Sharon Forshee Haukohl, MA, has more than 30 years of writing, consulting, and training experience in corporate, higher education, and nonprofit settings. She has served in development roles at Emory University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, as Director of Development Research for Birmingham-Southern College, as a consultant for a Nashville, TN-based fundraising firm, and as a Senior Strategist for Nonprofit Navigators, a Birmingham, AL-based nonprofit consulting firm. Sharon has also held roles in the corporate sector as a marketing/public relations consultant and Director of Sales & Marketing for a large, international market research firm. Sharon formed Crestside Consulting with a mission to equip nonprofits as they take strategic next steps toward effectively meeting fund raising and community impact goals. She excels in strategic planning, community engagement, program development, evaluation systems, and grant strategy/writing/reporting.

Sharon has a keen ability to understand the heart and mission of a nonprofit and guide leadership in developing effective programs that are attractive to funders. She has in-depth knowledge of and relationships with Birmingham, Alabama, and Nashville foundation and corporate funders and enjoys connecting deserving nonprofits with these potential supporters. Her extensive experience in a variety of settings has given her the background needed to guide nonprofits to move forward with next steps in their own nonprofit’s maturity model to optimize programmatic reach and funding. Sharon has a BA in English and Journalism from Auburn University and an MA in English from Emory University.