harp-weaver LLC is pleased to welcome Foundation Manager Jennifer (Jen) Flocco to our team! With extensive experience in operations, systematizing processes, and board management, Jen comes to harp-weaver eager to work with one of harp-weaver’s new foundation clients.
Find out more about Jen, her background, and what drew her to harp-weaver.
What is your background?
I studied music performance in college, but found during that time that I really enjoyed working backstage as a stage manager.
After spending a few years stage managing professionally, I transitioned into a more administrative setting with a role at the Washington National Opera before moving to Philadelphia several years later. At that point, I was introduced to the world of philanthropy through a position at the Pew Charitable Trusts supporting their philanthropic efforts, then moved to work with the American Board of Internal Medicine to help them reimagine, redesign, and operationalize their governance structure into a competency-based model.
After COVID hit, I was hired as a contractor at Philadelphia Network Greater Philadelphia to work on a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant-funded platform called PNConnect that sought to provide opportunities for funder members to learn about area nonprofits, find commonalities with each other and hopefully build collaborations! We created the platform to increase transparency, strengthen relationships among grantmakers, and provide greater support for needs in the Philadelphia community.
Throughout my career, an operations mindset has been embedded into the work that I do. Whether it’s in IT, legal, HR, or something else, I most relish finding and crafting the best path toward achieving goals and outcomes. I also have a great deal of proficiency working with diverse boards by finding ways to optimize their experience and helping them understand their role.
What interested you in the position at harp-weaver, and what are you looking forward to the most about working here?
I knew of harp-weaver because it was an early adopter of PNConnect. When I learned about this position, I saw it as an opportunity to help strengthen a philanthropic organization by building the most useful processes, tools, and functions in order to conduct more effective grantmaking – in other words, to give better.
I also believe that in systematizing grantmaking, it helps the board of a foundation focus on what they love to do, which is the giving. It grants them the opportunity to step away from the processes and embrace the possibilities.
I saw all of this in the role with harp-weaver, and I’m glad to be on the team!
You’ve volunteered with Broad Street Love (formerly Broad Street Ministry) and with Catchafire recently – what do each do and what drew you to volunteering there?
Based in Center City Philadelphia, Broad Street Love (BSL) provides stabilizing services to individuals experiencing deep poverty, including a daily meal, mail service, personal care and hygiene items, support programs, personalized guidance, and more.
BSL does incredible work and it felt good to be of service. I liked interacting with the guests and hope they felt well taken care of during their time there.
Catchafire is quite different. It’s an online matchmaking service that matches operations professionals who have certain skillsets with small nonprofits in search of those skills. Each person can volunteer as much time as they like toward helping those nonprofits strengthen their operations. For me, I’ve spent time helping in strategic planning and board management, ranging in time from one phone call to multiple meetings.
It’s been easy and gratifying to share my skillset with organizations looking for that assistance.
Outside of work and volunteering, what do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy hanging out with my husband and daughter, watching sports, and living in Center City because of all of the things going on! I also like to read and listen to podcasts.
Opmerkingen