BFTConnect LLC

BFTConnect LLC works to improve communications among fundraising professionals and to make philanthropy more efficient.  Formed in 2007 by a trio of experienced entrepreneurs with a long history in fundraising services, BFTConnect LLC debuted with the launch of ContactReporter™, the first service to empower field development officers and their managers by making reporting possible while on the road.  BFTConnect LLC is dedicated to providing quality products and services and to supporting innovative best practices in fundraising and philanthropy.  

The Principals

Helen E. Brown

Helen is known internationally for her leadership in the field of advancement services and prospect research.

In addition to serving as one of the principals of BFTConnect, Helen is president of The Helen Brown Group LLC (HBG), a full-service prospect research consulting firm working with clients in the US, UK and Europe.  She is also president of ShareTraining, a web-based training company specializing in prospect research and fundraising.  Prior to founding HBG in 2002, Helen established and directed advancement research departments at Northeastern University and at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

Helen is a board member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and is past president of the New England Development Research Association.  She is the 2006 recipient of the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.  Helen is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the board of the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester, England, serves as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and is a non-executive director of Factary Ltd. 

Jay Frost

Jay is a twenty year veteran of the philanthropy world, having worked as a grantmaker, fundraiser and executive at businesses serving philanthropy.

Prior to founding BFTConnect with partners Helen Brown and Bill Tedesco, Jay served as Vice President for FundraisingINFO.com; Chief Strategy Officer at WealthEngine; President of WealthID; and in a number of roles at Thomson Financial’s Wealth Identification and CDA/Investnet. 

In past years, Jay served as Director of Major Gifts at the International Rescue Committee, a private voluntary organization dedicated to refugee relief, and as editor and co-founder of International Philanthropy, a journal devoted to coverage of transnational fundraising.  He has also served on the development team of Meridian International Center, in the Washington office of the American Film Institute and as a Program Specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts.

An active volunteer and educator, Jay is a former member of the CASE Industry Advisory Council and a past national board member and Metro DC Chapter President of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA).  He speaks regularly at local, national and international conferences and has published frequently on many topics related to philanthropy and fundraising.

Bill Tedesco

Bill is a well-known entrepreneur in the field of philanthropy with over fifteen years experience at the helm of companies serving the fundraising profession.

In addition to serving as one of the principals of BFTConnect, Bill is founder and managing partner of DonorSearch, compiler and distributer of the largest compendium of data on charitable and political giving.  In prior years, Bill served as Executive Vice President of Target America and later as CEO of WealthEngine.com.  Bill also has four years of fund raising experience including Director of Development for the Fund for Educational Excellence, Baltimore's public education fund and as major gift officer at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

Bill is a frequent speaker at conferences around the United States.