About

Gayle Nelson, Esq is a leader driving nonprofit sustainable growth. For over twenty years, she has collaborated with diverse non-for-profit organizations to expand programs and services to meet critical needs. Gayle enjoys teaming up with organization leaders to facilitate strategic planning and board development activities. Additionally, she organizes fundraising events, writes grants, and supports staff in strengthening their leadership skills. She was the main writer and project manager of Curt's Cafe's successful $2 Million transformational grant from Lever For Change's 2024 Yield Giving Open Call. She has a passion for environmental causes, criminal justice reform, expanding legal services, empowering leaders with lived experiences, and coaching organization leadership. 

Her clients, from foundations to trade associations and diverse nonprofit organizations, appreciate her unique mix of development, marketing, financial, and legal expertise. Gayle enthusiastically builds community and often connects clients to one another to explore opportunities to collaborate and share findings.

Gayle shares her home with her daughters and two cats. When she is not working, she enjoys a good workout and cultivating her backyard garden.



Gayle was a dedicated and thoughtful leader on the CWIP Board of Directors. She led our Technical Assistance Committee, which focused on strengthening our non-profit member organizations, with great success, helping us to increase our nonprofit membership segment. As a board member, she asked the right questions, helped to keep us on track, and brought new ideas and practical strategies to the group. Gayle is a tremendous asset, who leads by example.
                                       Susan Gidley, Gidley Management, Managing Chicago Women in Philanthropy