About

   

    Ariella Nasuti is the owner of Maine-based Ariella Nasuti Consulting, LLC.   She allies with foundation, arts education, healthcare, early childhood intervention, literacy, community development, municipal, social justice, environmental, higher education, basic needs, legal aid, Pre-K-12, charter school, workforce development, LGBTQ+, animal welfare, veterans services, library, faith-based, supportive housing, P3, and museum clients. Projects focus on  conservation, educational access, workforce development, human services, economic empowerment, social mobility, placemaking and cultural infrastructure, community building, environmental equity, and civic engagement. Learn more about the institutional funders she has worked with here.

Ariella graduated with honors from Barnard College, Columbia University, with a B.A. in Political Science, attended the Hebrew University as a Visiting Scholar in Political Science, and holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School where her coursework focused on Trusts & Estates and Tax. She served as research assistant to Professor Lawrence Waggoner, American Law Institute Reporter for the Restatement (Third) of Property and principal drafter of the Uniform Probate Code revisions. While in law school, Ariella was Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law and the Journal of Comparative Studies in Society and History.  She is admitted to the bars of New York and New Jersey.

In-House Nonprofit Experience

Ariella has been privileged to work for Columbia University, The New York Public Library, the Five College Consortium, William Paterson University, Warrior-Scholar Project, and Yeshiva University. Supervising staffs of 25+,  she was responsible for compliance; grant stewardship; M&E; governance; nonprofit entity formation & tax matters; HR / culture building; accounting, budgeting, and finance; endowment management; fundraising; facilities management; strategic planning; investments; financial statements; risk management; and project management.

As a finance executive, Ariella has budgeted and managed operating, restricted, and capital funds in excess of $350 million. She’s been responsible for internal, year-end, and A-133 audits; financial statements; endowment and cash management; auxiliary income; debt policies; A/P, A/R, and payroll; procurement; long-term fiscal planning; financial architecture (systems, technologies, supporting organizations, and SOPs); insurance; budgeting; and predictive analytics. With experience in commercial real estate acquisition, financing, leasing, and development, she’s supervised both construction and physical plant operations. 

Her HR experience ranges from compliance to the negotiation of benefits contracts.  She oversaw the recruitment, onboarding, training, review, termination, and offboarding of both management and support staff.  While at Columbia University, Ariella served on the institution-wide DE&I Committee.

With respect to development, Ariella has crafted, submitted, and administered federal, state, corporate, and private foundation grants totaling $160 million.  She has served on numerous advancement teams, drafting and negotiating planned giving instruments, securing and managing leadership gifts, stewarding institutional funds, and overseeing capital construction, legacy giving, and restricted endowment campaigns. 

Legal Experience

As a Real Estate Attorney with New York and New Jersey law firms, Ariella represented borrowers, lenders, and rating agencies in the acquisition, financing, disposition, rezoning, and securitization of commercial real estate portfolios.  With extensive experience representing both landlords and tenants in every aspect of commercial leasing, construction, and improvement, she handled all of Citicorp’s NYC leasing matters, including Citicorp Center. Ariella has negotiated real estate-financed CGAs and CRTs, and bargain sales of real property. 

In an Of Counsel capacity serving foundations and public charities, Ariella has provided advice regarding grantmaking; fiscal sponsorship; asset protection;  nonprofit entity filings, mergers, and tax matters (state and federal);  governance issues (conflicts policies, excess benefit transactions, self-dealing, bylaws, SOPs, board compensation & diversification); procurement matters; planned giving; ERM; lobbying; P3s; mergers; grant acquisition and stewardship; cause marketing; and trade secrets. She has drafted and negotiated grant awards; gift agreements; commercial co-venture agreements; sponsorship agreements; subcontractor agreements; service contracts; vendor and tech agreements; marketing agreements; MOUs; licenses; NDAs; assignments; subordinations; rescission agreements; joint fundraising agreements; joint venture agreements; releases; indemnifications; teaming, branding and partnering agreements; severance agreements; loan documents; merger agreements; affiliate agreements; and insurance policies.

In Israel, Ariella worked for Intel and Luz Industries (now BrightSource Energy), a solar energy company.

When not working, Ariella can be found kayaking, biking, tending her organic garden, or researching her next novel.