BARRY SHAIN | CLIFFORD CHENG | DAVIDA ISAACSON | DONALD KOELPER | MARK LICHTERMAN | ALAN POLLOCK | NATASHA RADOJCIC | MARLEY SHAIN | JIM SHON
Barry Shain, President and CEO
Barry L. Shain is the principal in the firm of The Shain Group, Inc. a company providing investment advisory, gift administration and fundraising consulting services (emphasizing capital, annual and major gifts campaigns, as well as planned giving and endowment development) for not-for-profit and charitable organizations, foundations and philanthropists.
He holds a Masters Degree in Business and a Bachelors Degree in Sociology, and has made a career of applying business and marketing practices to the not-for-profit arena.
He originally entered the not-for-profit field as a community organizer. With his background in business administration and his strong sense of social commitment, he successfully moved into the position of executive director of a number of not-for-profit organizations.
Realizing that as an independent consultant he could have a greater effect in the field, he founded the Hawaii based firm of The Shain Group, Inc., with offices located in Honolulu and Washington State. The firm represents a diverse group of clients, whose financial capacities range from $100,000 to $100,000,000, and includes national organizations in public advocacy, culture and the arts, education, religion, environment and conservation, economic development and human services.
Mr. Shain specializes in applying business and marketing practices to all areas of fundraising. Over the years he has developed a unique style and tools for maximizing full resource development through a process of integrating all fundraising components of an organization into a program that has become known as Total Financial Resource Development.
His particular areas of expertise are in the structure, development and implementation of Annual and Major Gift campaigns, Membership drives, Board development and Capital Funding projects. He conducts motivational and management training, large gift solicitation planning, capital planning and mass marketing, and has conducted many training sessions in these areas, both nationally and internationally.
Clifford Cheng
Clifford Cheng is the founder and creative director of VOICE, a design firm that develops award winning communications programs including: identity, strategic communication, environments, consumer and business-to-business collateral and fund-raising campaigns. The firms national and international clients are a diverse mix of corporations, emerging companies and non-profit organizations including: Azabu USA, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, General Growth Management, Obayashi Group, Hyatt Hotels, Young Brothers, Verizon, JTB, The Honolulu Zoo, The American Cancer Society, Kuakini Hospital, Blue Planet Foundation and Hawaii Preparatory Academy. Clifford is also co-owner and designer for the internationally acclaimed Hawaii Skin Diver Magazine.
Cheng¹s work has been published in numerous design and advertising annuals, periodicals and books. He consistently receives local, national and international awards from leading design organizations including: the Honolulu Advertising Federation PELE Awards, the American Advertising federation ADDY Awards, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the Society of Publication Designers (SPD). In 2007, his work for the Hawaii Tourism Authority garnered several Gold Pinnacle Awards from the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA). His work for AIGA Honolulu won both Best In Show design and print at the Hawaii¹s 5-0 Design Competition. More recently, he was awarded four Pele Awards and a 2008 National Addy Award.
Davida Isaacson
After a twenty-year career as a Trust and Estate banker, Davida joined Thirteen/WNET New York (New York’s flagship public television station) as Director of Endowment and Planned Gifts in 1993. During her nine-year tenure at Thirteen, Davida lead the planned giving component of the Thirteen/WNET capital campaign, raising in excess of $30 million in planned gifts. While at Thirteen, Davida became an officer of the Planned Giving Group of Greater New York, including serving as its President in 1996-97. She was also a Board member of the National Committee for Planned Giving and Charitable Accord.
Davida is on the adjunct faculty of the George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University as instructor for a course in Planned Giving and serves as the faculty coordinator for the Center’s summer intensive certificate program. A national speaker on planned giving for PBS stations, planned giving councils, AFP chapters and United Jewish Communities, Davida is acknowledged to be a dynamic lecturer and trainer on planned giving topics.
Ms. Isaacson also served as Executive Director of the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest (NJ). In that capacity, she conducted training seminars for fund raising professionals and integrated planned giving into the annual campaign solicitation process. Davida also counseled synagogues and social service agencies on establishing endowment funds, particularly through planned giving vehicles.
