Welcome!

Welcome to my new business website and blog!

Porta Consulting, and this associated website and blog, has been a long time in the making. While the website itself is definitely a work in progress, I am excited to seriously get to work supporting small and emerging community and nonprofit organizations!

The nonprofit sector in the United States is HUGE. Almost 2 million organizations are registered with the Internal Revenue Service-there are countless others still flying under the radar, with more being founded every day. While there are many large, well-funded organizations with layers of staff, most of these organizations are small efforts, with even smaller budgets and little to no staff. These organizations are who I want to serve.

When I joined my first board of directors back in 2007 and found my passion in the nonprofit sector, I had no idea what I was getting into. I just knew I felt called to serve my community. Within a few months, I found myself stepping into the board chair position, leading a small group of board members with little experience of their own, and an organization responsible for a large and very visible annual festival.

I was quickly overwhelmed with what I didn’t know-and even more overwhelmed at what I didn’t know that I didn’t know! I spent countless hours researching how to be on a board, manage a nonprofit, and stumbling around in the unknown. Fortunately for me, I had a management background and was in college at the time (I had returned to college in 2003 at the age of 36), both of which really served me, in not completely losing my mind!

Although my management experience and access to education resources were a huge help to me, my first few years were a lot of trial and error. Over time, it became apparent that what resources there were for supporting nonprofit organizations, tended to be designed for larger, more established entities, not to mention often well beyond any budget we might have had for them. Even today, while many more resources have become available (many of which I myself have benefited from), there is still a tendency to overlook the unique needs and issues facing small and emerging organizations, particularly those lead by and/or serving traditionally vulnerable and oppressed communities.. This is particularly so, as regards affordable direct and in-person support and training. My goal is to be that resource.

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Thank you for stopping by!