JRP Celebrates 10 Years of Helping Nonprofits Be Strong
Although this is not the 10th anniversary year we planned, we celebrate being a strong organization that supports a robust nonprofit community. In this challenging time, we see how our capacity-building work has helped nonprofits thrive in good times and be sustainable and nimble in crises.
How have we built such a strong foundation? JRP founder Dick Hirrel talks about launching a sustainable organization in the middle of a recession and his vision for the impact JRP would have on our community. Many thanks to Dick Hirrel for being a great board member and to volunteer John Sherman for writing this article!
Dick Hirrel is a retired attorney and a master fundraiser. He feels strongly that raising money is a nonprofit board member’s first obligation. Fortunately for Jericho Road Pasadena (JRP), Dick served on the organization’s founding board of directors—and he wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In fact, back in 2010 when JRP was just getting off the ground, one of the first things he did was to present each of his fellow board members with a copy of The ASK: How to Ask for Support for Your Nonprofit Cause, Creative Project, or Business Venture. Then he suggested that everyone raise at least $10,000 per year for JRP.
Dick recalls that one board member asked him, “Do you mean I have to ask my friends?” Dick’s answer? “That’s exactly what you need to do!”
At the time, the board had recently hired Melanie Goodyear as JRP’s first Executive Director. However, the position was only a part-time job, which didn’t give her enough time (or compensation) to do what she was hired to do: namely, match highly skilled volunteers with local nonprofits’ needs, and train prospective board members for placement in those same organizations. JRP’s board members understood the importance of having a full-time executive director, but they also realized that Melanie’s employment was tenuous. JRP was, after all, a fledgling nonprofit with extremely limited resources. Besides, Melanie had opportunities elsewhere. What was to stop her from moving on?
Staying true to his beliefs about board membership and philanthropy, Dick had the solution: As Co-director of the Ayrshire Foundation with his wife Tracy, Dick could guarantee that if fundraising fell short of $100,000 per year for the first three years, Ayrshire would make up the difference. That offer meant that there would be enough funding to keep the lights on and employ an executive director full time.
The guarantee worked. Melanie stayed on and became JRP’s full-time executive director, JRP thrived, and the Ayrshire Foundation’s contribution turned out to be minimal because the board did such an exceptional job of fundraising.
Dick takes a lot of pride in his role in establishing JRP as a financially solid organization. But he is most proud of what JRP has accomplished for other nonprofits through the years. One success story that he recalls most fondly is JRP’s involvement with Villa Esperanza Services. Spread out across metropolitan Los Angeles, Villa Esperanza has nine residential facilities for developmentally disabled adults as well as a day school for disabled kids. In the summer of 2012, administrators at Villa Esperanza contacted JRP about having experts analyze their food services operation. Melanie went to work and brought in volunteers Bob Harrison from Green Street Restaurant. The veteran restaurateur set up a straightforward, automated food-ordering and delivery process for each of Villa Esperanza’s residential homes that has proven to be a huge time-saver for the staff.
Dick’s term on the board ended several years ago. However, he keeps in touch and serves on other nonprofit boards in the area, including Villa Esperanza Services. In fact, Tracy and Dick Hirrel are two of the four co-chairs of Villa Esperanza’s latest capital campaign. And, true to form, Dick is actively seeking funding.
“We’re only looking for $26 million, so if you know anyone with anything to spare, we’d be glad to talk to them,” he says.
Many thanks to JRP volunteer John Sherman for writing this article! John is a Pasadena-based freelance writer. He can be reached at john@fordsherman.com.