About Us

PACE Fundraising

Like its name, the principals of PACE Fundraising believe there is a natural rhythm to the art and science of fundraising. The proper time invested in strategically analyzing and designing your campaign, annual fund effort, or other special projects will lead to successful outcomes.

Adherence to Systems & Process

The team at Pace Fundraising adhere to the principles of systems and process while applying creative energy giving your project unique advantages. The teams assembled to support PACE-led projects are selected specifically from among only the most experienced executives.

Right-sized Expertise

The size and scope of the team is adjusted to the ebb and flow of the work and expertise required and is managed accordingly to the specific needs of your project. This flexibility assures that you are getting the best expertise at the right time, the right way, at the right price: a seamless team of professionals, all working in one direction. Innovative, highly skilled, efficient; just some of the descriptors clients have used when working with PACE Fundraising.

Alongside You in the Field

Field-tested executives, systems and processes are an advantage to PACE clients. We are innovative problem solvers with decades of experience in the field; side-by-side with our clients. PACE keeps its project teams nimble, with only the most experienced sub-contractors called in when necessary. This flexibility assures that you are getting the best expertise at the right time, the right way, at the right price: a seamless team of professionals, all working strategically in one direction.

Putting PACE Fundraising to work on funding your project is the first step towards achieving your vision. Present a campaign that is well-designed, understood by constituents, organized to maximize volunteer time and influence, and ultimately winnable because “it is on PACE”.

Meet the PACE Team

With so much on the line, partnering with PACE isn’t just smart — it’s essential!

Our expert team works shoulder-to-shoulder with your organization to elevate your fundraising and drive lasting results

Michelle Brislin, CFRE

Senior Consultant

Michelle Brislin is a senior consultant with PACE Fundraising and has been in the non-profit sector since 2005. Prior to joining PACE, she held a management role at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and served as a gift planner for the college in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and on the East Coast. She has worked in higher education, health care, human services, sports management, and faith-based ministries. Along with her tenure in fundraising, Michelle worked as a broadcast journalist with Studio One and WDAZ News, where she served as an anchor, reporter, and producer. This training and experience instilled in her a love for story-telling and relationship-building. Michelle offices out of Minneapolis/St. Paul where she is launching PACE services and spends significant time in North Dakota serving clients.

Andrew Schweigert

Client Relations Director

Andrew serves as the primary liaison for client relations at PACE Fundraising, playing a key role in ensuring seamless coordination and successful execution of capital campaigns. He works closely with client leadership contacts to maintain project alignment, provide strategic support, and deliver consistent communication throughout the campaign lifecycle. Andrew regularly engages with executive leadership teams, providing timely updates and insights to ensure transparency and progress. A graduate of Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota, Andrew has been an integral part of the PACE team since 2018. He currently resides in South Fargo with his family.

Shannon Schweigert

Managing Partner

Shannon is the managing partner at PACE Fundraising. He has been fundraising for 30+ years with two stints at Jamestown College (now University of Jamestown - Jamestown, ND). Shannon was the VP for Advancement and led the institution through its first major capital campaign. Since then, he was the first employee at the Impact Foundation (Fargo, ND) in the mid-2000s prior to starting his own fundraising firm. Shannon is a proven leader in the fundraising industry and is known for his successful planning and execution of capital campaigns, amongst other projects. Shannon lives in West Fargo, ND with his wife Holly. They have two adult children and four grandchildren.

Melanie Villarreal

Director of GiveNGo Fundraising

Melanie is the Director of GiveNGo Fundraising, a digital fundraising platform powered by PACE Fundraising. She brings over a decade of experience in operations and client relations, with a strong focus on building partnerships that make fundraising easy and effective for nonprofits and community organizations. A graduate of Moorhead High and the University of Minnesota—having spent time on both the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses—Melanie is deeply rooted in the communities she serves. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, tries not to miss her all-important early morning run (and even more important post-run coffee), and stays busy keeping up with her favorite roles in life as wife to Tyler and mom to Anna and Ames.

Adam Kusler

Marketing Director

Adam is the Marketing Director at PACE Fundraising, where he leads the development of design assets, campaign materials, digital marketing initiatives, and client promotional strategies. He also manages the creation of communication strategies and supporting collateral across PACE Fundraising and its affiliated entities. Additionally, Adam serves as the design and marketing lead for GiveNGo Fundraising—a digital fundraising platform powered by PACE and built specifically for nonprofit organizations. Adam brings over 18 years of design and marketing experience across a variety of industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and currently resides in Horace, North Dakota, with his family. Outside of his professional role, Adam volunteers as a firefighter and EMS responder with Southern Valley Fire & Rescue.

Mark Hensrud

Partner

Mark embarked on his fundraising journey in 2011 at a small Bible camp tucked away in the heart of northeast North Dakota. He's spent nine years of his career in higher education, between Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and most recently, the MSUM Foundation. Mark's the kind of guy who can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. Whether it's teachers or CEOs, he's got a knack for building solid relationships. Mark originally hails from Hoople, ND, and has a degree in Mass Communications, which probably explains his gift for gab. Mark lives in Mesa, AZ as a representative of PACE's SW Division. Besides being a fundraiser, Mark's also a devoted husband and proud dad of two. When he's not meeting with clients or with his family, you can often find him on the golf course.

Why Choose Us

Winning transformation campaigns will propel your organization to next-level performance.

With so much on the line, it only makes sense to choose PACE.

Organization

Fundraising is both and Art & Science. The science is applied through proper organization. A properly organized and executed campaign begins with setting the appropriate expectations for all involved.

PACE is continually improving its project sequence efficiencies enhancing your ability to stay focused and on track.

Momentum

PACE’s history of winning capital campaigns can be attributed to its unique processes and systems which build campaign momentum and success.

Our campaigns are designed to achieve early success for campaign prospect cultivation volunteers. The cultivation sequence is based upon a prospect’s propensity to give rather than their relative capacity. Early success instills confidence in volunteers, executives, and board members. That confidence is transferred to the greater constituency, creating a community-wide momentum and greater likelihood for obtaining gifts from prospects more distant from the organization. Finally, we are meticulous in tracking campaign progress with sequenced communication with volunteers, executives and governing boards.

At any point in time, we know where your campaign is and can make valuable projections on its progress, allowing for adjustments when necessary.

Enjoyable

PACE is known for saying “Fundraising is never easy, but organized properly, it can be enjoyable.” This belief is an operating tenet for PACE Fundraising. Everything we do is aimed at making the fundraising process enjoyable for donors, volunteers, executives, board members, and staff.

Communication

PACE Fundraising takes pride in its ability to master campaign communications: a function of the Art of fundraising. Nothing is more critical in your campaign than the ability to effectively convey your Case for Support to the public, prospective donors, and internal constituencies. In addition, communication between campaign management and volunteer team members can be the difference between winning and losing a campaign.

Experts in the Field

The Art of fundraising also applies to proper cultivation and solicitation methods in the field. Perhaps the most glaring difference between PACE and its competitors is our penchant for assisting your organization “in the field.” PACE team members are field-tested and have served organizations as executives in direct face-to-face fundraising. As part of your campaign, we will go with you in the field during cultivation and ask meetings for select prospects. We won’t go alone.

Your prospects need to see the passion for the project in the eyes of peer community members. But we will provide technical support alongside your executive team, volunteers, or board members who are cultivating prospects. Most consulting firms will not go into the field. We do, because we enjoy fundraising.

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