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WHO WE ARE
Our Distinctives
Your organization’s “true north” is what brings you together. From your board to staff to volunteers and donors, all eyes should be focused on your vision and mission.
At CG&A, we’ll come alongside you to ensure every aspect of your organization is aligned with and in full service of your mission.
We practice what we preach. Every consultant at CG&A has ongoing, first-hand experience within the nonprofit sector in leadership, development, and administration.
We also value transparency and honesty in our relationships with clients. From us, you will get the good, the bad, and the ugly of maintaining and sustaining a nonprofit organization.
In our partnership with you, one of our major goals is to see your donors locking arms with your organization in a shared vision. Money is not a necessary evil to fund your mission. Rather, we’ve seen relational development through fundraising (when done well) increase the donor’s heart for the mission—not just raise funds for the mission.
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With over 120 years of combined industry experience, we help organizations re-envision their fundraising activity as ministry, which is the bedrock of Canaan Group & Associates.
Our Team
Every consultant at Canaan Group & Associates actively holds roles in leadership, fundraising, and administration at nonprofit organizations.
We deeply understand how nonprofits should be run because we still do it, which drives our commitment to transparency in our client relationships. Through ongoing engagement in missions of our own as Executive Directors, Development Directors, and Operations Specialists, our team is fully equipped with the know-how and dedication needed to grow capacity for your mission.
Along with your personal account representative, you’ll have access to the full CG&A team. We look forward to coming alongside you in your mission!
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Troy Duble
Partner & President
Troy Duble is the President of Canaan Group & Associates. His experience includes over 30 years in nonprofit leadership and fundraising development—over 28 of which have been with Covenant College, where he serves as special counsel to the VP for Development.
His personal experience running businesses, working with Covenant College’s board, and serving on other boards equips Troy to confidently help organizations grow their fundraising efforts. Troy specializes in major donor programs, board training, building development teams, capital and annual campaigns, nonprofit operations and management, and communications.
Troy serves as a Ruling Elder at Grace Community Trenton (PCA) and lives in Lookout Mountain, GA. He and his wife, Sarah, have six children, five on earth.
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Jason Coffey
Senior Consultant
Jason Coffey brings over 15 years of experience in fundraising, nonprofit management, board training, and fundraising communications to the team. He also enjoys running a few real estate small businesses and has 15 years of prior sales management expertise and small business ownership.
A native of Chattanooga, TN, Jason received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance and Accounting from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. From 2012-2017, he served as Development Director for Christian Businessmen’s Connection (CBMC). While there, the organization grew from a $5 million ministry to a $10 million ministry. This included increasing the annual fund from $1.8 million to $3.5 million and raising project funding totaling $5.2 million during Jason’s five years there.
Jason is a trained facilitator for Journeys of Generosity through Generous Giving and he holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Jason serves as a Ruling Elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) and lives in Chattanooga, TN. He and his wife, Catherine, have four children.
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Matthew Bryant
Senior Consultant
Matthew Bryant brings over 20 years of experience in the areas of fundraising, church relations, enrollment, and nonprofit communications and marketing to the team. He currently serves as the Director of Fundraising for the Tennessee Valley Presbytery Church Planting Movement. Having spent most of his career in K-12 and higher education settings, he previously served as Senior Vice President of Development at Reformed Theological Seminary and as Vice President of Advancement at Chattanooga Christian School.
Prior to CCS, Matthew served for 14 years on staff at Covenant College, working in a variety of roles related to admissions, church relations, communications, and financial aid. Also active in the community, Matthew is a past President of the Pachyderm Club in Chattanooga and a past Chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party. He is an Eagle Scout and loves the outdoors and Atlanta Braves baseball.
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Matthew joined Canaan Group and Associates in 2012 and has served a variety of clients including schools, churches, parachurch ministries, and other nonprofits. His work across a wide spectrum of education and nonprofit organizations gives him expertise in fundraising, organizational team building, development assessment, admissions and recruitment, search services, and communications.
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Matthew received his bachelor’s degree from Covenant College in 2000 and his M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University in 2009. He and his wife, Jocelyn, were married in 2005 and have four children. Both native Chattanoogans, they live in Lookout Mountain, where he is a Ruling Elder at Rock Creek Fellowship (PCA).
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Dan Nielson
Senior Consultant
Dan Nielson has over 15 years of nonprofit fundraising consulting experience in a broad range of fields, including churches, schools, ministries, healthcare, and professional societies and foundations. His experience covers capital campaign management, feasibility studies, case development, strategic fundraising planning, leadership training, and annual fundraising programs.
Dan holds a bachelor's degree from Covenant College and a Master's of Science in Education from Baylor University. His family attends Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Wheaton, IL, where he serves as a deacon, and in music, children's, and men's ministries.
Dan grew up in Wheaton, IL, and spent a number of years in the Chattanooga area and central Texas before returning to the Chicago area, where he resides with his wife, Lyndee, and their two daughters and one son.
Marc Erickson
Consultant
Marc specializes in the area of planned giving and estate design and planning. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Covenant College Foundation and Vice President of Development for Covenant College.
He is a member of the Chattanooga Estate Planning Council and the National Association of Estate Planners. He holds designations as a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) and Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC). He previously spent 17 years in the insurance industry managing an $850,000 book of business and helping business owners, CFOs, and others make strategic decisions regarding their employee benefits.
Marc serves as a Ruling Elder at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church (PCA) and lives in Lookout Mountain, GA. He and his wife, Greta, have three grown children.
