Hey, I'm Bill—also William (sometimes). I'm a writer, teacher, consultant, and hands-on fundraiser who has spent my entire career advocating for artists, the creative process, and the role cultural institutions play in a vibrant society. 

During my 20+ years in the field, I've raised or coordinated more than $120 million for projects in the arts, humanities, and education. I've served as President and Executive Director at Ucross Foundation and held chief fundraising positions at Vermont Studio Center, MASS MoCA, and The Hyde Collection. I've also served on several boards including the world-renowned folk music venue Caffe Lena and the community art space Hubbard Hall Center of Arts and Education. I've guest lectured at Skidmore, Bennington, Hartwick, and Russell Sage colleges. 

As a consultant, employee, or board member, I’ve worked with theaters, operas, museums, artist residency programs, music venues, literary arts organizations, and community arts education centers, as well as colleges, parks, land stewardship organizations, and social service groups.   

As a writer, my debut novel Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Other Press) was published several years ago. Described as "an examination of art, fame, and authenticity" (The Boston Globe) and a "richly textured novel about folk music" (Publishers Weekly), it won the Adirondack Literary Award for Best Book of Fiction (2016). My work has also appeared in Post Road, Entropy, and other outlets. 

I started Wordhorse Strategies in 2017 to help arts executives, artist-leaders, and nonprofit professionals at small- and mid-sized organizations with strategic storytelling, fundraising, donor communications, and planning. Wordhorse has helped many nonprofits increase their fundraising capacity, and we've often provided a bridge to hiring full-time development staff. Recently, Wordhorse has embraced a hybrid consultancy model, offering traditional consulting and fractional work alongside digital resources for those with time and budget constraints. 

Wordhorse is more than just advice and analysis. As our name implies, we're not afraid to roll up our sleeves—whether it's for high-level campaign planning or the nitty-gritty of donor engagement, proposal writing, prospect research, or development operations, we're here to help.