As we celebrate our fourth year in business at Three Notch’d Nonprofit Solutions, we want to take a moment to introduce (and reintroduce) our team and share what drives us to help nonprofits tell their stories. Founded in 2021 with the premise that every organization has powerful stories waiting to be told, our mission remains clear: to help organizations bring those stories to life in ways that attract funders and build capacity for even greater impact.
Our Journey So Far
Since founding Three Notch’d Nonprofit Solutions, we’ve had the privilege of working with nonprofit organizations of all sizes—from grassroots startups to established institutions with multi-million dollar operating budgets. Each client has taught us something valuable about the nonprofit sector and reinforced our belief in the power of storytelling to transform organizations.
Looking back at our growth over these four years, we’re proud of the relationships we’ve built and the impact we’ve helped create. And as we look ahead to the future, we’re excited to expand our team and enhance our ability to serve you.
Meet Ellen
Ellen Spangler leads our team with extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. Driven by curiosity from an early age (she once cut up her mother’s typewritten dissertation at age four!), Ellen’s nonprofit journey began in museums, where she spearheaded and evaluated arts education programs. Her path evolved through development and communications roles at education-focused nonprofits, where she found herself reveling in the overlap of her program management experience and skills as a writer.
In 2021, Ellen founded Three Notch’d Nonprofit Solutions with the belief that every organization has powerful stories to tell. Under her leadership, we’ve raised over $6 million in corporate, foundation, and state funding for nonprofits nationwide addressing issues like hunger, child care, youth development, and the arts.
As one client shared: “Ellen continues to impress me and is a joy to work alongside… she is a specialist in her trade and lives up to and beyond her commitment to engage with her clients.”
Ellen’s nonprofit superpower: Empathy. Ellen looks beyond organizations to see the dedicated people behind them. By understanding both the mission and the human beings carrying it forward, she creates solutions that respect the real challenges of nonprofit work while lightening the load for overtaxed teams.
What drives Ellen: Being a detective who finds the golden threads in her clients’ work and weaves them into narratives that resonate with funders.
The piece of advice Ellen finds herself giving to nonprofit leaders most often is: Be honest. Be transparent with consultants about challenges affecting timelines. Be honest with funders about what truly makes your organization tick, not just what matches their criteria. And most importantly, be truthful with yourself about your organization’s strengths and real needs.
Ellen’s desk must-haves for a productive day of grant writing include: A hot cup of coffee and a solid Spotify playlist.
When not behind her computer, you can find Ellen: Volunteering for her kids’ schools, serving on the board of a local arts education nonprofit, gardening, seeing live music, or playing guitar.
Welcome Melissa!
We’re thrilled to introduce the newest member of our team, Melissa Schultz! Bringing Melissa on board represents an exciting step in our growth. She brings valuable expertise in copywriting, research, and storytelling, with a lifelong belief in the power of a good story.
Melissa began her career copywriting and editing marketing materials in nonprofit settings. As a staff writer and copyeditor at a university and humanitarian aid nonprofit, she developed skills that contributed to increased open rates, click-through rates, program attendance, and fundraising contributions. She later pivoted to become a Youth Services Librarian after earning her Master’s degree, focusing on early literacy programming while strengthening her research skills.
In 2024, Melissa began working with us as an independent contractor, and in 2025 she officially joined the Three Notch’d team as a Project Associate. Her role includes research and writing, drafting content, and administrative support.
Why Melissa joined the Three Notch’d team: She wanted to do meaningful work that also allowed her to spend more time with her growing family.
Something that always makes Melissa’s day is: When that first sip of Earl Grey tea is perfectly hot.
Melissa’s previous experience taught her: Thorough research at the beginning of a project saves so much time in the long run!
Melissa’s approach to editing can be summed up in three questions: Does it flow? Is it concise? Is it complete?
When not behind her computer, you can find Melissa: Adventuring around town with her kids, working on her latest quilt project, collecting books for her personal library, or kayaking at the beach.
Our Guiding Principles
Every day, we’re inspired by the dedication of nonprofit leaders who work tirelessly to create positive change. Your commitment to your mission fuels our commitment to providing exceptional service as we enter this new chapter.
These core principles have sustained us through our first four years and will continue to guide us forward:
Authentic Partnership
We believe in building genuine relationships with our clients based on trust and mutual respect. We see ourselves as an extension of your team rather than just service providers.
Excellence in Practice
We hold ourselves to high standards in everything we do, from crafting compelling grant narratives to designing meaningful evaluation frameworks.
Creative Problem-Solving
We combine proven approaches with innovative solutions tailored to your unique challenges and opportunities.
Mission-Centered Focus
Every recommendation we make and strategy we develop is designed to advance your mission and increase your impact.
Continuous Learning
As we grow, we remain committed to expanding our expertise to better serve you and the communities you support.
How We Can Help Your Organization Thrive
We continue to offer services designed to help you communicate your impact effectively:
Grants
Providing comprehensive support throughout the grants process—from researching and identifying the right opportunities to developing compelling proposals and building lasting funder relationships. We help you navigate the complexities of grant applications, craft persuasive narratives, and establish sustainable grant management practices that lead to ongoing funding success.
Evaluation
Creating systems that not only measure your impact but help tell the story of your success in ways that resonate with supporters. We design custom evaluation frameworks, develop logic models, and implement practical data collection methods that demonstrate your outcomes while also providing valuable insights to strengthen your programs and operations.
Communications
Crafting narratives that capture the heart of your work and inspire action from your audiences. We write and design a variety of pieces—including annual reports, infographics, and overview documents—that help build out your portfolio of fundraising collateral and effectively tell your story to different audiences.
Looking Ahead: Connect With Us
We’re excited about what the future holds for Three Notch’d Nonprofit Solutions and for the organizations we serve. We’d love to hear about your nonprofit’s story and explore how we can help bring it to life.