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Carol Ann Ferguson
Consultant
Carol Ann Ferguson currently serves as the Executive Director of Choices Chattanooga, a pregnancy resource center in Chattanooga, TN. She came to Choices with a background in nonprofit operations but had little experience in fundraising and development. With CG&A’s help, Carol Ann developed a passion for calling on donors as she implemented the recommended major donor strategies. Choices increased revenue by 61% in four years under her leadership. She also gained experience in board training, strategic planning, system metrics, and nonprofit management.
At CG&A, she witnessed guidance from godly people who truly wanted to see God's love permeate our nation and world. Her passion to provide this care and equip other nonprofits led her to join the CG&A team in January 2021.
Carol Ann and her husband, Teron, were married in 2016 and reside in Chattanooga, TN, where they attend New City Fellowship (PCA).
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John Bates
Consultant
John Bates holds over 20 years of experience in the field of development operations. He currently serves as a Development Officer at Serge.
As a Certified Fundraising Manager through the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI, John understands the process of developing a vision, putting in place the processes, and managing the outcomes along the way. John is also certified administrator for PDPWorks, through which he has served numerous organizations by coming alongside their employees and aiding them in discovering their natural abilities, the environment in which they work, and guiding them on a path of personal growth.
John enjoys teaching entrepreneurship at a collegiate level, and is the Founder and CEO of Bulwark Ventures. He and his wife, Donna, have two grown children and currently live in White Pine, TN.
Leigh Swanson
Consultant
Leigh has over 30 years of ministry experience and 10 years of experience in fundraising. Currently, Leigh is a VP at the Orlando Health Foundation and oversees the fundraising strategy and execution at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.
Prior to her work at Orlando Health, Leigh was the Executive VP at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, and was responsible for campus development efforts. She also coached new fundraisers across the institution. Leigh has been a volunteer chaplain in the Seminole County Jail and served on the board of Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. She has extensive experience as a Bible teacher and women’s ministry leader.
Leigh earned a BBA from the University of Texas and a MA from Reformed Theological Seminary. She and her husband, David (Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando), have three grown children and three grandchildren.
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Mark Erickson
Director of Operations & Client Care
Mark Erickson has been a part of the Canaan Group & Associates team since 2019. Along with all things operations and administrative, he specializes in digital fundraising and communications and serves CG&A clients through curriculum development, system and tool implementation, report writing, data analysis, and ongoing research.
Mark believes firmly in recognizing and highlighting God’s ongoing Kingdom work in all aspects of life—in the workplace and beyond.
Mark and his wife, Sarah, live in Trenton, GA, with their son and daughter and are members at Grace Community Trenton (PCA). Mark serves the church as a deacon and worship leader. He is not related to the other CG&A Marc Erickson; it’s just a small world.
Lyndee Nielson
Client Care Specialist
Lyndee Nielson brings 12 years of development consulting experience to our team, working primarily with associations, foundations, churches, and schools. Her experience includes overseeing fundraising initiatives, equipping and empowering volunteer leaders, facilitating events, coordinating planning studies, and various other projects.
Lyndee received her bachelor’s from Covenant College, then attended Baylor University in her hometown of Waco, TX, and received a Master’s of Science in Education in Sport Management. Lyndee and her husband, Dan (yes, the CG&A Dan), live in Wheaton, IL, with their three children and attend Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA).
Lydia Berglar
Client Care Specialist
Lydia Berglar began helping the Canaan Group & Associates team with content creation and editing in 2019 before taking on a larger role as a Client Care Specialist in 2026. In addition to continuing content work and tackling administrative tasks, she also enjoys connecting with nonprofits to ensure the best possible CG&A experience.
Throughout her career as a writer, editor, reporter, and administrative assistant in church, collegiate, nonprofit, and small business settings, Lydia has learned how important sharing stories, truthful information, and testimonies is to nonprofit work. Hearing and sharing stories of gospel-centered impact is one of her favorite parts of her career.
Lydia earned her bachelor's degree from Covenant College and settled in Trenton, GA, where she is a member at Grace Community Trenton (PCA). Also a writer for the Tennessee Valley Presbytery, she enjoys learning from many other faithful followers of Christ and sharing good news through the presbytery's newsletter and blog.
Kyra Brower
Intern
Kyra Brower serves as an intern for Canaan Group & Associates and helps out as needed, specifically with state registrations. She enjoys learning more about nonprofit fundraising and appreciates the time with the CG&A team and seeing how they use their different skill sets for Kingdom work. She is currently in nursing school and manages vacation rentals. Kyra is a 2021 Covenant College graduate and former soccer player.
Kyra attends Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church (PCA) with her husband, Josh, and enjoys leading a small group of high school girls.
Teya Long
Intern
Teya Long joined the Canaan Group & Associates team in 2025 as an intern. Her main focus is on assisting CG&A's marketing and ongoing research. She is a sophomore at Covenant College, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Psychology, Biblical and Theological Studies, and Spanish.
Teya is from Kissimme, FL and attends The Mission Chattanooga.
Sarah Vannoy
Intern
Sarah Vannoy joined the Canaan Group & Associates team as an intern at the end of 2025. Her work is mainly focused on social media and digital marketing as well as other research and writing. Sarah is a freshman at Covenant College pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Business with a Marketing concentration and a minor in French.
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Sarah is from Woodinville, WA, and attends Rock Creek Fellowship (PCA).