2019 Reflections

As we close the chapter on 2019, some of our team members reflected on the amazing clients we get to work with daily, the challenges we conquered together, and what we’re excited to learn in 2020.

Achievements

“This year, we successfully launched NPSP with Humane Society Silicon Valley. The project had a lot of moving parts, but together with the client we were able to problem solve and get their new system in place and ready to use.” – Joel Mulder

“We’ve had one success after another with San Antonio Food Bank this year as we’ve implemented a new CRM. When we recently asked San Antonio Food Bank to complete the Salesforce Customer Satisfaction survey, the team gave us 10 out of 10 on every single question. That felt really fantastic!” – Cynthia Coleman

“We launched change management projects that we identified for ArtCenter. We launched them with good Project Management and Change Management infrastructure laid out wherein ArtCenter staff was able to take on most of the leadership, management, and decision-making. Because Project and Change Management capacity was one of the major things we identified as a barrier to their addressing their scheduling issues, it was a major step forward to not only be tackling those scheduling issues, but also doing so in a way that allowed some of their staff to get direct Project and Change Management coaching from Heller.” – Billy Schweig

“We helped launched the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s assessment of workplace LGBTQ inclusion. It was the most comprehensive assessment in its 17-year report history – monumental work!” – Smita Vadakekalam  

Our Inspirations

“I’m continually impressed and inspired by our client Guide Dogs for the Blind. They have a governance structure and organizational culture that truly promotes their mission and vision. This permeates through in their communication and planning style and helps set clear expectations they have for working with our team. Their focus on accessibility and inclusion has fundamentally changed how our firm strives to be more inclusive and accessible in how we deliver our services.” – Kate Bennet

“I really love the work that YouthBuild USA is doing. The types of community-based job training organizations that they support can struggle in very unique ways to get the resources and guidance they need to be successful. Building a network for those organizations and giving them the tools and support that they may not have capacity for in-house is a major boon to the missions of these small organizations all across the US.” – Billy Schweig

“Humane Society Silicon Valley has done some great work in their launch year in terms of integrating email marketing with CRM and online fundraising. I am super impressed with how thoughtful their team is about creating engagement journeys, thinking through every possible permutation to ensure a positive experience for all who receive the emails. The whole team there cares so deeply about the constituent experience.” – Catherine Moore

“I’m inspired every day by our clients that work tirelessly for their communities. I consider myself lucky that our clients use their skill sets to provide food security to communities in need, or work for basic equal rights, or fight to eradicate cancer, the list goes on and on. It reminds me why I’m so passionate about the nonprofit community as a whole.” – Smita Vadakekalam  

Grateful for Team Heller

“It sounds cheesy, but the dedication and attitude of our project teams is really the key to our success, and it is what has kept me working at Heller all these years.” – Joel Mulder

“My colleagues are always willing to jump in and help figure something out, help juggle priorities, and generally keep a positive spirit.” – Catherine Moore

“I’m grateful for the ongoing opportunities to learn more and grow. Sometimes this shows up as actual growth in a role within the firm, but most often it is in the little things that happen each day. When I get to learn a new approach to solve a problem or work on adapting our service delivery to better meet the specific needs of our clients is so motivating. We have this unique position to help our clients deliver on their mission and it is an opportunity I never take for granted.” – Kate Bennet

“I work with so many people who care, like really, really care. They care about the quality of their work. They care about their teammates. They care about the success of the firm. They care about the success of their clients. I’m so grateful for that because while this job has its challenges, it would be impossible without being surrounded by people who really care about it all.” – Cynthia Coleman

“I’m grateful that I get to work with gritty, smart, compassionate, persistent, funny, passionate, thoughtful, team members and clients.” – Smita Vadakekalam