About Me

Jennifer D. Valentine

I am a southern California native who migrated to the Midwest after earning my bachelor's degree (1998) from the University of Notre Dame and my law degree (2001) also from the University of Notre Dame. Go Irish! I resided in the Chicagoland area with my husband and four children for many years before relocating to the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Prior to taking my "mom sabbatical" from law, I worked as a litigation attorney downtown Chicago and volunteered my time as a board member of a nonprofit taking care of that organization's grant funding research and writing needs. In my current spare time, I enjoy volunteering as a pro bono legal aid attorney with the Pro Bono Network where I serve as the Vice President of its Board of Directors. Spending time with my family, traveling, exercising at Orangetheory Fitness before dawn, reading and, on occasion, tap dancing are also favorites.

Support Services

foundation prospect research (grant support)
foundation prospect contact and communication for best-fit and determination (grant support)
organizational and program-specific messaging development/enhancement (grant support)
organizational and program-specific budget review for use in grant work(grant support)
drafting Letters of Inquiry and Grant Applications (grant support)
preparation of grant application attachment documents (grant support)
management of all grant activity, including follow-up reporting requirements (grant support)
board training, presentations, workshops on a variety of issues as needed (board support)
consulting for fundraising and development strategies (general development support)
project/program management as they relate to development strategies (general development support)

Skills Training

presentation on Persuasive Writing Techniques : a 45-minute hands-on participatory live presentation that covers the basics and offers tips and strategies for effective persuasive writing in a variety of professional settings

*This presentation is certified for 1.0 CLE credits when hosted by an MCLE-approved provider law firm and presented to Illinois attorneys.

presentation on the Fundamentals of Nonprofit Fundraising: introduces diversified platforms for new or small organizations and offers: an Overview of Grants, Development Marketing, the Elevator Pitch, Board Development, and Strategic Planning as they all relate and contribute to healthy fundraising strategies. This is a 90-minute hands-on participatory live presentation that covers the basics of diversified fundraising for new or small nonprofits

Please contact Jennifer to learn more about scheduling

her to present either topic customized to your group.

Representative Clients (small sample)

For a complete list and description of all client organizations supported, please request.

St. Mary's Services (Palatine, IL)

[family adoption services, maternity counseling for unplanned pregnancies, and teen pregnancy/parenting support; specialized counseling in postpartum depression, anxiety, grief and loss; wraparound case management support for mothers facing hardship]

Danny Did Foundation (Evanston, IL)

[advances awareness of epilepsy and Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, and helps secure funding for families in need of seizure detection and prediction devices that may assist in preventing seizure-related deaths]

Ladies of Virtue (Chicago, IL)

[empowers girls to become confident, purpose-driven leaders in their communities while preparing them for college and careers, and to become change-agents in their communities]

L'Arche Chicago (Oak Park, IL)

[provides small, family-style homes for 11 adults with intellectual disabilities and their live-in assistants; promotes active engagement in the local community through volunteer activity, leisure activity, faith practice, and employment]

Chicago HOPES for Kids (Chicago, IL)

[Provides on-site daily after-school homework and literacy support to kids age 5-14 living in Chicago homeless shelters]

Mission Create (Phoenix, AZ)

[investment organization committed to identifying and growing social enterprise entrepreneurs in the city's most under-resourced communities by providing mentoring, training, and back office support; idea incubator for Christian entrepreneurs supported by the church]

Client Testimonials

"I have worked with many grant writers in the past and Jennifer is the VERY best that I have ever worked with. She is hard working, prepared, and our staff really felt she took the time to understand our organization as she was putting the grant together. Really good grant writers are hard to find and I think we hit the jackpot with Jennifer."

Jimmy Lee, CEO Goodcity; President of Mission Create; Former Executive Director White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Special Assistant to the President

Jennifer: Thank YOU! You really made this process very easy – you were great to work with; very organized and meticulous on follow-up. I would love to work with you again.

Elizabeth Mason, CFRE, V.P. of Development, SGA Youth & Family Services