About Mission Arc
Clear strategy. Stronger relationships. Practical follow-through.
Mission Arc helps mission-driven organizations strengthen the fundraising practices behind their work. We connect strategic thinking with donor communications and practical systems so leaders can make informed decisions and move forward with a clearer plan.
Why Mission Arc exists
A meaningful mission does not remove the everyday challenges of fundraising. Staff have competing responsibilities. Donor follow-up can be inconsistent. Important information can live in separate files—or in one person’s memory.
Mission Arc exists to help organizations address those challenges with a focused approach: understand the current situation, identify the priority, and build a process the team can sustain.
Meet Mardessa Smith
Founder, Mission Arc
Mardessa Smith brings more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications, public health, community engagement, and mission-driven work.
Her professional background includes communications work with the Archdiocese of Atlanta, public health outreach with Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and public affairs experience in higher education. Across these settings, her work has connected organizational priorities with the people and communities those organizations serve.
Mardessa holds a Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Health Promotion and a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations. She brings that combination of planning, communication, and community perspective to Mission Arc’s work with organizational leaders.
Her approach is practical: ask useful questions, understand the evidence, clarify the message, and establish the next steps that people can carry out.
What guides our work
Mission comes first.
Fundraising priorities should reflect the work your organization exists to do.
Relationships deserve care.
Donors are people with their own motivations, interests, and choices.
Clarity supports action.
Clear responsibilities and practical tools help teams follow through.
Capacity matters.
A plan should fit the people, time, and resources available.
Trust requires accuracy.
We distinguish evidence from assumptions and protect the information entrusted to us.
Who we work with
Nonprofits, faith-based organizations, community organizations, and foundations seeking strategic fundraising and donor-development support. We are based in Atlanta, Georgia, and available for remote engagements.