Tamara Leonard, MA, CFRE
Tamara Leonard is a nonprofit strategist, fundraising expert, and founder of Grant Staff, Inc., an international grant-writing and development consulting firm in Orland Park, IL. What began as a small consulting practice steadily grew into an international firm serving nonprofits seeking strategic guidance in fundraising and organizational growth. Tamara is an active scholar and advocate for ethical leaders. She recently co‑authored an article on nonprofit board engagement and leadership succession, offering practical strategies to support healthy transitions and long‑term mission sustainability. Her work consistently emphasizes stewardship, transparency, and the responsible use of philanthropic resources to create measurable and lasting community impact. A Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), she has dedicated her career to helping mission-driven organizations secure sustainable funding and build capacity. Under her leadership, Grant Staff has raised more than $625 million for nonprofit clients worldwide, supporting programs that provide clean water, food assistance, healthcare, education, and community development in underserved communities and regions.
As the founder of the One Love Global Wellness Foundation, Tamara extends her professional expertise into direct community service. The foundation promotes holistic wellness by combining nutritional support with encouragement, community connection, and hope for those in crisis.
In her free time, Tammy enjoys reading, writing, golfing, and is completing her first novel. She is a World Cup silver medalist in karate and has completed five marathons to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. As a breast cancer survivor, Tammy actively volunteers and shares her story to emphasize the importance of early cancer detection. She and her husband, Bob, reside in Mokena and have three sons.
• Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE)
• PhD student, Organizational Leadership, Indiana Wesleyan University.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals
• International Leadership Association
• Grant Professionals Association
• Volunteered over 27,000 hours of volunteer-service and mentoring to individuals and organization worldwide
What do you attribute your success to?
Tamara attributes her success first and foremost to her faith in God. She has always sensed a higher purpose and believes she is here to do God's work, using the gifts and talents she's been given.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice Tamara has ever received was to take criticism with grace, using it as an opportunity to learn, improve, and move forward.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Tamara's commitment to encouraging others was shaped early in her life. At eighteen, she met with a well-known Chicago news anchor and author who warned that the field she hoped to enter was extremely difficult and suggested she might not succeed. The encounter was discouraging, yet it became a defining moment. She resolved that she would never become a "dream squasher,” but instead someone who helps others stretch, step into their calling, and set big, bodacious goals, while also teaching that it is okay to start over every single day if needed.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Throughout her career, she has seen the transformative power of philanthropy through projects both large and small. Her firm has secured grants ranging from millions of dollars to modest awards, yet in each instance, the true measure of success has been the lives changed. At the same time, she acknowledges the reality that there is always one more family, one more child, or one more community still in need, a perspective that continues to motivate her commitment to learning and service.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Tamara's emphasis on ethical stewardship was shaped early in her leadership experience when she witnessed donor funds intended for services being misused by organizational leadership. The experience reinforced a principle that has guided her work ever since: donor dollars are not the property of the organizations that receive them, but a trust held on behalf of the communities they serve. For that reason, she advocates for strong stewardship, clear financial accountability, governance, and mission transparency in all philanthropic work.
Tamara often describes successful grant writing or fundraising as “winning it on paper,” emphasizing that meaningful results begin with thoughtful planning, clear strategy, and a compelling case for support. Tamara believes the same is true in life: believe in yourself, trust the path God is leading you on, have a plan, and take action, but stay open and flexible when things change. She encourages people to surround themselves with others who help them think, create, grow, laugh, and to find those who never doubt them, even when they doubt themselves.
