Our Team

We bring together a variety of skills and experiences in the areas of business development, marketing, communications, and fund-raising to meet your needs. Our associates have the professional know-how and education to help you grow. They deliver high-quality work to our clients on time, every time.




Your Capacity Builders Team

Tanja Heinen, CFRE, MBA, FCEP - Founder and Senior Consultant enjoys meeting client needs with her consultative, results-oriented approach and collaborative leadership style. A strategic, experienced executive with vision and the proven ability to assess, build and lead stakeholders to achieve exemplary results. Tanja brings 30 years of progressively responsible leadership experience successfully tackling complex fundraising and marketing challenges involving people and projects.

In 1988, she graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in broadcast journalism. For five years following graduation, she gained valuable experience in the television, corporate communications and sports marketing fields. As Supervisor of the Mizzou Annual Fund, she cut her teeth in nonprofit development and supported the University's first $150 million capital campaign. These professional experiences prepared her for service in multi-faceted roles as Vice President for national/global nonprofits, including Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE, now ENACTUS) and the Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation (now the PKD Foundation).

In 2000, Tanja helped complete the first $5 million END PKD Campaign and earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation, a certification she has held for the past 19 years. In 2002, she graduated from Rockhurst University with a Master's in Business Administration degree. With the entrepreneurial spirit SIFE inspired coupled with her MBA in hand, she created Capacity Builders in 2004.

She brings more than 10 years of consulting experience to clients. Additionally, from 2011 to 2018, Tanja served six years on the board and as the 2014 President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Mid-America Chapter, as Director of Major and Planned Gifts for the Saint Luke's Foundation supporting a 10-hospital health system, Interim Executive Director and Development and Management Consultant to Lawrence Memorial Hospital's Endowment Association supporting Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and on the leadership team of EmberHope Youthville. She also earned the Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning (FCEP) distinction in 2014.

Today, Tanja serves on the board of Academie Lafayette, has partnered with Ed Shafer to serve more Capacity Builders clients, and aims to earn her ACFRE (Advanced Certified Fund Raising Professional) life-time designation in 2019. She's an active member of the Kansas City Estate Planning Society, the Mid-America Chapters of AFP and Charitable Gift Planners, PEO and other civic groups.

Edwin M. Shafer, FAHP - Senior Consultant has conducted more than 30 campaign planning studies and capital campaigns for hospitals, colleges, youth organizations, active retirement living communities, social service agencies and chambers of commerce. Prior to his consulting, Ed spent 15 years as vice president of development or director of public relations and development for Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas, Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Lima Memorial Hospital in Lima, Ohio.

From 2007 to 2015, Ed led the efforts to secure $20 million serving as Senior Vice President for Development at Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Wichita, KS. An communications alum of Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, TN, Ed also holds a masters in journalism and public relations degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In 1980, Ed earned the "Fellow" certification status through the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) as the youngest person to ever achieve this designation.

Since 1983, Ed has also held the Certified Fundraising Executive, CFRE, designation from CFRE International. Ed believes in giving back and led the efforts to establish the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) chapters in Little Rock, Arkansas, and in Lincoln, Nebraska. In addition, Ed has served on the international and local boards of AFP and AHP.

A variety of other talented associates work to support Tanja and Ed depending upon the needs of the clients Please contact us at Info@CapacityBuilders.us to share your needs and to schedule a complimentary consultation.