Meet Dr. Shantell Chambliss | Nonprofit Management Expert and Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Shantell Chambliss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Shantell, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve been entrepreneurial since I was a child but after finishing college I truly never fit in to any corporate setting I landed in. I began consulting to earn extra money and to have the autonomy to create strategies that I believed would help businesses thrive. After years of building relationships and partnerships I realized that consulting could be my own personal corporate america. My consulting practice has been through several iterations but Nonprofitability has been my longest standing, most profitable business to date. I’ve finally found where I fit in.

What should our readers know about your business?
It has never been lost on me that nonprofit organizations are the glue that hold our communities together. I’ve had meals from food banks, I was cared for at community centers, I learned in public schools systems, and grew up in community based after school programs. As a business woman and philanthropist, I prioritized learning how to create systemic change in communities, secure funding, and develop winning programs. Armed with that knowledge I founded Nonprofitability, a badass boutique consulting firm that builds profitable nonprofits. I even wrote a book on how to start and scale sustainable nonprofit organizations.

Starting a for profit business that focuses solely on nonprofit businesses sounds easy enough? NOPE! Building a business in the nonprofit space is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever experienced. Nonprofit has (inaccurately) been made synonymous with NO MONEY so trying to convince people donors and employees that their money or time is worthy of investment is a never ending challenge. However, numbers don’t lie. When I was just about convinced that this was the wrong sector for me I dug into the research. The nonprofit sector contributes more than $1 trillion to the US economy annually and composes 5.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. In other words nonprofits are a BIG DEAL. Long gone are the days of your little local food pantry. Nonprofits are scaling rapidly and are addressing some of society’s greatest challenges. I want the world to know that Nonprofitability is the leader in equipping nonprofits and faith based organizations with proven tools and practices that promote sustainability.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Richmond is definitely a tourist town. If I had to fill a week with my favorite things it would look like this:

Culture:
Maggie L Walker National Historic Site
Black History Museum and Cultural Center
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond Night Market

Food:
Lillie Pearl
M&L Steak
Korean Garden
Soul Taco
Croaker’s Spot

Vibes:
The Len
Bateau
The Lions Den

Relax
Scents of Serenity
Prism
The Float Zone

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I often find myself thanking and shouting out people who I’ve met along the way but the one person that has been there all along is my amazing husband and partner of 18 years, Jesse. This guy brought me lunch, dinner, and coffee (lots of coffee) when I was a grad student just trying to finish my dissertation, he clapped louder than anyone when I earned my PhD, he’s helped brainstorm business ideas, held down the homefront when I was trying to meet client deadlines, and stepped up when I hit those natural entrepreneurial lows. His love, support, and encouragement are the literal foundation of my personal and professional success.

Website: www.nonprofitability.co

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Youtube: @nonprofitabilitytv