Davida has been frequently quoted on planned giving matters by The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Practical Accountant and Currents (the newspaper of Public Television). She has had articles published in the PGGGNY Planner and in the WNET/Channel 13 Program Guide.
Davida earned an M.B.A. from Rutgers University Graduate School of Management and graduated with honors with a B.A. from Kean University.
Donald Koelper
Donald Koelper is a Senior Consultant with The Shain Group, Inc., specializing in grant writing, proposal development and strategic communications for annual and capital campaigns. He offers a diverse array of personal knowledge and practical experience directly applicable to the needs of the not-for-profit community.
Both Donald’s mother and his grandmother served as executive directors for local chapters of very prominent national not-for-profit organizations, which gave him a lifelong appreciation of the true worth of such organizations to the overall well-being of the greater community. He credits his own "official status" as his mother’s and grandmother’s most reliable "volunteer" with instilling in him at a young age a strong sense of personal obligation to support and promote the public welfare.
Donald attended the University of Washington and the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, where he graduated with honors and a B.A. in History. He twice earned national recognition as an undergraduate from the Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society, for his research, analysis and writing on the history of the American West.
His interest in environmental concerns led him to an eventual involvement in public affairs as a grassroots advocate and organizer for such issues. His effectiveness was such that he soon caught the attention of several Hawai‘i state legislators, and shortly thereafter began a long-time stint as a staff member at the State Capitol.
At the legislature, Donald found his intimate knowledge of the not-for-profit community – borne of family background and personal experience – put to good use as chief clerk of the State Senate’s Health and Human Services committee. Later, as a senior legislative analyst for House leadership, his political acumen was such that he was soon known as a very quick study on almost any issue placed before him for advice and disposition, and his well-considered analysis of such matters was often highly regarded by elected officials, staff and citizen advocates alike.
Mark Lichterman
Mark Lichterman is a Senior Consultant with The Shain Group, Inc., specializing in endowment development, annual and capital campaigns, board development, strategic planning and special events.
Mark has had extensive experience in the not-for-profit world. He was the founding Director of the Michigan Chapter of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. During his tenure at the FIDF the organization grew significantly and conducted two major dinner auction events as well as a capital campaign to build a rest and recreation center in Israel.
Following his tenure with the FIDF, Mark joined the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), first as the Director of the Michigan Region. In that position, Mark advised congregational leadership on wide variety of issues including board development and annual and capital campaigns. Mark later joined the USCJ’s national executive staff as the Associate Director of Development. In this capacity he cultivated and solicited major gifts for a $35 million educational project in Israel from prospects in eight metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada. In addition, Mark advised member congregations in creating their annual and capital campaigns.
Mark was the Director of the Detroit Chapter of American ORT and the Director of Major Gifts with American ORT’s successor, the ORT-Michigan Region. In his positions with ORT, Mark planned and implemented two major events in 2005 raising over $500,000.00. In addition, he initiated and implemented both annual and major gifts campaigns for ORT.
Prior to entering the not-for-profit world, Mark was a practicing attorney with the law firms of Clark, Klein & Beaumont and Schwartz and Jalkannen; and most recently was the Managing Partner of the law firm of Friedman & Lichterman, PC. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.
Mark earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health Policy and Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies, both from the University of Michigan.
Alan Pollock
Alan is a Senior Consultant specializing in grant writing, project development and strategic communications for annual and capital campaigns. He is also the Principal of Marketing Strategies, a marketing and communications firm, where he brings a unique set of skill sets to our fundraising team; enabling The Shain Group to better package and present clients, utilizing marketing principals.
He was Vice-President of Marketing for Oceanic Time Warner Cable where he was responsible for advertising, marketing, sales and public relations. Prior to that, he was President of Loomis & Pollock Inc., a full service advertising agency he founded and later sold, working in such diverse industries as tourism, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, food services, automotive, banking, insurance and real estate development. He was the Marketing Director for both ITOEN, the second largest beverage manufacture in Japan, and the Ohana Foundation.
