Mary Fifield

Portland, OR 971-229-9287 mary@meetkaleidoscope.com meetkaleidoscope.com @mary_fifield

Career Highlights
Executive-level non-profit professional with more than ten years of experience in strategic planning, strategic communications,
fundraising, budget creation and management, coalition-building, community-level grant-making, training, project management,
and program development.
Communications professional with 20 years of experience in marketing, business, technical, grant, fiction, and instructional writing
for variety of audiences and media in the public and private sector. Experienced researcher, editor, and translator (SpanishEnglish). Documentary video production experience, including script development, location scouting, interviewing, editing, and
distribution.
Published articles on community organizing and development at Global Fund for Community Foundations, How Matters.org, and
BlueOregon.org
Extensive work in climate change, natural resource conservation, maternal and child health, community training and organizing,
and indigenous rights in Latin America.
Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and evaluate programs; supervise staff; coordinate complex projects and manage
diverse teams; respond adeptly to changing environments; develop innovative strategies that integrate top-down and bottom-up
policies and projects; and build coalitions among a wide variety of stakeholders from grassroots to institutional players, representing
a range of cultural and language backgrounds.
Fluent in Spanish and bi-cultural; nine years of on-the-ground experience in Latin America, including five years living in the
Ecuadorian Amazon.

Professional Experience
Principal, Kaleidoscope Consulting

4/2014-present

Develop action plans for strategic development, community engagement, and communications for non-profit and foundation clients.
Design and conduct research, create and facilitate workshops and trainings, develop evaluation plans and tools, write reports and
recommendations, and convene multi-stakeholder committees.
Key accomplishments:

Serve as lead researcher and writer for international study on corporate investments in community foundations for Global
Fund for Community Foundations and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Created marketing communications and community engagement strategy for YWCA of Greater Portland.

Senior Analyst, i2i Institute

1/2013-1/2014

Conducted quantitative and qualitative evaluations of program outcomes and made recommendations for improving results for nonprofit and foundation clients working in health, education, immigrant rights, sustainable agriculture, and climate change. Assisted with
on-going developmental evaluations for multi-million dollar international program: collected and analyzed data, researched secondary
sources, wrote reports, and coordinated with regional teams for production and dissemination. Designed and conducted surveys and
interviews, conducted focus groups, and created board presentations.
Key accomplishments:

Served as lead writer on a successful $50 million grant to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Wrote and assisted with design of evaluation training manual for four international teams.

Founder and Executive Director, Amazon Partnerships Foundation

12/2008-6/2012

Created programs, guided organizational and strategic development, established international board, developed and managed
budgets, designed and implemented fundraising strategies, spearheaded communications and outreach, and supervised staff and
operations for an innovative community foundation focused on conservation, climate change, and advocacy for indigenous
communities.
Key accomplishments:

Designed, implemented, and evaluated community grant-making and training model (Community Self-Development
Methodology). Funded proposals from 11 indigenous communities that designed and implemented projects in clean water,
reforestation, ecological sanitation, and sustainable agriculture for 1,400 women, men, and children.

Systematized program model and wrote a comprehensive implementation manual, which is now being adopted by other
groups.

Co-produced award-winning climate change documentary Life and Breath, and coordinated distribution with university
partners. Documentary has been seen by more than 12,000 viewers in the U.S. and Ecuador.

Cultivated strategic alliances with local, national, and international organizations, which have resulted in the replication of
APF projects and methodology.

Provided consulting and evaluation support for partner organizations, including a World Bank-funded organic cacao
production initiative for smallholder farmers.

Organized regional climate change forum and co-presented on a panel of university researchers and government officials for
a standing room only audience exceeding 200. Delivered numerous television interviews in Spanish, reaching thousands of
viewers.

Designed, facilitated, and evaluated conservation workshops for more than 30 communities.

Secured approximately 75% of the organization's budget through grants and major donor cultivation.

Conducted research and co-wrote articles on strategies for community development and impact of oil extraction on rural
communities.

Ecuador Program Director, Global Pediatric Alliance

06/2007-07/2009

Based full-time in Ecuador as GPA's first country program director, began full-scale implementation of grassroots grants program.
Coordinated with local partners and communities, solicited applications, made grant recommendations to board, and supervised grant
payments. Designed and delivered community workshops in project management, designed reporting process, and evaluated project
results for board review. Developed alliances with local organizations, community groups, and government officials. Created and
managed program budget.
Key accomplishments:

Supervised five community projects that resulted in installation of 50 rainwater catchment systems, construction of ten
composting toilets, and community workshops on traditional medicine, nutrition, and basic pre-natal care.

