About The Village
Patrice Shumate, MSW (she, hers)
As a social worker and grant writer, I spent the last 16 years working in nonprofit organizations and social services. Through marriage, a couple of kids, a couple of dogs, a few states, two countries, and 10 moves I am nowhere close to the picture I envisioned a decade and a half ago. But, life is funny that way. Starting a social enterprise business during a pandemic with an infant in my lap and a kindergartner in virtual school certainly wasn't part of the plan...and here we are.
I imagine most of you here are traveling a different path than you had thought, which is what makes A Village for Good the perfect place for you! We are a welcoming rest stop (with clean bathrooms) on your journey. Fuel up, get a snack, and then head back out for the adventure ahead! Let's do some GOOD TOGETHER!
*Full Disclosure: The site uses "we" language because doing good takes an entire community and this community has been created with the help of many people. Currently, it is directed and coordinated by me so, sometimes, the perspective being shared is mostly mine but I am always searching for other perspectives and happily offer The Village as a platform for more voices.
Gratitude
It Takes a Village to Build a Village
If you have something to add to A Village for Good and would like to have an active role in the direction of this community, please email us and share your vision. There is lots of room for diverse perspective and experience.
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Chelsea Conrad
We wouldn't be up and running without the coaching and guidance from Chelsea at Proactive Happiness. If you are looking for a thoughtful and kind business coach, give her a call!
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Holly Bollinger
This website would not exist without the creativity and the keen eye of Holly Bollinger at Capella Creative Design. Her patience and understanding turned into a beautiful representation of the work happening at A Village for Good.
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Samoine Flanagan
We are dedicated to making our work equitable and accessible, but weren't exactly sure what that meant. Samoine at The Empowerment Center helped us identify and define our role in making philanthropy a more equitable space.
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Valarie Ward
Valarie is a freelance grant writer who helped shape some of the design and content in the Village. Her attention to detail and her strong organizational skills have been invaluable in shaping the work we hope to accomplish.
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Breeze Fromm-Sarto
Breeze is a grant professional with a sincere willingness to help across many tasks. She was an integral part of pulling together the early stages of our resource guide and assisted in designing some of the templates and worksheets for grant-readiness.
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Chris Curtis
Chris has used his experience in research and public health to guide our vision as we set out to understand the needs of nonprofits and grant professionals. He helped ensure we were building a community designed with intention and purpose.
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Maria Bryan
Maria Bryan is a nonprofit marketing strategist and trainer. She helps change-makers thrive by teaching them how to market on purpose. Maria helped us bring our philosophy, values, and services all together in one spot. She truly gets how to bring the message of a mission to life!
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Lauren Hale
CPA Moms handle all our bookkeeping needs. Both Lauren and Liz are helpful and always accessible when we have money or tax questions.
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Liz DeMar
Along with Lauren at CPA Moms, Liz and their team help us focus on doing more for nonprofits. We are so grateful for all they do to help The Village.
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Nina Stoller-Lindsey
A Village for Good would not exist on social media without coaching from Nina, who is her own Coaching and Consulting LLC. We wanted to create a a communication avenue where we could be authentic while avoiding the pitfalls of focusing on the algorithm instead of purpose-driven content. Nina guided and supported us in how to do that.
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Linda Lynch
A Village for Good is a welcoming, safe, and nurturing space where fairness, equity, and inclusiveness are hallmarks of our work. Linda is a new grant professional dedicated to helping us to reflect these qualities in our grant writing.
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Catherine Couture
Catherine is a former Financial Services Professional with a Certificate in Grant Writing from Spark the Fire and BS in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about building strong client relationships and writing compelling grant proposals. Catherine is grateful to be part of the Village!
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Gabi Lorino
Gabi is a writer and editor who contributes to the Village through nonprofit support, grant research, and grant writing. Her background includes business and technical writing in the areas of finance, medicine, and aerospace. She’s also worked as a journalist, most recently covering the topic of affordable housing.
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Jaime Russell
Jaime is a multimedia storyteller who believes in the power of connection and vulnerability as pathways to reshape the world. She contributes to the Village with grant writing, website maintenance, and general business tasks.