Reimagining How Nonprofits Scale Their Impact

The story behind the ProImpact Project and our mission to transform nonprofit leadership

A Legacy of Questioning the Status Quo

My journey in the nonprofit sector began with inherited skepticism. My father, an entrepreneurial spirit who dedicated his career to nonprofit work, spent years frustrated by the sector's resistance to innovation and scale. Growing up around the dinner table, I heard countless stories about the limitations of traditional nonprofit thinking – stories that would later shape my own approach to impact.

After college, despite my tech-centric background and being surrounded by friends in Silicon Valley's startup world, I found myself drawn to a different kind of challenge: Could we apply the principles of entrepreneurship and innovation to scale social impact?

From Theory to Practice: The CoachArt Story

In 2016, I became the Executive Director of CoachArt, an organization matching kids impacted by serious illness with volunteer arts and athletics coaches. The traditional model, while impactful, wasn't scalable – it took over 7 hours of staff time just to onboard and match each volunteer for an 8-hour commitment.

We knew we had to fundamentally rethink our approach. The result was CoachArt Connect, a proprietary app that transformed our 7-hour matching process into a 7-minute automated experience. This wasn't just about efficiency – it was about reimagining what was possible.

The Impact of Innovation

Quintupled program delivery

80% reduction in cost per lesson

Nationwide expansion

Award-winning innovation

Birth of the ProImpact Framework

Throughout my journey as an Executive Director, I maintained a document simply titled "My ED learnings" – a collection of insights about what worked, what didn't, and what could transform the way nonprofits operate. These notes became the foundation of the ProImpact Framework.

The recognition we received – including being named a finalist for the 2022 Technology Innovation Award by TechImpact and winning a regional Timmy Award for Best Tech For Good – validated our approach. But more importantly, it showed that the nonprofit sector is ready for transformation.

Today, through the ProImpact Project, I'm sharing these learnings and building a community of leaders who believe in a different future for the nonprofit sector. A future where organizations aren't constrained by traditional thinking about overhead and incremental growth, but are empowered to create transformational change through innovation, technology, and strategic scaling.

Join the Movement

Whether you're a nonprofit leader looking to scale your impact or a professional ready to share your expertise, there's a place for you in the ProImpact community.

Learn More About ProImpact