Praise for Joan McBride and Greatrake, McBride & Associates, Inc.
Head and shoulders above the rest! Strategic planning is daunting, and Joan McBride approaches it with the precision of a scientist. No stone left unturned, all stakeholders have a voice, and at the end of the process our non-profit board has a living working plan with incredible detail and functionality. Joan is professional and thorough. As a skeptic of the entire process, she proved me completely wrong by delivering a comprehensive roadmap for our organization.
– June McLaughlin, Esq., Board Chair, Hope Center for the Arts
Joan McBride exhibits the highest professional standards in her work. She brings an excellent skill set, a broad range of experience in working with non-profit organizations, and an unparalleled work ethic. She is highly detail-oriented and displays extraordinary follow-through on tasks. She has been an invaluable partner on numerous projects through the years, and I consider her one of the finest consultants I have ever worked with.
– Shelley Hoss, President, Orange County Community Foundation
Sweet Adelines International contracted with Joan McBride to create their first ever case statement. Joan’s breadth of experience working with not-for-profits was evident in the way she designed the detailed work plan, her interaction with donors, and the collaborative approach she took to developing a comprehensive overview of our strategic fund raising priorities. The professional expertise Joan brought to the project resulted in a document that tells our story in an informative and compelling fashion. As we have shared our case statement with long time members and donors, they have commented on how much more they have learned about the organization and now have a greater appreciation for the impact of philanthropy on our ability to carry out our mission. On a personal note, Joan always makes herself available to answer questions or work through challenges that emerge. She is a wonderful partner.
– Susan B. Smith, MA, CFRE, FAHP, Director of Philanthropy
Sweet Adelines International
Joan McBride is top notch! I greatly respect her personal skills and professional ability to interact so well with donors. On the several occasions that she has interviewed donors and then written a case statement or article for me, she showed great skill at getting to the heart of the story – no re-writes necessary! A case statement she developed has greatly simplified my work by allowing me to use parts of the “long version” in a variety of ways. Best of all, she took very little of my time and met deadline—in short, she was really an extra pair of helping hands!
– Milly Muzzy, Former Director of Development, College of the Arts
California State University, Fullerton
Joan McBride handled a wide variety of jobs for Coastline Community College and Coastline Community College Foundation for many years. She is a pleasure to work with—knowledgeable, organized, personable, and committed to doing a professional and effective job. Besides helping with Foundation special events and planning annual and special campaigns, Joan prepared public relations materials, helped with board development, and made recommendations regarding planned giving and other special development efforts. I especially appreciate the fact that she makes a personal commitment to the organization and the cause for which she is working.
– Leslie Purdy, President Emeritus, Coastline Community College
As an instructor in UCI’s Fundraising Certificate program, Joan made a substantial contribution to our fund-raising program and was highly regarded for her expertise in a number of classes for the adult continuing education student. Her teaching included Fundamentals of Fund-Raising and Strategic Planning and Marketing for Fund-Raising. On a personal note, Joan is genuine, warm, articulate and possesses a true passion for making a difference in the world. In short, she is a joy to work with.
– Kirwan Rockefeller, University Extension, University of California, Irvine
As a busy manager with several staff and departments to oversee at Coastline Community College, I was grateful for not only Joan McBride’s high-level of expertise and superb knowledge of fund development, but also for her strong organizational skills, efficiency, creativity, and professionalism. Joan exceeded my expectations for working with a non-profit consultant and greatly benefited our organization’s bottom line. I would highly recommend Joan McBride’s services to anyone who is interested in maximizing their organization’s potential for fund development.
– Racheal Rodriguez McCabe,
Former Executive Director of Coastline Community College Foundation
& Director of Public Relations, Coastline Community College
The OCHCC hired Joan McBride to facilitate our retreat and work with our board to create our first 3-Year Strategic Plan for the Chamber. She did an excellent job facilitating the group to get them to make decisions and become action oriented. The board was extremely pleased with the amount of detail we received for our strategic plan. Joan also gave us an excellent rate and was invaluable to our planning process. I highly recommend her.
– Priscilla Lopez, Former President & CEO
Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
In her role as a direct mail consultant for us, Joan was easy to work with, had great ideas and always met her deadlines. She was especially sensitive to telling our clients’ stories in a respectful yet compelling way. I’d highly recommend Joan!
– Sara Bazant, Former Director of Marketing
Orangewood Children’s Foundation
Greatrake, McBride Associates, Inc. 