I am so excited to introduce to you the newest member of the CNPS team: Robyn Zimmann, Senior Consultant.
Robyn is someone I've known and worked with for years and for whom I have immense respect. She actually used to be my boss and in a truly weird reversal of roles I now find myself hiring her. But I'm pretty jazzed about the prospect of getting to work with her again, especially since I still to this day use many of the processes and systems that she taught me years ago and I absolutely credit her with molding so much of my attention to detail and conscientiousness which I think is so crucial to grants work. We spent much time together in the nonprofit arts and culture trenches and there are few people I trust more on a personal or professional level, which is why I hired her.
Below, you'll find a short introductory letter from Robyn and below that a form you can use to get in touch with Robyn because she is accepting new clients (and I don't think she'll have a ton of room on her roster for long so get in while you can).
– Ashley
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Hello everyone! I am so excited that my friend and colleague Ashley has brought me onboard at Cain Nonprofit Solutions! My respect for Ashley is miles high, and I’m honored to be a part of the great things that CNPS is doing for arts organizations all over the country.
I’ve done every fun and not-so-fun thing you can possibly do in a 30+ year career in the arts; I’ve been onstage, backstage, in the pit, in the wings, in the recording studio, behind the soundboard, in the office, on the road, over the moon, and down in the dumps. I played horn professionally with two symphony orchestras and two brass quintets, and played guitars and keyboard professionally with two rock bands and a duo.
The most rewarding (and I’ll be honest, the most exhausting!) ten years of my career were spent as Director of Operations & Education, then Executive Director of the Springfield (OH) Symphony Orchestra. I understand the daily grind and the daily joys of wearing many hats in a nonprofit organization, including tending the fires of donor development and fundraising. If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me “why don’t you just write a grant for that?” I would be retired on a beach at Lake Michigan right now!
Most people have no idea how time-consuming grant-writing is, then managing the grant if you get it, then reporting back to the funder with mountains of data so they’ll hopefully fund you again. If Cain Nonprofit Solutions had existed back then, I would have become a client in a heartbeat. I am now looking forward to being someone that can bring to YOU the experience and expertise of someone who has “been there.” I’m looking forward to the next chapter in the arts for myself, and for the new friends I meet along the way!
Let’s connect! https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynz/
