About Us

Our team has deep roots in urban and international community development work.

We are seasoned nonprofit leaders.

We have 50+ years of experience as executive leaders in the nonprofit sector (as Founders, Chief Development Officers, Directors of Development, Marketing Specialists, and more).

We have a messaging first approach.

We have a high value for visual aesthetics, while strongly believing that establishing core messaging is foundational to great design, and more importantly, effective marketing, communications, and fundraising.

We believe in long-term partnerships.

We develop long-term partnerships with clients, staying with them to provide ongoing strategy, design, communications, digital fundraising expertise.

Our Messaging-First Approach

Nonprofit leaders excel at developing creative and innovative ways to address the world's most significant problems. Yet, they often lack the bandwidth and industry knowledge needed to effectively communicate their story and have an impact on potential donors and strategic partners.  That's where we come in.

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We are passionate about creating lasting change in under-resourced communities across the globe.

We believe deeply that nonprofits and social impact organizations can create lasting change in cities all over the world. We work with you to present your work with more clarity and focus so you can exponentially increase your impact.

Specializing in nonprofits that are focused on urban centers and under-resourced communities in the US and abroad, we work closely with you to develop strategies that get the funding you need through strategic alignment and elegant design that make you stand out.

Our proven approach strategically aligns your organization to attract donors and foundations looking for measurable results.

We are seasoned nonprofit leaders with over 60 combined years of nonprofit leadership experience. Our owners, Bill Cummings and Todd Hiestand, have each been key leaders in founding and sustaining multiple nonprofits. Their leadership in the nonprofit sector focused on storytelling, branding, marketing, fundraising, and leadership.

We have intentionally built our team of writers, designers, project managers, and developers with experience in nonprofits because we believe that branding for nonprofits and social impact ventures requires a unique perspective.

Our superpower is our nonprofit-specific messaging, branding, and leadership experience.

Our Team

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Nathalie Szejner

Sr. Graphic Designer

Bio

Nathalie is an experienced designer with 10+ years of experience working with nonprofits and for-profits, serving in roles such as art director, senior graphic designer, and brand manager.

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Jacob Tippett

Art Direction

Bio

Jacob Tippett is a seasoned graphic designer based in Wilmington, NC, and brings over a decade of expertise in design solutions for nonprofits. Jacob specializes in brand development and translating visual identities across print and digital mediums. He creatively integrates insights from diverse design disciplines such as color theory, web interfaces, and print publishing to enrich visual storytelling and establish innovative brand assets.

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Stephanie Kim

Web Developer

Bio

Stephanie started coding in high school and quickly discovered that she loved the field of technology. Since then, she has grown her experience in software development both at tech companies and community-based organizations. While she works toward a bachelor’s in Computer Science at Macaulay Honors College, she is a coding instructor who teaches game development to students from underrepresented communities in an after-school program.

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Lindsay Sullivan

Brand Strategist

Bio

With 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Lindsay has honed a deep expertise in fundraising, marketing, and branding. In the age of information overload, she finds ways to simplify complex ideas, get to the heart of a story, and create content that moves people to action. Lindsay is passionate about connecting people through storytelling to build a more just, compassionate, and peaceful world.

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Hubert Bendfeldt Vásquez

Senior Financial Strategy Advisor

Bio

Hubert is a certified project manager with a background in industrial engineering, and a degree from the University of San Carlos de Guatemala. Beginning in his teenage years, Hubert has worked closely with NGOs, gaining insights into rural and urban social development across various countries and within Guatemala.

He served as the Director of Community Development for Lemonade International in the La Limonada neighborhood and co-founded UTZ Means Good. This conglomerate, focusing on e-commerce infrastructure for rural areas, includes UTZ BOX, Gronn, UTZ Market, and Synergy Consulting, all adhering to the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Prosperity.

Hubert is a travel and music enthusiast, advocate for healthy and balanced living, and is a 2022 Young Leaders of America's Initiative fellow.

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Hannah Sherk

Content Specialist

Bio

Hannah is a content specialist with social media, blogging, and ghostwriting chops. She loves making complex ideas simple and helping non-profit leaders articulate their passion for their mission. Her skill set draws on her experience in the fields of education, journalism, and non-profit organizations.

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Bill Cummings

Co-Founder / Director of Branding

Bio

Bill is an experienced nonprofit executive with a demonstrated history of founding, leading, and growing a nonprofit organization from the ground up.

He is a seasoned nonprofit founder, leader, marketer, and storyteller. He is the founder and former executive director of Lemonade International and has served in leadership positions with Zoe Empowers and Restore NYC. He loves engaging in meaningful conversations as he works with clients on brand strategy and communications.

Bill believes strongly in deep relationships and standing in solidarity with people who have been historically marginalized. He and his wife Cherie live in Raleigh, NC, and have been married since 1990. They have adult twin sons and a daughter in college.

Bill holds an MA in Social and Civic Entrepreneurship from Bakke Graduate University.

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Todd Hiestand

Co-Founder / Director of Web Strategy

Bio

Todd Hiestand, an experienced web strategist, has over two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and web development. Serving as our Director of Web Strategy, he effectively merges his technological expertise with his love for the nonprofit sector.

He is passionate about helping nonprofits grow, fulfill their mission, and help their future-defining voices be told and heard.

Throughout his career, Todd has served in full-time communications and development roles wth Pure Charity, Lemonade International, and Compassion First, while serving 100's of nonprofts as a consultuatnt.

He has been no stranger to liminal moments. He thrives in navigating the 'space in-between where you are at now, and where you want to be.' Guiding nonprofits through their web strategy challenges, he brings this same focus to his role as the Director of Web Strategy at Liminal Creative.

Todd holds a Master's degree from Missio Seminary.To learn more about Todd, visit his personal website

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Cherie St Jean

Director of Operations

Bio

Cherie has worked in nonprofit leadership and management for more than 25 years. She is a co-founder of two nonprofit organizations and has provided leadership in the areas of operations, project management, budgeting, and finance.

Our Values

We are people-centered

People and relationships are at the core of our work and will always be more important than the projects we work on. (Our projects are important because they are directly connected to people!)

We Collaborate

We work with a strong conviction that real change will only take place if we work together.

We deliver high-quality products and services

We are tenacious in our approach to doing great work — understanding that strategy and ideas are only as valuable as the assets and projects that are executed as a result.

We pursue diversity

We believe that our projects, our progress, and our communities will be better when we reflect the diversity of the world around us.

We are lifelong learners

We have an insatiable desire to expand our knowledge and understanding — always seeking to be on the front edge of the most current and effective solutions that propel clients toward growth and impact.

We Have Fun

We love our work and we laugh (a lot!). Our clients do hard work and we want to bring a presence of authentic joy as we do important work together.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Liminal Creative is an equal opportunity employer that values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, other minority groups, and veterans to apply for open positions.

We engage in active listening to expand our understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our work and client relationships. As we continually pursue growth in this area, we are committed to applying what we learn to our work and how we lead our company.

Check out our work

See how we help social impact organizations lead the way in creating lasting change in the world.

Our Work