In February, Fairmount Ventures quietly celebrated a milestone: we turned 20 years old. In sentimental moments when no one else was around we’ve had occasion to cast our minds back to what things were like for nonprofits in the ‘90s, who our clients were, our old addresses on Walnut and Chestnut Streets, and the fact that we had one email address and a staff person who had to read, print and distribute each message to its intended recipient.  Tiny phones that fit in your pocket? Really?

But enough waxing nostalgic: We are far more energized by looking forward.

That’s why we’ve chosen to mark our birthday not with a walk down memory lane but with continued commitment to making the world a better place with renewed energy. We revamped our website and refreshed our logo to say: we’re smart heads with lots of experience and contacts constantly in search of new ideas and fresh perspectives. We love learning from our new staff, new partners and new (and long term) clients.

We look forward to the next 20 years of helping nonprofits and philanthropies envision and plan for their futures, connect to great ideas and good money, and realize their most ambitious, transformative goals. Despite the current economic and political malaise, and the fact that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to achieve everything we want to, this is an exciting time for Fairmount and our clients, who inspire us year after year with their capacity for innovation, ingenuity and perseverance, no matter what comes at them.

Of course, we’re here to help our current and future clients see what’s around the corner long before it’s coming at them. That’s a primary aim of our work, and it’s also what we’re hoping Fairmount InSights will do. We intend to use this space to surface and interpret current events, research and tools the region’s nonprofit community needs to know. We’ll also highlight the accomplishments and best thinking of our clients and partners. We’ll let you know about emerging trends in philanthropy, nonprofit service provision and public policy and what it means for your field, clients, grantors or grantees.

After 20 years we know that the best ideas are those that come from collaborative thinking when we all build on each others’ thoughts such that we can’t remember who said what. In that spirit, we welcome your comments.

Make some noise.