Lexington, KY - When you have to ask for the definition of post-nominal initials on people's business cards, you know you are dealing with a very focused area of expertise. Adrienne Grizzell, MPA, CAE, is happy to explain that she has a master's degree in public administration (MPA) and is a certified association executive (CAE). She knows how to run a nonprofit organization, from the legal and ethical issues that will keep them out of trouble to meeting planning and negotiating with hotels to save them money.
Grizzell studied communications and marketing in college and then wound up with a degree in psychology from EKU. "I realized marketing comes down to knowing the mind," she said. After volunteering with nonprofit organizations, she decided to specialize in the field and make a living doing something she loved.
"I like to say I completed my bachelor's and master's degrees in just seven terms," she said. "Nixon to Clinton."
She worked for an international association for two years before starting her own company, Management, Inc., in 1999. Grizzell has raised a half million dollars for her nonprofit clients in the last 10 years. She serves as executive director for some organizations and consults for others.
"Most organizations serve their constituents and do what they do, but they don't know what 'nonprofit' means," she said. For example, by law a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization must give away five percent of its assets every year; it can educate, but not lobby. A 501(c)(6) can use the word "lobby" and do it, and they pay sales tax for office supplies, hotels and the like.
These days, as money gets shorter, vendors are going to ask more questions, so charitable outfits are being asked to present their tax-exempt certificate instead of just saying they have one.
"Nonprofit is a tax status, not a business plan," said Grizzell. "People don't know innately how to be on a board of directors." She has educated nonprofits about their liabilities and responsibilities. And, as with any other industry, people value her skills when she travels from afar. She has made presentations in England, Italy, Singapore and Spain, in addition to speaking with groups in Kentucky.
A self-proclaimed generalist, Grizzell performs a variety of services for her clients, including planning meetings, writing newsletters, handling finances and being the keeper of "institutional memory." Volunteer board members come and go, so Grizzell can be the one-stop shop for all the materials an organization collects over the years. She documents everything for her clients and for her own business. "If the IRS comes knocking, I will bury them in paper," she said.
Grizzell won the 2009 Business Owner of the Year award from the Lexington chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). "I was blown away," she said. "Winning the award without a 'home-based' qualification was astonishing for me."
By 6 a.m., she is up and working in her home office, answering overnight e-mails from her night-owl clients in her pajamas, and she is grateful the video phone hasn't become SOP. One of the decorations in her home office is a framed patent belonging to her husband, Tom Lipinski, who invented the Wear-Ever hot-air popcorn popper in the 1970s. Grizzell works throughout the day and during evenings and weekends, but "working all the time" is worth it for the flexibility.
"I am aware every day that something could change," she said. "Having had ups and downs, I treasure the moment."
She doesn't have employees but does hire subcontractors for various projects. Grizzell is thrilled to have a business working for people who do good things. "I rarely have a bad day," she said. She charges a flat monthly fee, which works nicely for her cash flow and her clients' budgets, because spring and fall are typically the busiest times of year.
Volunteering is still in her blood. Her recent board involvement includes the SIDS Network of Kentucky, Community Health Charities of Kentucky, National Society of Fund Raising Executives, American Society of Association Executives and Kentucky Society of Association Executives. Over the last 10 years, she has made more than 100 presentations to healthcare and childcare providers and parents on safe infant sleep.
Earning a living by working with charitable organizations is an effort that has evolved. "It has taken 10 years," Grizzell explained. "I love what I'm doing. It is such a gift. I realize it, and I'm grateful."
Kathie Stamps is the co-founder of www.ISBO.biz, an online directory of independent/small business owners.