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she said. “A question we often ask our funded partners to think about is: What is the change you’re trying to create in the world? And then come up with a measurement plan and work back from the answer to that question.” Krugler said establishing measurable goals along with a long-term plan are things he learned from his time at Mason Wells. “A lot of times, not-for-profit entities are reactive,” he said. “But you have to start with getting out of the moment, looking at the bigger picture and putting together a plan of how to best use what you’re good at and then making goals for that plan and what are the things you need to measure … If you don’t have a plan and you’re working on something different all the time, because you’re not moving in any one direction, you’re moving in too many … I’ve seen a lot of nonprofits that really lead with their heart and are very passionate about what they do, but don’t have that overall discipline.” Kathy Thornton-Bias spent most of her career
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in the corporate retail world, at Saks Fifth Avenue, the retail division of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Bang & Olufsen, and most recently Milwaukee-based Verlo Mattress. In March, she crossed into the nonprofit sector when she was named president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. For her, it didn’t feel like a big leap. The organization is an 800-employee operation that serves 43,000 children and teens across 44 locations, making it one of the largest Boys & Girls Clubs in the country. “It’s like running a medium-sized retail company,” Thornton-Bias said. “My customers are just 18 and under … We market our services; we have strategic partnerships. We do all the things businesses do to grow and sustain themselves, it’s just the profits go back to support the mission, not to a shareholder.” While there are certainly differences, the overlap between running a business and running a nonprofit is strong, Skelton said. Both require
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sustainable business models to survive. “Not-for-profit is a legal structure, not a business goal,” she said. Having straddled the two sectors, Krugler said he’s intent on bridging them. JobsWork partners with area companies to provide its clients with stability employment, allowing them to establish a track record of good attendance and performance, with the organization serving as a liaison between the employee and employer. “Coming from the business world, I always say, ‘You don’t reduce poverty without getting people jobs, and you don’t get people jobs without the business community being involved,’” Krugler said. For Thornton-Bias, nonprofit leadership has had a way of crystalizing her priorities and what she finds meaningful in her work. “For anyone considering making a change like this, you will be humbled beyond belief and you will quickly learn it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the mission work you’re there to deliver,” she said. n
Imagine everything that comes next.
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