WhoIsShe? SheGives Member Jenn Lammers

Q: So we’ve heard you’re a big fan of country music. Who are your favorite musicians and how did you find them?

A: My husband’s family is from Montana originally and as such, I have been lucky to spend a great deal of time there the last 20 plus years. When I  started going, you couldn’t find anything but country on the radio and we would listen to it the whole time we were there and on many a long drive.  When we would come back east, playing country music in the car was a way of bringing the memories and “big sky” mentality of Montana back with us. Now I listen to little else.  My newer favorites are Eric Church and Dierks Bentley – but I also like the classics and am proud to say that we were at the tour opening of Garth Brook’s in Boston – which was amazing.

Q: That sounds so wonderful! On a different note, can you tell us a little about your work teaching?

A: When I worked at the Better Business Bureau in New York running their charity auditing program in the late 90s and early 2000s, I quickly realized that most charities lacked basic financial management skills — and even those bookkeepers who were getting it mostly right were self-taught and unable to really “talk the talk” or communicate the financial realities of their organization in a way that was accurate, transparent or compelling.  I worked with local accounts to design a series of trainings for nonprofit leaders — and out of those trainings eventually came a consulting business providing financial analysis, fiscal communication and general financial trainings for nonprofits and foundations.  Over the last 15 years or so, I have developed dozens of trainings, and a handful of undergraduate and masters level courses on nonprofit financial management.  This past fall I taught an intro class on nonprofit management and fundraising at the Hellenic College and this spring, I will be developing a course at Northeastern on social impact markets and the growing range of structures and business models employed by mission driven organizations.

Q:Now on to SheGives: what interested you about joining?  

A: I was attracted to the idea of connecting with other women in the area to learn about local organizations and how they were making a difference in our community. Also, in my line of work, I sometimes get caught up in the details of nonprofit management, organizational development and capacity building and lose sight of the issues, needs and people nonprofit and social organizations are helping.  SheGives seemed like a good way to get back in touch and remember why good management really matters.

Q: That’s awesome! We’re so glad to have you join us. One last question: who brought you into SheGives and what do you like best about her?

A: My friend and fellow mom, Diane Lim, asked me to join.  Diane is so straightforward and genuine that I knew her interest in SheGives was really about the chance to help in a larger way than we might be able to do on our own — and if that was the type of group it was and she liked it — then it would be a fit for me.  The fact that it brought bright motivated women together for good food and conversation along the way was also a perk.

SheGives connects committed, inquisitive, engaged donors with a slate of diligenced nonprofits in the Greater Boston area. We provide members with relevant data about the nonprofits in our portfolio and an opportunity to meet directly with our nonprofits’ Executive Directors and senior staff in small settings that promote in-depth q&a’s and, ultimately, informed giving. Giving is personally driven, but because we give side-by-side our collective impact is greater. See a list of the vetted nonprofits selected for our slate here.

WhoIsShe is a regular column featuring an appreciative but sometimes irreverent conversation with a SheGives Member.