Vanessa’s energy and enthusiasm is contagious. She was able to involve our Board at unprecedented levels and enable them to see our current and future possibilities as an organization that serves those most in need.
Angel Luis Irene (deceased), (Former) Executive Director
Vanessa strengthened our brand and our relationships with key stakeholders, not only in our nation’s capital, but also nationally and internationally as well. Her strategic branding and messaging work led the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) to a clearer vision, defined message, and renewed sense of purpose.
Octavio Hinojosa, (Former) Executive Director
I cannot think of a person more skilled, nimble and effective than Vanessa. She really pushed our college’s new Washington, DC campus forward with both an overall marketing plan and her Hispanic Academic Outreach Initiative.
Prof. George Hairston, (Former) Director of Admissions & Marketing
We hired Vanessa at the recommendation of a colleague for what we anticipated to be a quick, two-month leadership communications project. She remained our strategic communications consultant, working closely with me, our communications director and the NLADA Board of Directors, for more than two years. Vanessa is agile and brings calm, optimism, and clarity with her 20 years of communications experience. Vanessa played an invaluable role in support of our executive leadership transition, and I am glad she has been able to continue to work with me in my new capacity as CEO of the NLADA Insurance Program - Service Corporation.
Jo-Ann Wallace, Esq., (Former) President & CEO, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
President, CEO & Board Chair, NLADA Insurance Program – Service Corporation
I found Vanessa to be one of the most organized, pro-active and articulate marketing and communications consultants I have worked with. She has a cheerful, positive presence and outlook that is truly infectious. Vanessa has a passion and enthusiasm for non-profit work that is evident in everything she does. She has an outstanding eye for great creative design and if it's not quite there yet she knows what to do to get it there.
Meghan Mahler
From the moment Vanessa joined our team, it felt as though she had always been part of it. She’s extremely organized, creative, responsive, and the list goes on. She not only did the job, but was a thought-partner and had so many great ideas that we could utilize for future campaigns – it felt as though we had won the lottery. She brings boundless amounts of energy and excitement at every turn which made her a pleasure to work with. I couldn’t recommend her more, she is truly remarkable!
Clare Armbruster, (Former) Development Director
Vanessa is a fundraising, communication and project management extraordinaire! During a period of stressful internal transitions, she stepped into various roles, shifting effortlessly from grants management to communication strategy to event marketing -- all while being an integrated member of our development team. Not only did she bridge several work gaps, but she added creativity and improved inefficient systems, enabling us to meet important deadlines and driving us to launch a successful new campaign.
Barbara Camacho, Director of Development Operations
I have had the pleasure to work alongside and be mentored by Vanessa during her time as a Marketing and Communications Consultant for the Saint Francis Foundation. She is adept at creating content and engagement opportunities that attract new donors, sell-out events, and raise revenue. She is highly organized and transparent with action items to meet deadlines and exceed goals. Mission-driven and forward-thinking, Vanessa is a valuable consultant to lead and support any nonprofit team.
Allison Lamm, (Former) Director of Annual Fund & Communications
Vanessa was a key resource for our executive transition team and worked closely with me to share who I am as a leader as well as my executive vision for NLADA. She brought thoughtful and strategic ideas, including effective (and fun) ways to engage with our community on social media. She carefully listened to my narrative, asking the right questions to bring out my personal story and vision in an authentic and professional way. Her expertise and keen anticipation of what was needed saved me time and mental space to focus on moving seamlessly into my new role as CEO!
April Frazier Camara, Esq., President & CEO
Super Star—that is how I would describe Vanessa Bilanceri! I have had the pleasure to work with Vanessa on several recent nonprofit events, and from the get-go she impressed me with her strong work ethic and generous warmth. Vanessa brings a wealth of good ideas, giant enthusiasm and energy, all while gently but firmly keeping the team on track. She is goal focused, professional, and simply a delight to work with.
Heather Ripley, (Fromer) Senior Event Producer
We never could have accomplished all we did this past year and exceeded our fundraising and marketing goals without Vanessa’s support. She stepped in during a crunch time and was able to ramp up immediately to provide effective, quick, supportive and high quality services. She has a keen marketing eye that she brings to all projects, which helped us in shaping our messaging and visuals to feel relevant and compelling to our audiences. Her input and direction was critical to our team’s success during a really intense year. She is worth her weight in gold if you are lucky enough to secure some of her time!”
Amie Latterman, Chief Advancement Officer
Vanessa is a JOY to work with. She is a clear and concise communicator which made my job easier, eliminating a lot of guesswork. Her strong organization skills helped to steer our team and projects and she kept us on schedule even when there were many moving parts. She is a great collaborator and art director, her suggestions improved our projects and she’d brainstorm with me when something felt stuck. And on top of all of this, she’s FUN and keeps things light even when deadlines loom. I’d jump at the chance to work with her again!
Janeen Jang, Freelance Graphic Designer, Owner
Vanessa is an absolute joy. She handles any request with calm and grace. She is extremely thorough and responds to requests in a very timely manner. Her communications, marketing and public relations skills are on point, and her guidance is strategically rooted with a 360 degree perspective of the situation. She quickly understands organizational culture and is able to navigate personalities with aplomb. Vanessa is a great addition to any communications team!
Sharon Singh, (Former) Director of Communications
It's such a pleasure working with Vanessa! She has made a huge difference in helping us achieve our marketing and fundraising goals at Children's Council. Her professionalism, collaborative spirit and attention to detail is truly remarkable. I know that when we turn a project over to Vanessa, I don't need to worry about it - it's going to be done well and on time. She understands how to navigate complex networks of internal and external constituents, keeping projects on track and coming to us for feedback when needed. Collaborating with Vanessa is a joy, I can't recommend her highly enough!
Philip Mayard, Director of Marketing & Communications
I've had the pleasure of working with Vanessa and VCB Consulting on numerous projects over the past few years. Although the type of work has varied, the quality of the delivered product is always top-notch. Professionally she shares my willingness to learn new tools, adapt to the latest trends and ask questions when needed. This type of approach is what makes our relationship so collaborative, and has resulted in many successful campaigns. Vanessa is full of insightful knowledge and feedback so I always look forward to her emails and phone calls. I highly recommend her as a consultant and a friend!
Brian Kay, Graphic/Web Designer
I have worked with Vanessa for years now. She is, without question, one of the most effective professionals I've had on any of my teams. She has such a keen intuition on creating and managing communication streams that are informative, inspiring and that lead to donor engagement. EVERYTHING she does is on time, on budget and creatively inspired. I would highly recommend her work to any organization that is looking to grow, looking to put forth 'a new face' or to rethink and rebuild their communication/donor strategy and tactics.
Kevin Causey, (Former) President
Vanessa was a superstar for SPUR -- delivered big results in terms of our business relationships, which drove capacity for the organization.
Gabriel Metcalf, (Former) President & CEO
Vanessa brought energy, vision and a new marketing approach to National Youth Service Day 2004. This community-wide event, housed in the Executive Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, is no easy task, yet Vanessa managed it with ease, creativity and professionalism. She excelled as the leader and facilitator of the 15-member youth task force and reached out to public and private community leaders to involve more than 8,000 people in an extremely successful National Youth Service Day.
Deborah A. Gist, (Former) State Superintendent
District of Columbia State Education Office