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Jan Fisher
Executive Director at Nonprofit Westchester
Professional Background
Jan Fisher is an accomplished leader in the nonprofit sector, currently serving as the Executive Director of Nonprofit Westchester. With over 200 member organizations under her guidance, she works tirelessly to enhance the social impact of nonprofits throughout the region. Her role not only involves strategic leadership but also fostering collaboration amongst member organizations to ensure they can effectively address the important issues faced by communities. Jan's passion for advancing racial equity and tackling systemic issues that suppress marginalized populations is at the core of her mission, making her an influential figure in the nonprofit landscape.
Prior to her position at Nonprofit Westchester, Jan made significant contributions as the President of Jan Fisher, LLC, a firm dedicated to providing expert advisory services to nonprofit organizations. Her extensive experience also includes serving as Director of Public Affairs at Westchester Jewish Community Services, where she honed her skills in advocacy and community outreach, focusing on building partnerships that promote social justice and equity.
Education and Achievements
Jan Fisher earned her Bachelor's degree from New York University, where she laid the foundation for her future endeavors in the nonprofit sector. She went on to obtain a Master of Arts (MA) in Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management from Fordham University. This rigorous educational background has equipped her with the necessary skills and theoretical knowledge to navigate the complexities of nonprofit management and organizational leadership.
Jan's efforts in the nonprofit sector have not gone unnoticed. She is recognized for her effective leadership style that inspires collaboration and empowers communities. Through her work, she continues to be a staunch advocate for racial equity and is dedicated to creating a more inclusive environment for all individuals, irrespective of their backgrounds. Her commitment to her work is illustrated by her hands-on approach and willingness to engage with diverse groups, listening to their needs, and advocating for systemic change.
Achievements
Among her notable achievements, Jan has successfully spearheaded initiatives that promote social welfare and community engagement. She has played a vital role in building effective coalitions among nonprofits to address complex social issues, emphasizing the importance of a united front in advocacy efforts. Her vision for Nonprofit Westchester is to be a powerful voice for the nonprofit sector, fostering an ecosystem where nonprofits can thrive and effectively serve the needs of their communities.
Jan Fisher's leadership journey is characterized by a deep commitment to social causes and a profound understanding of the intricacies involved in nonprofit management. Her unwavering dedication to improving racial equity and dismantling systemic barriers exemplifies her role as a change-maker. As she continues to lead Nonprofit Westchester, Jan remains focused on maximizing the potential of the nonprofit sector to bring about meaningful change across Westchester and beyond.
Highlights
A must share and a must read! There is so much NEW information and data related to philanthropy and fundraising. Nonprofit Westchester is glad to keep on top of and share this critical information related to nonprofit operations.
The 2007 Stanford Social Innovation Review article “How Nonprofits Get Really Big,” identified US-based nonprofits, founded within the previous 30 years, that had reached at least $50 million in annual revenue.
They identified instances where organizations “found their funding model” and scaled relatively rapidly. The data showed that over 90 percent raised the bulk of their money from a single category of funder such as corporations or government—and not, as conventional wisdom would recommend, by going after diverse types of funding.
"A New Look at How US Nonprofits Get Really Big" takes us further.
Now, with much having changed in the social sector over the past 17 years, —Did the original findings still hold? Again, butting up against traditional practices, this article makes the case for Focusing on Revenue Concentration, Not Diversification.
This article delves deeper and identifies three especially important practices for nonprofits that want to raise the money to achieve significant scale:
*Focus on concentration in one or two revenue categories. *Seek funding that is a natural match for your organization’s work. *Build dedicated capabilities and infrastructure to tap into the one or two revenue categories you’re focusing on.
The biggest difference today is that philanthropy—meaning gifts of $10,000 or more from foundations and individuals—now functions as the dominant funding category for a meaningful share of large US-based nonprofits.
This time around, the racial and ethnic identities of the leaders of the large nonprofits were looked at along with the ways they have found to make headway against the racial bias in philanthropy faced by leaders of color.
Organizations that seek to get big have in common a belief that greater scale is critical to achieving the impact they seek and the good fortune to tap into major funding categories (like government, which is the dominant revenue category for 40 percent of the nonprofits in our data set).
The leaders we interviewed for this article are not simply intent on growing for the sake of growing. For all of them, growth has been critical to achieving their goals. Some aspire to grow more, others to sustain current size, few say slightly smaller level of annual revenue might be more sustainable.
This article is mainly about how nonprofits grow large—the why will always be a critical question for leaders.
Colleen Kane, MPA Lauren Candela-Katz, MSW, CFRE Angela Ciminello Maria Dautruche, CAP® Sonya Shields Monica Spears Kemi Pogue DaQueen Monroe Martin McDonald Maria Alfaro, MSOL Angelique C. Morelli, MA Patricia Brigham Alison Paul Michelle A. Nicholas Tasha Young Joan Grangenois-Thomas Amy Rivera Dylan F. P.Jill SingerPeter J. Heller
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Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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