"Sometimes being an executive director – and how I imagine it’s like being an artistic director – feels very lonely, especially in a small organization."
"Even when you think that you are doing OK, it isn't until you go through the board development process that the full board has the opportunity to engage in active strategy and goal creation."
"It can be hard to prioritize board development when you've got programs to run and a grant application due by 4:00 pm on Friday. Working with Propel helped us take a vague notion that our board could be more engaged and effective, and helped us break it down into manageable chunks."
"We’ve heard from patients that while medical expertise and technical skills of the provider are necessary, what really impacts patients’ experience of health and well-being is the relationship to the health care delivery overall and the experience each point along the way."
"We’ve been training ourselves to think differently about how we save, manage debt in the most effective way, and plan for a surplus. It’s like moving from surviving to thriving… we have a different mindset, and the Equity Builder program has helped get us there."
"For an organization like us still in a growth phase, if you don’t have support or the opportunity to apply for upfront loans like we were able to get from Propel, it can be hard to continue to grow."
"It was great to have Phil [Hatlie] actually drive up here, sit down with me, learn more about our organization, and really go to bat for us. That’s not something you always see in the world of finance."
"Propel was a perfect match for us in that it could provide back-end financial support and assistance with legal and IRS tax compliance, and it helped us incubate and grow to the point where we are able to apply for our own 501(c)(3)."