Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.
Hank Rosso
About Rendahl Consulting
My professional journey has given me a rich array of experiences working with organizations at different stages of the nonprofit life cycle, with budgets ranging from $10,000 to $1 billion, and within cultural contexts around the world. This broad foundation has provided me with diverse points of reference, a vast network of professionals, and a tenacious curiosity and resourcefulness.
Working in small, start-up organizations and resource-poor countries taught me to be flexible and creative. Working within well-established organizations taught me to leverage the competence of my colleagues and value the details. And working with organizations that have great potential for growth taught me to identify opportunities and seek improvement whenever possible.
Wherever my professional journey has led me, I have relied on the same keys to success – planning, communicating, and learning. Added to a healthy dose of flexibility, farm girl common sense, and a balanced sense of optimism, I have always felt the power to succeed.
Biography
Kristi Rendahl launched an independent consulting practice in January 2008 after working with international non-governmental organizations for 11 years. Her career began when she moved to Armenia with the Peace Corps, where she provided English and music instruction to children ages 7-17, including the formation of the first children’s choir in the village. Having gained valuable cultural and linguistic skills, she was offered a position to represent Habitat for Humanity International in facilitating the formation of the first operational affiliate in Armenia. During the three years as Habitat’s resident representative, Kristi led efforts to train a local steering group to form the board of directors, served in a spokesperson capacity, and consulted and collaborated with the board and staff on issues of professional and practical best practices, goal setting, strategic planning and evaluation. Before returning to the U.S., she worked as an on-the-ground consultant with Made in Armenia Direct, a start-up company that seeks to find and create markets for Armenian crafts.
After living and working in Armenia for over five years, Kristi served as the major gifts director for Habitat for Humanity International in the six-state Midwest region, cultivating relationships with and soliciting donors who had made gifts totaling more than $10,000 life-to-date, and conducting donor visits with senior leadership and members of the international board of directors. She honed skills in communications and issue advocacy while at the Cafesjian Family Foundation, a $40 million family foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, coordinating various efforts to seek recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Most recently, Kristi worked at the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis, Minnesota managing a $1.4 million portfolio of institutional funders, including private and corporate foundations, as well as state, federal and United Nations agencies.
