are and helped us find the best approach to suit our organizational strengths.

The Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra owes so much to Danielle and Locke Step Partners. Her extensive expertise as a longtime nonprofit development specialist in northeast Ohio is complemented by her sterling professionalism and collaborative attitude.

Danielle has helped us manage an endowment campaign, improve our annual fundraising event, and develop (for the first time) a major donor strategy, exceeding our expectations and enabling our organization to set and achieve bolder and bolder goals.

Any nonprofit would be lucky to have Danielle on their team."

Alicia Foss,
President and CEO
Neighborhood Alliance

"Locke Step Partners worked alongside of me, my team, and my board to prepare research into our donor base and create a Feasibility Study with actionable items that will allow us a clear path in moving forward in preparation with our Capital Campaign.

Danielle has a unique background which allows her to know and connect with a vast number of professionals and potential donors. While I may not have known some of our donors personally, she had knowledge of them and their giving patterns, personal behaviors and passion projects.

Her insight allowed me to see clearly how to communicate best with our donors and build better relationships with those who support our mission.

She was also able to provide feedback that was timely and able to be implemented quickly to help us reach our goals."

Beth Gantz
Director, SBDC at
Lorain County Community College

"I found Locke Step Partners' workshops incredibly useful for nonprofits.
Danielle's expertise was outstanding, and her friendly teaching style made it easy to take away practical knowledge that could be implemented immediately."

Phyllis Sossi
Former Marketing Director
HW & Co.

"Danielle presented on Donor Engagement for our annual nonprofit symposium. Her presentation was VERY well received and she got 5-star ratings from all of our attendees. Her information was clear and concise, and it was obvious that she would be an excellent resource for nonprofits looking for assistance with development."