Alan is a natural communicator; he has been an editorial cartoonist for several papers and an adjunct professor teaching advertising design. He was the Chairman of the marketing committee and nine-year board member for Aloha United Way. He has a popular marketing blog called TrueMarketingAdventures.com and has received over forty local and national advertising awards for creative direction, copywriting and design
Natasha Radojcic
Natasha Radojcic is an Associate Consultant with The Shain Group, Inc. specializing in annual and foundation giving. With extensive experience in the non-profit sector, Natasha has worked with a number of different organizations including those specializing in environmental, educational, and social service reform.
Immediately prior to joining The Shain Group, Inc., Natasha served on the fundraising staff for the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles (the third largest non-profit in the Los Angeles area) where she successfully implemented an annual giving program that raised substantial funds for the YMCA’s social service programs. She has also worked in a similar capacity with the YMCA of Honolulu and the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii.
Natasha earned a Masters in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and graduated with a B.A. from Boston University. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Sociology from the University of California at Riverside.
Marley Shain Rall
Marley Shain Rall is a graduate of Punahou School and University of Maryland, College Park. At the University of Maryland Marley was invited to write a Senior thesis lauding the benefits of cooperative networking for inner cities and low income communities. The value of helping others has been a cornerstone in her life from a very young age. It is no surprise that Marley has taken this path since she has grown up around fundraising, starting at the age of five helping her brother sell Zippy’s Chili for his Pony League baseball team.
Marley has worked for many well-known non-profit organizations in Hawaii over the past 12 years including Pacific Health Ministry, Hawaii United Okinawan Association, Holy Nativity School and Hawaii Pacific health. She is currently Associate Director of Development with Make-A-Wish Hawaii. Marley also sits on committees for several legislators across the spectrum.
Jim Shon, Ph.D.
Jim Shon is a Senior Consultant with The Shain Group, Inc. specializing in financial resource development, strategic planning and governance for charter schools throughout the country.
Jim comes from a family of educators. With a BA in Music Education from Syracuse University, Jim entered the Peace Corps and taught English on Cheju Island, Korea, for 3 ½ years. He continued his graduate education in history at the University of Hawaii and joined the University of Hawaii’s Curriculum Research and Development Group where he worked on projects involving Hawaii history, ocean education, and civics education. He authored a Marine and Aquatic Education Plan while working at the Hawaii Marine Affairs Coordinator’s Office.
In 1984 Jim was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature where he served on both lower and higher education committees for 12 years as well as chairing the House Committees on Health, and Energy and Environmental Protection. Following his service as an elected official, Jim worked with nonprofits to assist underprivileged youth enter health professions. In 2001, Jim earned his doctorate from the University of Hawaii focusing on aging-in-place support networks. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in public health, nursing and social work. He also has served as a labor arbitrator.
In 2002, Jim joined the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Educational Policy Center where he authored a number of policy studies, including one of the first on Hawaii’s charter schools. As a result of his work at the Center as well as his legislative experience, Jim was selected in 2004 to head the Hawaii Charter School Administrative Office, overseeing all of Hawaii’s charter schools. During his time as Executive Director, Jim led a task force to revise and re-codify Hawaii’s charter school laws and created a comprehensive support system for the growing charter school community in Hawaii.
In 2006, Jim went to work for the Hawaii Charter School Network, creating a comprehensive Tool Kit to assist Hawaii charters in areas of academic, administrative, financial, and governance skills and capacity building. Currently, Jim is assisting the Hawaii Charter School S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Consortium, and serves on the governance board for a University of Hawaii affiliated charter school. He also has served as an official grant reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education.
Jim is the author of two books, A Charter School Story: Hawaii’s Experience in Creating a Charter School System, and Inside Hawaii’s Capitol: Lessons in Legislative Democracy, as well as co-editor of The Unfinished Health Agenda.
