Greg Harrell-Edge ran CoachArt, a nonprofit matching kids with serious illness to volunteers who teach arts and athletics. When he arrived, every new match took over seven hours of staff time. They built an app. That time dropped to under seven minutes. They quintupled matches made and went national during COVID.

But Greg's most useful story isn't the win - it's the mistake. Month two, they hired a full-time CTO. A year in, the development agency said the CTO didn't need to attend meetings anymore. Greg realised in real time: what they'd needed was a fractional.

Key Takeaways

• The nonprofit sector is in evolution, not crisis. Organizations doing things differently right now have real advantages - the fractional model is one of them.
• EDs are drowning in silver bullets. Position yourself as the person who helps them put it all together, not as another fix.
• The EDs most ready for fractional work think long-term, focus on impact metrics, and show up with cautious optimism.

Guest Bio

Greg Harrell-Edge is the Founder and Executive Director of the Proimpact Project, a free nonprofit community helping EDs lead future-ready organizations. A second-generation nonprofit leader, he previously served as ED of CoachArt and hosts the Proimpact Podcast.

Resources + Links

• Proimpact Project
• Proimpact ED Hive
• Proimpact Podcast
• CoachArt
• Nonprofit Fractionals Network
• NFN OS Program

Connect with Greg

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

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