My Professional Background

With more than ten years of experience with nonprofit organizations and community commissions, my abilities include:

Assuring an organization and its mission are consistently presented with a strong, positive image.

Overseeing fundraising planning and implementation, including researching funding sources, establishing fundraising strategies, designing successful events, submitting proposals, and approaching donors.

Supporting the operations and administration of Boards of Directors by advising and informing Board members and interfacing between Board and staff.

Overseeing the design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of programs, products and services.

Recommending yearly budgets to manage an organization's resources.

Effectively managing staff and volunteers.

Development, Communications, Marketing, and Events

My dedication to my work always improves each organization and its mission. My experience includes successes with a variety of webites, community groups, and non-profit organizations. I have been crafting messages, press releases, and newsletters which get attention and build community.

Vision and Creativity

In 2007 a friend, who had moved to Maryland from California, encouraged me to start a Rockville blog since I had all the answers every time she needed to know something about the area. I researched the websites she suggested and began to visualize all the features which would make a Rockville site useful for the City. After reading an article on local blogging in The Washington Post on Sunday, June 4, 2007, I cut it out, put it on my nightstand, and knew she was right! The next morning I turned on my computer with the intent of making my vision a reality and I had a message from a fellow cub scout volunteer that he had started a neighborhood blog, Rockville Central, for people living close to him around his son's elementary school. Instead of starting my own website, I joined him on that first day and convinced him to change the blog to my vision of a vibrant site for the entire City of Rockville. Due to my ideas, we expanded the types of coverage as well as the coverage area. This is my gift to all my clients. The ability to take a small idea and make it great! Often they will say, "Do your magic!" I have an ability to frame a solid course of action with creativity.

Online Community Management

By blogging and writing for several years, my knowledge of online communities has developed over time. My marketing, promotional, and blogging advice comes from experience.

As Co-Owner and Editor of Rockville Central, I generated and wrote articles on local news, politics, elections, development, city and county issues, events, recreation, entertainment, business, and volunteer opportunities, as well as managed contributor opinions. During its time from June 2007 to October 2011, Rockville Central was named one of the Five Most Read Community Blogs in Maryland (as surveyed by Maryland Politics Watch). We provided a civil and courteous way for people to participate. People turned to Rockville Central to find out what was happening, get involved, and express their opinions. We successfully reached out to the community through social media, such as the Twitter account I created back in 2007 before "entities" had accounts. On March 1, 2011 we decided to publish exclusively to a Facebook page and froze the website. Our move brought worldwide media attention including Mashable, Huffington Post, and Nieman Journalism Lab. We viewed our move to Facebook as successful. The members of our community posted photos, questions and links on Rockville Central and other people responded. We also had first-hand news accounts from readers with their cell phones. Our active users increased by over 500%. We went from about 24,000 hits a month on the website to 100,000 post views a month on Facebook. A single post on Facebook typically received over 2,000 views.

Editing, Writing, and Research

When professionally editing materials such as academic manuscripts and books, my goal is to provide the necessary support to create the best finished document possible. In addition to standard editing, this sometimes means working through the structure and content with the author or re-writing sections. Each project requires flexibility and a solid working relationship. My writing experience includes research and writing about issues and programs to diseminate information for organizations, agencies, and associations. As a 2010 Census Media Partner, I have followed all of the survey and census results and can present this vast array of data in a useful manner for clients.

Workshops, Speaking, and Public Presentations

Teaching is very important to me. I love to speak with groups about my community experience, social media, blogging, and trends. Workshops and presentations on all aspects of my work help people use available online tools more effectively. Now I also teach yoga and meditation, including pranayama (breathing) techniques.

Some Wonderful Businesses and Organizations I’ve helped make successful:

Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, which needed to engage the community and raise funds in tough economic times, so I coordinating all their special events such as annual dinners, shelter walks, and conferences, and developed their complete social media presence to keep contribution levels up during a recession.

An AmeriCorps program called Community Year which was a cool opportunity for 17-to-23 year olds to spend a year helping in Montgomery County, MD, so I planned, recruited, and organized to make it possible.

Montgomery Housing Partnership, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing, that I joined back in the beginning to handle all the non-profit responsibilities, but I also raised money with special events, wrote public relations materials, and managed a housing program. Through a press release, obtained articles in the New York Times and The Washington Post on the creation of Beall's Grant.

The Wilderness Society, which watches over our public lands, so I helped with development and foundation/corporate fundraising.

My Personal Community Involvement

Chair of the Rockville Human Service Commission
Together we advise the mayor and council on human service issues to ensure that all residents of Rockville have the opportunity to live to their full potential.

Communications Co-Chair of Montgomery Women
Created a social media plan and updated the website to create online networking to match those of the organization's events. I manage the Montgomery Women website and communications for this nonpartisan organization striving to bring more women into the public life.

Outreach and Special Events Coordinator at Our Elementary School
Through personal contact with parents, I expanded International Night, transforming the event from a dinner to a full festival with interactive displays from parents representing over 20 countries, and dinner and live entertainment for over 500 people. Worked with teachers, parents, and staff to find ways to welcome all parents at our school, resulting in the formation of African American and Hispanic Parent Networks.

Committee Chairman for My Cub Scout Pack
I was the “leader of the leaders” and planned all activities for this thriving Pack. Due to our successful recruitment efforts, a 35% increase in membership required the complete re-evaluation of all policies and programming. Devised and implemented a new adult volunteer program to meet the needs of our Pack by recruiting volunteers to coordinate all activities and training them to be successful. Completely planned and orchestrated campouts for 110 people and dinners for 200.

Coffee House for a Cause
I envisioned, planned, and ran a Coffee House attracting more than 100 people and raising over $2,000 for a South African community living in poverty.

As Style Editor of Rockville Living Magazine, I wrote about trends in our City. The magazine added content to this local event and business directory. The approach was positive to promote the best in our community.

Formal Education on Top of Life’s Lessons

After becoming completely enthralled by a Philosophy class during my first year at Gettysburg College, I fell in love with and majored in the discipline. Since I couldn’t deny my fascination with group behavior, I also minored in Sociology. To enhance my online abilities, I attained a Certificate of Computer Graphics, Art and Animation from Montgomery College. I studied nonprofit management and fundraising in graduate school at New York University.

Emphasis on Improvement

Managing a well-balanced life needs to be a priority for everyone. The guiding principle for my life is "Together Life Improves". My desire to share ways to improve all aspects of life is evident on my blog Trying Not To BNeg. My yoga and meditation practice combined with a love of kickboxing/MMA keeps me physically and spiritually well. When I speak with people I admit I needed to lose over 50 pounds and change my lifestyle. I did it and love to encourage others to do the same. Here is a 5-minute meditation video I created.

Contact me: Cindy@onlineandinperson.com