Mentor a CEO Building the Future of Literacy

I'm looking for an experienced business and leadership coach to serve as a strategic thought partner as we scale Books That Build Skills through its next stage of growth.

Our organization has completed The Greater Sum accelerator, and we're now at an inflection point. We've outgrown many startup resources but aren't yet large enough for more established nonprofit accelerator programs. I'm looking for someone who can help bridge that gap.

Ideally, I'd meet weekly during the first month and then every other week for the following three months. Rather than someone who will do the work for us, I'm looking for a mentor who will challenge my thinking, help evaluate opportunities, provide accountability, and offer guidance as I make executive decisions.

The ideal volunteer has experience leading or advising both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. My background includes more than 30 years in the for-profit sector, and I'm intentionally bringing business strategy, innovation, and sustainable growth practices into our nonprofit model.

Key areas where guidance would be especially valuable include:

* Developing and strengthening earned-income strategies.
* Building relationships with family foundations, major donors, and wealth managers.
* Refining our fundraising and growth strategy.
* Navigating executive leadership challenges as a founder and CEO.
* Prioritizing opportunities while scaling sustainably.

Our goal is ambitious: grow from an organization with under $50,000 in annual revenue to a $250,000 nonprofit by the end of December. We have the programs, infrastructure, and momentum in place. What we need is an experienced mentor who can help us make smarter strategic decisions as we execute that plan.

Strong organizations require strong leadership. As the founder and CEO, the decisions I make today will shape how many children we can reach tomorrow.

Having an experienced coach to help me think strategically, challenge my assumptions, and navigate the complexities of scaling a nonprofit will make me a more effective leader during this critical stage of growth. Better leadership leads to better decisions, stronger partnerships, greater financial sustainability, and ultimately greater impact.

Our mission is to inspire girls to become confident readers, curious thinkers, and capable problem-solvers through story-driven books, hands-on learning, life skills, and career exploration. By strengthening the leadership behind the organization, this project helps ensure we can expand that mission to thousands more girls, libraries, foster care children, and communities in the years ahead.

I will come to each meeting prepared with specific questions, current challenges, and updates on progress so we can make the best use of our time together.

The organization already has a strong strategic foundation in place. We've completed an accelerator program, developed detailed program budgets, built fundraising materials, established our strategic priorities, and are actively executing our growth plan. I'm doing the day-to-day work myself and don't expect the volunteer to create deliverables or manage projects.

What I value most is an experienced sounding board—someone who can ask thoughtful questions, challenge my assumptions, share lessons from their own experience, and help me make stronger leadership decisions as we scale. I believe the combination of my execution and a seasoned mentor's perspective will help us avoid common pitfalls and accelerate our growth.