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Looking Forward
Exciting updates from Compass Pro Bono
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Dear Compass Community,
What a learning experience my first year as CEO has been! It is an honor to work alongside so many talented colleagues, volunteers, and nonprofits dedicated to empowering communities. This past year, we worked with nearly 200 nonprofit organizations and more than 750 volunteers in DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and the Twin Cities, generating over $12M in pro bono services for those communities.
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As we enter our 23rd year, I’m excited to share a few updates about the future of our organization. Over the past year, we undertook a significant effort to understand our impact to date and to set a strategic direction for our next decade-plus. This process included an extensive strategic visioning process involving input from numerous stakeholders along with in-depth data analysis. Three themes emerged:
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Our methodology of high-touch project curation, which we have built over 20+ years, is uniquely valuable. Volunteers and clients alike greatly appreciate and benefit from the individual attention our team gives to each and every volunteer engagement;
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Our local-to-local approach – connecting local business professionals with local nonprofits within a community for business strategy volunteer engagements – catalyzes deep connections; and
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Our programs generate both immediate and long-lasting impact.
As we look ahead, we are leaning into these themes to propel us into the next decade and beyond. I am excited to share with you some key elements of that evolution:
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Our Name
We’ve rebranded from Compass to Compass Pro Bono. The phrase ‘pro bono’ comes from the latin pro bono publico, which means ‘for the public good.’ This addition reflects and identifies our purpose, as well as mitigates against increasing brand confusion with similarly-named for-profit companies.
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Our Mission
Our updated mission statement reflects the centrality of the lasting connections inherent to our impact:
“Compass Pro Bono forges lasting ties between local nonprofits and local business professionals to empower thriving,
equitable, resilient communities.”
We also aligned our vision statement, theory of change, and core values to drive that impact.
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Our Operations
We’re restructuring our operations to both generate even bigger impact over the coming decade and more effectively meet community needs. For example, we are:
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bolstering our renowned team-based pro bono consulting programs with a more diverse volunteer pool and additional volunteer training, including expanded training on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion and a partnership with NonprofitReady that enables volunteers to deep dive on topics, and earn certifications, in the business of nonprofit management and operations;
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expanding both our regional and programmatic footprints in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Philadelphia;
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scaling our On Demand 1:1 pro bono consulting program, launched in response to COVID-19, across all of our cities; and
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integrating our Sorkin Center and its programs, including our highly-acclaimed Sorkin Summit, into the core of Compass Pro Bono operations. This includes expanding both our bespoke strategic planning services and board-matching program, On Board, to all Compass Pro Bono cities, and broadening the training we provide to both nonprofits seeking new board members and individuals exploring board service. (Read more about the history of the Sorkin Center, and Jerry Sorkin.)
To support this evolution, several key staff who have a wealth of Compass Pro Bono institutional knowledge are moving into new roles. These include: Hallie Smith, who is transitioning from Greater Washington Executive Director into a new national role as Senior Advisor for Innovation; Amy Cress, who is moving from helming the Sorkin Center to leading our Greater Washington portfolio; and Tonya Miles, who has been a senior member of our Greater Washington team, going forward will lead On Demand nationwide. Additionally, we are expanding our team – adding new staff on the ground in DC (including experienced corporate executive and Compass Pro Bono volunteer Beverly Ross as Greater Washington Program Director), Philadelphia, and the Twin Cities and expanding our Chicago and Twin Cities boards (meet our staff, board members, and check out open positions).
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Looking Forward
As we move forward with these exciting changes in service of deepening impact, we also remain committed to making the things you already love about Compass Pro Bono even better. We will be chronicling our journey on LinkedIn. I invite you to follow us there, and to join us in our effort to give forward!
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With deepest gratitude for your continued support, | | |
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Bethany Henderson
CEO
Compass Pro Bono
bhenderson@compassprobono.org
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