Who We Are
We founded Purpose Storytellers, with one goal: to create a dynamic public affairs firm dedicated to providing small to mid-sized nonprofits with critical consulting services.
Bill, Sara, and Megan have all devoted major portions of their careers to volunteering and working for nonprofit organizations. They believe nonprofits perform an essential function in our communities and that they should be supported to help them grow their funding potential and to take their advocacy and communications work to the next level.
Bill Fehrman
Development Principal and Chief Financial Officer: Bill Fehrman is the Strategic Gifts Officer for the American Academy of Pediatrics and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Reform for Illinois. He has an undergraduate degree in Philanthropy from DePaul University, a graduate certificate in Fundraising Management from Indiana University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from DePaul. With 15 years of experience in development and nonprofit management, Bill has led small, medium and large fundraising operations, all with advocacy organizations, and authored a study on the connection between advocacy and fundraising at mid-sized nonprofits. Bill lives in Park Ridge, Illinois with his wife and three children.
Sara Knizhnik
Communications Principal and Chief Growth Officer: A coalition building and communication specialist, Sara is a passionate advocate with the expertise to connect people and make change happen. Sara holds degrees from Northwestern University and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Decades of experience as a professional educator and community organizer have provided her with the ability to make effective, strategic communication and policy decisions in service of long-term goals and objectives and a broad and deep network of nonprofit professionals that spans the state and the nation. Sara lives with her husband and two sons in Vernon Hills, Illinois.
Megan Ruddie
Advocacy Principal and Chief Management Officer: With almost 15 years of nonprofit and policy experience under her belt, Megan is a force in pushing innovative policy solutions forward. She has undergraduate degrees in microbiology and political theory from Indiana University and a Masters of Public Policy from George Mason University. Megan has experience working for Fortune 500 companies, multinational non-profit organizations, and multiple state government agencies, and has advised on policy change at every level of government. Megan has helped organizations achieve legislative success in health care policy, public health policy, transportation policy, and criminal justice reform, and has helped advocates publish calls to action in the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, The Hill, Politico, and Bloomberg. Megan lives in Highland Park, Illinois with her husband, two cats, and one extremely well trained dog.