Plentiful is a woman-owned business, formed in 2016 to offer clients a unique toolbox for building advancement practices. To create customized strategies and programs, we combine marketing and communications principles with development and fundraising expertise, using our experience, current trends and research, and sincere commitment to honoring the distinctive qualities of each organization.

OUR VISION

A world of abundant philanthropy. 

OUR MISSION

You work to do good. We work with you to do better. 

OUR VALUES

Carey Schmitt

As owner of Plentiful, Carey is honored to partner with organizations that strive towards big aspirations to advance valuable missions. She believes in the power and potential of the social sector, and is excited about the future of philanthropy. This passion comes from working with nonprofit organizations for over 20 years, creating strategic solutions for clients that provide focused, integrated, and resource-efficient pathways to achieving goals. Carey started her career as a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill. She leveraged strategic communications to engage constituents and build awareness for policy initiatives. Once landing in Ohio, she translated that experience to serving clients through brand and marketing agencies, both serving clients and growing those businesses as part of the leadership team. In 2018, she joined Plentiful with its founder, Sharon Steele. The common thread throughout her career is passion for creating strategies that will accomplish big goals. Carey’s consulting experience includes partnering with colleges and universities around the country to achieve multi-million and multi-billion dollar comprehensive campaigns. She has also collaborated with many Ohio nonprofit organizations to engage and mobilize supporters to fuel the mission. Carey specializes in shaping right-sized advancement programs that will increase audience engagement in a single year and also elevate staff productivity and proficiency. Throughout her career, Carey is most focused on leveraging an organization’s strengths and assets to create sustainable momentum, recognizing that a strategy is only as good as the outcomes it generates.

Sharon Steele, Plentiful Founder

While Sharon retired at the end of 2022, her contributions, perspectives, and spirit remain a big part of Plentiful. Sharon founded Plentiful with one spectacular goal in mind: To help those who do good, do better. She poured her experience and talents into forming a consultancy that would give nonprofit organizations a customized helping hand in establishing productive advancement models. She invited Carey to join in 2018, and together they built the Plentiful practice. In 2020, despite all the hurdles and chaos, Sharon handed Carey the reigns to Plentiful with the plan of retiring two years later. Through Plentiful and her many other roles, Sharon has made an incredible impact in central Ohio and way, way beyond. She served as the Founding CEO of the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, consultant to the Women’s Funding Network, advisor to the global Women Moving Millions campaign in its inaugural year, and is a founder of The Matriots, an Ohio PAC dedicated to helping more women win elective office. Just to name a few of her many accomplishments. While Sharon is no longer part of the day-to-day at Plentiful, her experience and wisdom continue to shape the work. Carey and Sharon remain very good friends and still talk frequently about everything from the latest headlines to great recipes. And once in a while, she’ll even weigh in with a few ideas for Plentiful.

Thank you, Sharon.