Randall Dexter Baker is a nonprofit advancement professional With a career spanning four decades in nonprofit advancement, Randall Dexter Baker brings the kind of deep-rooted relationships, hard-won insight, and track record — $44.5M raised — that only comes from doing this work at the highest level for a very long time. 

As Principal of RDB Consulting since 1994, he has served as a trusted advisor to foundations and nonprofit organizations across the Chicago and Detroit Metropolitan areas — working with public-purpose agencies, faith-based organizations, health care providers, and community groups serving underserved populations.

Randall’s career spans both sides of the grantmaking process. Before founding RDB Consulting, he held full-time executive staff positions at organizations including the Detroit Department of Health, Wayne State University, Near North Health Service Corporation, and the American Indian Health Service of Chicago — giving him firsthand knowledge of what funders look for and what organizations need to succeed.

His work includes securing over $44.5 million in grants and individual donations, developing and submitting federal grant applications to agencies including HRSA and the U.S. Department of Education, and connecting major donors to nonprofits in both Chicago and Detroit.

“My job is to make sure the right funders find the right organizations — and that the right words are on the page when they do.” — Randall Dexter Baker