About The Cause Catalyst Co.
At The Cause Catalyst Co., we roll up our sleeves and work right alongside you. We believe fundraising should be clear, doable, and even joyful. Our approach is hands-on, collaborative, and designed to build confidence as you move forward.
Our Mission
To strengthen nonprofits through fundraising. We walk alongside development teams, equipping them with the systems, support, and encouragement they need to thrive. By helping fundraisers feel cared for and confident, we enable organizations to deepen their impact in the communities they serve.
Our Vision: People First, Purpose Always
Care for People
Our focus on people starts within our own team and extends to our clients, their staff and boards, the donors they serve, and the communities they impact. Caring for others is the foundation of who we are and why we exist.
Fundraising as Impact
We believe fundraising is one of the most powerful engines for change. By supporting nonprofits, we help them strengthen relationships with donors and advance work that leads to lasting transformation.
Relationships at the Center
We deeply value relationships with colleagues, clients, and donors, and we believe trust and connection are at the heart of every successful partnership.
Encouragement and Elevation
We believe in lifting others up. We encourage, affirm, and celebrate people and their progress, helping fundraisers and organizations step into their work with confidence and joy.
The Founder’s Story
The Cause Catalyst Co. was inspired by an act of pure generosity. As a teenager, founder Erica dreamed of joining a volunteer trip to Mexico to help build homes but couldn’t afford to go. After a failed fundraising attempt, a compassionate stranger called and offered to pay for her entire trip, saying, “Be my hands and my feet.” That moment transformed Erica’s life and sparked a lifelong calling to serve, help, and give.
From that experience grew a passion not only for service but also for storytelling and fundraising — sharing impact and connecting people to purpose. Over the years, while juggling multiple nonprofit roles, Erica saw firsthand how many small organizations struggle to sustain their work amid limited time and resources. She began to imagine a better way: a partner who could bring strategy, structure, and encouragement to the fundraising process.
That idea became The Cause Catalyst Co. — a company built to help nonprofits move from overwhelm to impact. Grounded in both heart and strategy, the team works alongside organizations to build lasting systems, strengthen capacity, and ensure that the good work keeps going. Rooted in that first act of kindness, The Cause Catalyst Co. continues to carry forward the same spirit of generosity that started it all.
Our Team
Three strengths, working in rhythm—to grow your mission.
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![Erica Soto of The Cause Catalyst smiling, wearing a dark top with white polka dots, standing in front of a white background]()
Strategy with Erica Soto, CFRE
Founder and Chief Strategist
Erica is the visionary behind The Cause Catalyst Co., bringing decades of experience in programs, major gifts, donor stewardship, and nonprofit leadership. She leads the team’s strategic direction, shapes client fundraising counsel, and teaches through cohorts and webinars that help organizations build strong donor cultures and sustainable systems. At the core of Erica’s work is a simple belief: relationships are paramount and stewardship is at the heart of everything we do. She brings deep expertise, practical solutions, and a whole lot of heart to helping nonprofits move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
A Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Major Gifts Officer, Erica is deeply passionate about helping nonprofits grow, not just their revenue, but their relationships. Based in Portland, she shares life with her husband and daughter, loves swimming, exploring the Oregon Coast, and bringing people together.
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![Veronica Kim of the Cause Catalyst smiling and standing in front of a background of green and bronze balloons.]()
Structure with Veronica Kim
Director of Client Operations
Veronica is the person who takes a plan and makes it real. She studied Social Welfare at UC Berkeley, began her career in finance, and eventually found her way to philanthropy, where she brings a mix of people-centered thinking and operational clarity. She is a steady force behind how we show up for the organizations we work with. She leads each engagement from initial planning through final delivery, providing the structure and process design that keep projects moving while also helping carry the development work forward. Her specialty is turning conversations and strategy into clear deliverables organizations can use right away, helping ideas move from discussion to done.
She lives in Portland with her husband and three daughters, loves a good brunch, and brings her full energy to everything from Cal football games to the latest Blackpink and BTS release.
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![Amie Echeverria smiling at the camera photographed outdoors in natural light.]()
Stewardship with Amie Echeverria
Director of Development Systems
Amie makes the behind-the-scenes work of fundraising run smoothly and turns complexity into clarity. Since 2014, she's helped nonprofits build the infrastructure that sustains strong donor relationships, from gift acknowledgment flows and stewardship cadence to CRM setup and data hygiene. Over the past decade, she's touched nearly every piece of the fundraising puzzle, editing donor reports, building automated workflows, and creating the back-end tools that make development work actually work. She's the team's resident expert in how a database should be structured and used to genuinely support fundraising, and she keeps things moving with calm, care, and precision.
She lives on a mini-homestead in Idaho with her husband and three daughters, and is happiest with a tidy database and a well-organized to-do list.
Our Approach
Turning Everyday Stewardship into a Sustainable, Relationship-Driven Fundraising Strategy
Our Fundraising Approach
Stewardship is at the center of everything we do.
Donor retention remains one of the biggest challenges in fundraising—most nonprofits lose nearly three out of four new donors after their first gift. That’s why we focus on strengthening relationships, not just securing transactions. We help teams build consistent systems for donor care so gratitude, follow-up, and reporting happen naturally, not occasionally.
Using the Stewardship Ladder as our framework, our coaching and tools guide organizations to show genuine appreciation and close the loop with every supporter. This rhythm transforms fundraising from a cycle of urgency into a practice of trust and connection.
When stewardship becomes second nature, teams find stability, joy, and growth. Donors feel seen, stay longer, and deepen their commitment to your mission—because sustained impact begins with consistent care.
Our Stewardship Approach
Lasting impact begins with intentional stewardship.
Our work is built on the Stewardship Rhythm of Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat—a proven donor engagement framework coined by Steven Screen. This rhythm shapes everything we teach and build, helping nonprofits strengthen donor relationships, increase retention, and keep supporters feeling invited, appreciated, and connected all year long.
We help organizations design systems that make this rhythm practical—tools like a 12-month stewardship calendar, shared team trackers, and simple CRM workflows that automate gratitude and follow-up. These structures add calm, clarity, and consistency to fundraising, allowing teams to focus on relationships instead of reaction.
When stewardship becomes part of your daily operations, fundraising feels lighter and more joyful. Donors stay longer, give more generously, and deepen their commitment to your cause—because sustainable growth starts with genuine care after the gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime.
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We help nonprofits strengthen fundraising systems and donor relationships through strategy, structure, and stewardship. Our work combines planning, organization, and donor care to create sustainable growth.
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We partner with nonprofits experiencing growth, transition, or new initiatives. Most clients come to us when they need strategic guidance, steady systems, or extra capacity on their fundraising team.
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It means we work alongside your team rather than apart from it. You gain the experience of a full development department while keeping ownership of the process and results.
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No. While our team is based in the Pacific Northwest, we work with organizations across the United States through virtual and hybrid partnerships.
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Engagements vary by scope. Some projects are completed in 4-6 weeks, while others, like fractional development retainers or campaigns, last several months.
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If you have leadership buy-in and a clear desire to improve fundraising systems, you’re ready. We’ll start with a discovery conversation to assess your goals and fit.
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Each project is scoped individually. We provide clear proposals before work begins.
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Yes. Our hourly nonprofit consulting sessions are ideal for organizations that need quick guidance or a reset. Each session includes actionable recommendations you can use right away.