Successful nonprofit leadership depends on a high functioning, clearly defined board/staff partnership. While this has always been the case, it has become more so in the age of purpose-driven boards. To address current needs, organizations have invested substantial time and resources to ensure their board members have a diversity of backgrounds, expertise, and lived experience to be able to make informed and effective decisions for the organization, the community, and the population they serve.
Continue readingInSights
Strategies to Unlock Transformational Funding
Effective Collaborating for Impact
Clean hydrogen is coming to the Mid-Atlantic! You may have seen this monumental announcement from the Biden Administration, which will transform our region’s use of hydrogen fuel over the next decade and positively impact disadvantaged communities through new jobs and improved public health. Fairmount’s team is thrilled to have helped make this work possible.
Continue readingStorying Your Case Statement
Using Master’s Level Writing Techniques to Create a Compelling Ask
As a development consultant and a creative writer, I regularly draw on creative writing tools from my academic training to write successful grant proposals, annual reports, and donor appeals for Fairmount Ventures’ clients. Whether you consider yourself “creative” or not, these tools can help your organization be heard among an increasingly crowded market of nonprofits seeking fundraising support.
Continue readingDesigning Successful Strategy
Every day, our clients are working to solve entrenched social problems as we partner with them to define and achieve their organization’s aspirational goals. One way Fairmount meets that promise is to create plans that are truly strategic – both carefully crafted and responsive to the rapidly changing world we live in.
Continue readingMatching People to Purpose: Finding Your Next Great Nonprofit Leader
Recruiting strong leaders at the executive and director level is more important than ever, and increasingly difficult for nonprofits and social impact organizations. Key decisionmakers are tasked with finding someone who can navigate the many disruptions of our moment while guiding an organization confidently towards its North Star. Attracting the right candidates requires thoughtful planning before the search even begins.
Continue readingAnnouncing Fairmount Ventures’ Transition
Fairmount Ventures, Inc., a leading Philadelphia-based consulting firm providing capacity-building support to the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors, is proud to announce its organizational leadership transition.
Continue readingTransformational Funding: Engaging Your Team to Make Thoughtful Decisions
We live in a unique moment of disruption that, while buffeted by uncertainty, is poised for lasting, positive change.
Continue readingSeizing a Transformational Moment: Unlock Federal Funding to Fuel Your Nonprofit’s Growth
The American Rescue Plan promises that help is on the way. Like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of more than a decade ago, it stands to be an historic federal investment that will shape our communities for years to come. So, what do you need to know, and do, to get ready to seize these opportunities for your organization?
Continue readingHybrid Models are Here to Stay
After more than a year of “adjusting,” nonprofits are realizing that hybrid models of operating and service delivery are the new normal. While many programs and events are quickly moving back to in-person status, now is the time for leaders to reimagine their methods of engagement in the long run, using the tough and valuable lessons of the last year to guide them.
Continue readingIt’s Time to Act on Racial Equity and Justice
The catastrophic events of 2020, for many, represented a long-overdue breaking point in regard to systemic racism and injustice. The institutionalized issues that people of color have experienced for generations have become vitally important topics of conversation for organizations across sectors. This shift has illuminated equity gaps in everything from program design to hiring practices and communications plans, and has forced organizations to confront areas where careful education and unlearning are needed.
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