Cultivated relationships with health ministry, indigenous federations, and international NGOs that led to review of water and
sanitation policies.

Interim Executive Director, Global Pediatric Alliance

05/2005-06/2007

Managed organization's transition from leadership by founder to professional staff. Designed new grassroots grant-making model and
began pilot implementation in Ecuador and Mexico. Made recommendations for strategic program development and evaluation
metrics. Designed and implemented fundraising and donor outreach campaigns, managed donor database, and wrote grants.

Developed organizational partnerships in the US, Mexico, and Ecuador and collaborated with advisory board on strategic direction
and organizational vision.
Key accomplishments:

Supervised five community projects in Ecuador and a regional midwifery training project in Mexico, directly serving
approximately 50 midwives and 500 community members.

Developed and managed $150,000 budget. Restructured and expanded staff and medical volunteer positions; supervised
international team of five. Designed training and program tools to increase organizational diversity and effectiveness.

Principal, Signature Communications

5/2002-5/2005

Provided consulting in communications, fundraising, and strategic planning for businesses and non-profit organizations. Projects
included content research and analysis for integration into content management systems (CMS), fundraising and outreach campaigns,
creation of marketing materials, development of communication strategies, budget development, and grant writing. Clients included
Global Pediatric Alliance, Alliant Energy, Bay Area Center for Nonviolent Communications, Mediation Services, Episcopal Charities,
and The Pachamama Alliance.
Key accomplishments:

Designed communications and fundraising strategy for Global Pediatric Alliance which resulted in 30% increase in individual
donations and 50% increase in mail list subscribers. Created GPA's first budget, strategic plan, and website.

Wrote winning proposal for $65,000 multi-year grant for Alameda County conflict mediation program.

Other Experience
Content Analyst, Primus Knowledge Solutions & Chase Bobko
Senior Project Writer and Editorial Team Manger, Saltmine
Technical Writer/Training Program Coordinator, Misty City Software
Instructional Materials Developer, San Diego State University
Graduate Teaching Assistant, San Diego State University

8/2000-7/2001
7/1999-8/2000
7/1998-7/1999
9/1995-12/1997
8/1993-1/1995

Education
M aster of Fine Arts in creative writing

1997

San Diego State University

Bachelor or Arts in English (M agna Cum Laude)

1992

University of Redlands

Technology Skills
Sharepoint, Dropbox, Basecamp, Google Docs, and online collaboration tools; Mail Chimp, eTapestry, and other
database/communications applications; Drupal, Wordpress; Microsoft Office PC and Mac platforms; basic HTML, basic Adobe
Photoshop, intermediate Adobe InDesign, and intermediate QuickBooks.

Publications, Awards, & Activities

Board member for Oregon chapter of Sierra Club. Winner of 2015 Roger Cole Award for climate leadership.
"Communities in the Driver's Seat: A Global Perspective." Alliance for Nonprofit Management National Conference. Portland State
University, Portland, OR. 7 October 2015. Presentation.
"Poverty & the Environment: More Connected than You Realize?" Published on The Good Men Project. June 11, 2015. Blog post.
http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/poverty-environment-connected-realize-kt/
The Great Untapped: Revolutionizing Development through Community-Based Organizations. Published on Global Fund for
Community Foundations. 2012 Blog post. http://www.globalfundcommunityfoundations.org/poor-cousinblog/2012/6/28/guest-blog-the-great-untapped-revolutionizing-development-th.html
Finding Room for Error. Published on How Matters and Admitting Failure. 2012. Blog post. http://www.howmatters.org/2012/08/28/finding-room-for-error/ http://www.admittingfailure.com/failure/mary-fifield/
Fifield, Mary and Mara del Carmen Pantoja. "Oil and Water: Empowering Community-Based Alternatives to Extractive
Activities." Bothell, WA: Amazon Partnerships Foundation, April 2012. Published in English and Spanish.
http://www.amazonpartnerships.org/Results.html
"The Road to Tena." Women Reinvented: True Stories of Empowerment and Change. LaChance Publishing: New York, 2010.
"Chapter One." Twenty-one Letters from Santa Lucia. Portland: Writer's Dojo, 2009. http://www.writersdojo.org/Fifield+21+Letters
"Cities in the Mountains." St. Paul: Midway Journal, February 2008. http://www.midwayjournal.com/Feb08_FictionCitiesInTheMountains.html
Emphasis on Empowerment: A Flexible Approach to Improving Child and Maternal Health. Fourth Annual International Health
Conference. Unite for Sight. Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. April 14, 2007. Presentation.