Two Decades on Every Side of Nonprofit Funding

Dr. Margaret Jamal began her career as a software instructor in Denver and a Youth Director at Spirit Led Ministries before relocating to Chicago, where she spent two decades on the front lines of nonprofit development.

As Executive Director of the R.A.T.E.S. Foundation Congressional District Program from 2003 to 2009, she raised over $12 million to fund grassroots organizations serving the homeless, at-risk youth, ex-offenders, and families in Chicago.

As a 12-year Federal Grant Reviewer and Chair for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, the Corporation for National & Community Service, and AmeriCorps, she sat on the other side of the table — evaluating the very proposals her clients were submitting.

Across her career as grant writer, Program Director, donor, grant maker, and Federal Reviewer, she has been on both sides of over $20 million in nonprofit funding — raised, awarded, approved, and disbursed.

She is the author of 29 published books — including 5 on nonprofit development, faith-based discipleship curricula, and the Maggie Pine mystery series — an ordained minister, a certified Philanthropic Development Officer (NHF, 2003), a Certificate in Nonprofit Management holder (University of Chicago, 2003), and the founder of New Skills Online — where she teaches the R.A.T.E.S. Framework™ she created in 2005.

Today, Dr. Jamal plans and develops every NSO product herself using AI-native development — from concept to live, revenue-generating application — including assessment platforms, grant-writing tools, marketing automation, and the R.A.T.E.S. Responsible AI Readiness Assessment.