About GPA
Experience
you can't shortcut.
Most philanthropy advisors research nonprofits from the outside. GPA was built by a team that spent decades working inside them, across development, operations, finance, and the boardroom. That difference is the credential.
The view from inside
Most charity tools measure what organizations report. GPA knows what they don't.
Ratings agencies look at overhead ratios and self-reported impact numbers. Annual reports are written to inspire confidence. Even well-intentioned nonprofit leaders present their organizations in the best possible light to funders.
Joe Smith, founder of Glaisman Philanthropy Advising, and the GPA team have sat on the other side of that relationship for decades. Together they have built the donor databases, managed the CRM, reviewed the financial reconciliations, and supported the board reports. They know what a strong organization looks like from the inside. They also know how a struggling one describes itself to the outside.
That experience is not available through any rating platform. It cannot be replicated by reading a 990. It is the foundation of every GPA engagement.
Development and fundraising
Managed campaigns, donor databases, and CRM systems at multiple organizations. Knows exactly what nonprofits track, what they surface to funders, and what stays internal.
Operations and finance
Oversaw financial reporting, audit readiness, grant compliance, and board level visibility into program performance. Has seen the books from the inside.
Governance and leadership
Worked directly with CEOs, executive directors, and board members through periods of growth, transition, and organizational stress. Understands what strong leadership looks like and how to spot its absence.
Systems and data integrity
Built and managed CRM, reporting, and workflow systems across multiple organizations. Knows how data is collected, cleaned, and presented, and where the gaps tend to hide.
Programs and service delivery
Supported program operations across homeless services, food recovery, youth education, and disability support. Understands how money actually moves from funder to community.
Career background
Organizations worked with directly
The experience behind GPA spans cause areas, organization sizes, and operational roles, from a 12-person team in Michigan to a multi-million dollar Bay Area operation. Every engagement draws on firsthand knowledge of how these organizations actually function, not just how they present themselves.
R.E.A.D.Y. Inc.
2005 – 2017Development, Marketing and Database Manager
Benton Harbor, MI
Youth programs and community development
Peninsula Bridge
2017 – 2018Development Manager and Salesforce Administrator
Palo Alto, CA
Education and youth opportunity
LifeMoves, Inc.
2019Education Program Manager and Salesforce Administrator
Menlo Park, CA
Homeless services and transitional housing
White Pony Express
2019 – 2020Development Database Manager and Trainer
Pleasant Hill, CA
Food rescue and redistribution
Dorothy Day House Berkeley
2022 – PresentDirector of Marketing and Development / Consulting Partner
Berkeley, CA
Homeless services, food recovery, and community support
By the numbers
20+
Years per advisor working directly inside nonprofits and foundations
100+
Organizations assessed, vetted, or researched in an advisory capacity
100%
Practitioner-led. Every advisor has worked inside the sector, not adjacent to it
For donors and funders
What this means when you are deciding where to give
Most donors evaluate nonprofits on information those nonprofits provided. GPA evaluates them on the patterns and signals that only emerge from working inside organizations for years.
Our team has worked at every level of these organizations, not just reviewed them from the outside. We know where to look because we have been there.
For nonprofits
What this means when you want to understand how funders see you
Our team has worked at every level of organizations that ranged from struggling to thriving. The signals that concern sophisticated funders are not always the ones organizations think to address.
GPA takes a limited number of nonprofit engagements, typically when an organization wants to understand how it is being evaluated before a major funding conversation, or how to close the gap between its actual capacity and its outward presentation.
Why GPA exists
"A lot of charitable money is not being wasted on overhead. It is being lost to dysfunction, misaligned leadership, and programs that were never built to deliver what donors think they funded. The tools philanthropists currently use were not designed to find that. GPA was."
Joe Smith, Founder of Glaisman Philanthropy Advising
Ready to talk?
A 30-minute strategy call is free. No pitch, no pressure. Just a direct conversation about what you are trying to accomplish.