“The Maine Appalachian Trail Club began a Capital Campaign in 2014 to raise funds for a much-needed operations center.  Our campaign had limited success was paused in 2020 due to the Pandemic.

 Alicia Nichols joined our team when we resumed the campaign in 2021.  She was instrumental in moving our campaign ahead. We had raised  20% of our goal at that time and with Alicia’s guidance, support and unflagging optimism, we achieved 100% of our goal of $3.3M by 2024.  We never would have achieved this success without her. 

Lester C. Kenway, Maine Appalachian Trail Club, Chair - Maine Trail Center Trail Champions Campaign

“Working with Alicia Nichols has been transformational for The Hill Arts capital campaign. She brings a rare combination of deep fundraising expertise, strategic clarity, and genuine warmth. Alicia listens deeply, understands an organization’s mission at its core, and turns that insight into clear, effective plans that deliver results. Under her guidance, we strengthened our case for support, deepened donor relationships, and built real organizational confidence. Her kindness, integrity, and ability to bring people together make the complex work of fundraising feel both human and achievable. I recommend Alicia wholeheartedly to any organization seeking a skilled, insightful, and inspiring fundraising partner.”

Deirdre Nice, Executive & Artistic Director, The Hill Arts

"Our fledgling organization had the pleasure of working with Alicia J. Nichols Fundraising Counsel as we embarked on launching a significant endowment campaign - an ambitious undertaking! Her years of experience in the nonprofit space, continuous support and encouragement, attention to detail, and ability to create compelling and impactful fundraising, as well as her thorough training guide, give us the confidence to tell our story, raise meaningful funds, and actualize a robust resource for programming to help us realize our mission goals!" Lisa Marr, Board of Directors.

Friends of the River Valley, Rumford, ME

First and foremost, I want to recognize Alicia’s experience and expertise as Campaign Director, (The Clifford Performing Arts Center Campaign, Mount View High School, Thorndike, ME.)

By choosing to contract with a veteran professional fundraiser, FUTURE MSAD 3 benefited from Alicia’s years of knowledge earned from working with nonprofit organizations. From the Unity Foundation’s perspective having an experienced campaign director was a prerequisite to potential success.  It also made our involvement in the project more efficient and beneficial to both organizations.

Lawrence J. Sterrs, CEO/Chairman, Unity Foundation

Over the years, I have participated in numerous fundraising training sessions, none of which was more engaging and informative than the session led by Alicia Nichols.  She blended in so perfectly with the trustees participating in the training that I found myself forgetting that she was not a member of the board herself.  She quickly bonded with us, understood the mission of the organization we are serving (Coastal Studies for Girls), and grasped the particular goals of our fund-raising campaign.  The exercises she introduced and discussions she led helped immeasurably to fuel our excitement and give us the necessary skills to contact potential donors and make our case.  I am indebted to her for enhancing so effectively and painlessly my willingness and ability to plunge into the fund raising ahead.

Nancy A. Wanderer, Former Board Member, Coastal Studies for Girls, Emerita Professor, University of Maine School of Law

Alicia helped us enhance our annual Santa's Helper Fund designed to raise money for The Salvation Army at Christmas.  Alicia met with our staff on numerous occasions, gathered and evaluated information provided based on our two plus decades of running this program, and in a very timely fashion made recommendations for improving our effort.  As a result of adopting many of Alicia’s recommendations, we raised more money than we had ever done before!  23% over our goal in fact!   Alicia was a delight to work with and we appreciate her embracing our project. 

Richard J. Warren, Publisher, Bangor Daily News

I am grateful I had the opportunity to work with Alicia, and I am certain we would not have been successful were it not for her assistance. She trained our volunteer committee, educated us on fundraising strategies and developed a plan for our success. She then steadfastly kept us focused on the plan and heading toward our goal. Her organization, expert advice and unwavering enthusiasm were exactly what we needed. Thank you, Alicia!

Brian Rahill, Past Vice President, Orono Public Library Foundation