Who are we?

Sandra has spent over 30 years as a trusted advisor in the nonprofit sector, dynamically engaging in organizational design, strategic planning, leadership development, sustainable fundraising, and board governance. She draws on her past experiences serving and leading on boards, managing strategic and tactical efforts, chairing strategic planning, designing and implementing annual and capital campaigns, developing major donor strategies and intervening to help in crisis management.

Sandra has served on the boards of the National Domestic Violence Hotline as chair, The Lawrenceville School, the Watershed Institute, Princeton Nursery School, and The Shelter for Abused Women and Children where she has helped grow dynamic and sustainable organizations. Sandra has focused on creating diverse, capable boards and worked with executive directors and board chairs to strengthen their positions both internally and in their communities. She also serves on the advisory board of SofterWare, a leading for-profit corporation in nonprofit philanthropy management.

Sandra holds a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, where she teaches courses in Organizational Governance. She founded Almora Advisors to bring best practices to small-to-mid-sized nonprofits that have often been underserved in the past and actively leads her all-women team in the firm’s engagements.

“I love my job! I wake up every morning excited and energized by the opportunities to contribute to helping organizations create greater social impact. I founded Almora after years of volunteering and serving on boards, yet seeing that nonprofits are overworked and understaffed. I also created a corporate arm to help align philanthropic corporations with outstanding nonprofit partners to enable them to do “more good.” The ability to help a diverse set of organizations tackling hard issues such as domestic violence, climate change, health challenges, and furthering educational opportunities keeps me on my toes. Thinking about creative ways to strengthen the C-Suite and boards to reach their goals and be better leaders enriches my work. Doing this all alongside a phenomenal team of amazing women is the chocolate fudge (my favorite) icing on the cake. Our talented and experienced team bring their “A game” to every engagement forming partnerships with our clients to address difficult issues they simply don’t have the capacity to meet. We become an extended part of the organization to help fulfill their mission. I do this work because it gives me immense joy to be trusted by so many incredible organizations to help them make a difference in the world.”

Hannah received her undergraduate degree in economics and finance from Westminster College in Salt Lake City and her masters in nonprofit management from Columbia University in New York. In her free time, Hannah enjoys running and camping.

Olivia enjoys pursuing and supporting causes that benefit the environment, social justice, and economic equality. As a Project Manager at Almora, her work allows her to plug into these causes through grant writing, development strategy and actions, and marketing and strategic planning initiatives.

Fidelma is a non profit community organizer and leader with over twenty years of diverse experiences, primarily in marketing and education. Following a career in Sales and Marketing in the Travel Industry, she has dedicated herself to non profit efforts. Fidema is a founding board member of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart and remains active as an Emeritus trustee. She has served on various boards and held many volunteer leadership roles including a term as Head of the Parent Faculty Organization of the Hong Kong International School. As a successful fundraiser her expertise is in the area of donor relations, annual giving and major gift solicitation. She has also led Board of Trustee retreats and training, as well as facilitated climate surveys and Head of School searches.

Fidelma received her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree with a Business minor from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA in Marketing from Fordham University. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and is an avid walker who appreciates walking with others as a way to grow and connect. She loves to travel and is always planning her next adventure.

Kate has been active in the nonprofit sector since grade school when she co-founded a 501(c)3 nonprofit, a junior guild called The Little Lemon Drops, to raise money for uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Through her experience in the nonprofit sector, Kate has seen firsthand the powerful impact fundraising and nonprofit work can have. She is passionate about helping nonprofits use their resources effectively in order to have the greatest possible impact. Kate also brings a background in digital media and communications to Almora.

Kate received her B.A. in Science, Technology, and Society from Brown University. In her free time, she enjoys vegan cooking, knitting, and skiing.

Rachel has always been involved in social projects, having invested time to get to know organizations and their activities on the ground in Brazil, Nepal, and Puerto Rico. And she fully believes that every kind of work and projects should be done within communities and that local engagement is essential. She has experience in program management, implementation, evaluation, and in data collection and monitoring. Rachel’s career background is in journalism, and TV production, where she learned the importance of a solid communications foundation in a high paced environment. She also speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Rachel received her B.A. in communications at PUC-Rio (Brazil) and her M.A. in international relations with an emphasis in cities, justice, and development at The New School. Her favorite pastimes include reading and traveling, and for 2022, her goal is to learn linografic.

Kara has been designing and developing websites since 2007. She has worked with many different CMS (Content Management System) platforms. She enjoys working with people to help get their website projects completed. The process can be confusing, but her knowledge helps keep things organized and efficient. Whether you need help with maintaining your website, content updates, a redesign, or are starting from scratch, she can help you get started and get things lined out.

Rachél (Ra-shell) Oatis is a Louisiana gal turned DMV transplant, eyewear enthusiast, lover of people, and committed to helping philanthropic organizations become better partners in the community. She is skilled in the areas of organizational and strategic development, board governance, fundraising, DEI and culture building in the nonprofit sector. She is currently leading DEI and Culture work at a tech startup and has held positions at Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT Black Equity at Work Program), Obama Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Washington National Cathedral, and the District Office of the honorable Congressman John Lewis and newly appointed White House official, Cedric Richmond.

She is a proud alumnus of Spelman College, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She also earned her M.S. degree in Nonprofit Management at Columbia University. At Columbia, Oatis was a HBCU Fellow, served as a Curation Officer for TEDxColumbiaUniversity and hosted their 2019 conference. She was a committee member of the Graduate Inclusion Advisory Committee and was recommended by faculty and staff to serve as the Nonprofit Management Student Marshal. In her free time, Rachel enjoys expanding her worldview through meeting new people and learning new languages, playing tennis, nailing her parallel parking skills, and being a cool Godmother!