Jennifer E Goldman, Nonprofit Consultant

I spent five years as Executive Director for a small nonprofit organization in Northern Virginia and I constantly felt like I was running behind the 8-ball…and never catching up. It felt as if I could do that job 24/7 and never have any less to do. I was the proverbial chicken running around with its head cut off. And then I started my own company. Foolishly thinking I’d be a better boss than my board. Turns out that 8-ball scenario was all my own doing and that damn thing kept on rolling ahead of me, always just beyond reach. So I stopped running. After a year in business, working seven days a week, at all hours, I sat down (though I have no idea where I found the time) and thought to myself, “I did NOT start a business to run myself into the ground!” And the changes began. It was time to slow my roll. Let someone younger and faster go chasing magic balls. I’ma sit right here and figure out a better way. At that point, a winery was one of my clients and they needed a ton of ...

I recently attended an event hosted by our local fine arts museum; it was a roving lecture on Pablo Picasso. We walked from room to room, hearing about his art (inspiring, innovative, and thought-provoking) and his personality (philandering, explosive, and troubled) as narrated by a curator. While not on the tour, guests were treated to mulled wine, charcuterie and holiday cheer in a large, open, rentable event space. As some friends and I sat at a table chatting, a man approached us – he was clearly excited about the event – and asked if we were having a good time and had we been on the tour yet. Immediately, I knew what role this man had in the organization. I asked questions about the event space, which had one brick side and looked like it may have once been the original entrance to the museum. He very happily told us all about the renovations that had been done to the museum years ago and their plans for further renovations as well as the expansion onto an adjacent property whic...

  Another new year is staring me right in the face. It’s like a blank canvas just waiting to be colored in. Only, I’m no artist. I’m an entrepreneur. My brushes and paints are ideas, strategies, methods and actions. It’s a whole year to accomplish all the exciting things I’ve been mulling over in my mind the past two months. It’s time to scale this ship! I launched my company in 2015, on April Fools’ Day. Foolish? Maybe, but it’s been a fabulous adventure. As my experience expanded my business evolved from community relations to management consulting to nonprofit management consulting. I’ve cultivated a niche for myself that’s fun and comfortable, fairly unique but in good company with other professionals who are passionate about advancing nonprofit organizations. I love everything about my business. I love the quiet moments alone in my home office; blogging, creating videos, publishing content and resources of value for nonprofit leaders. I love the business networking oppor...