SUCCESS STORY
Illinois Partners for Human Service
Identifying the Ideal Candidate
The Gap
Illinois Partners for Human Service is a coalition of more than 800 human service organizations in Illinois that serves as a collective voice in Springfield to ensure that all Illinoisans can reach their potential and fully engage in their communities. When the organization was faced with the departure of their Outreach and Development Manager, Illinois Partners turned to Giving Tree Associates to conduct a search for the right new member of their team. Busy doing the important work to carry out their mission, Illinois Partners recognized they didn’t have the time or resources to devote to finding their new nonprofit employee.
The Hire
Giving Tree’s search consultants worked alongside Illinois Partners on a comprehensive search for a new Outreach and Development Manager. As the role encompassed not only fundraising, but relationship building with funders and recipients of grants, Giving Tree knew Illinois Partners needed someone with experience in fundraising, grants administration and community development. Giving Tree undertook the management of the entire process, freeing up the team at Illinois Partners to focus on working for the betterment of their constituents. Evan Finamore, sourced from Giving Tree’s personal network, with a background in museum exhibit development and evaluation, strategic planning and volunteer fundraising, may have seemed an 'out of the box' candidate for the position, but one Giving Tree highly recommended. Evan has been in post for over a year and is enjoying many successes in her role. Evan says, 'this story is about Giving Tree being instrumental in identifying the candidate the client didn’t even know they needed. I am so grateful to have made the connection and to take this leap of faith because, low and behold, it worked out.'
The Impact
Since joining Illinois Partners over a year ago, Evan has worked to implement new components to the organization’s existing fundraising model and incorporate organizational goals into their fundraising strategy. The impact has been significant. Her efforts have bolstered revenue building opportunities through enhanced grant writing and the development of a strategic approach to strengthen their individual giving base. Moreover, her work now involves the integration of issues of systemic racism, equity and access into the organization’s grant writing, promotional materials, engagement strategies and other initiatives.
Services Provided
- Comprehensive Search
“Evan has been a fantastic addition to our team – she has a unique ability to communicate the heart of our work in a way that resonates with different audiences, from funders to legislators to our nonprofit partners. We are lucky to have her and I’m grateful for all she does for our organization.”
Lauren Wright, executive director, Illinois partners for human service
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