Arthur Alley is proud to announce that our friend and colleague, Chuck Nutt, has joined us in a dedicated capacity as a Senior Consultant. We’ve all had the opportunity to work with him throughout the years and are so excited to have him aboard. Here, we asked Chuck a few questions so that you, too, might get to know him better.
What have you been doing prior to joining Arthur Alley?
For the last ten years I’ve been with The Salvation Army. I worked for seven years as the Divisional Development Director for Maryland and West Virginia, where I gave oversight to all development functions throughout the Division, and three years with The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO), In my role there, I worked with Salvation Army fundraising professionals throughout the United States and with their donors who have international interests.
How will these experiences inform your work moving forward?
With The Salvation Army, it’s been my privilege to work at the local level as a development director, at the divisional (regional) level, and at the national level with a focus on the Army’s international programs. I have also served as a campaign consultant with a national firm. I’ve been fortunate to work with local fundraising staff, nonprofit executives, and board members—who have a sense of responsibility, and often, a deep connection and love, for the mission of their organization . For me, the awareness of the passions that mobilize their work, the realization of the good work they do, and the positive difference and change their involvement creates, motivates me. I adopt their mission as my mission, particularly in the areas of strategic development and fundraising. It then becomes a joy to partner with them in moving the organization to new levels of quality, effectiveness, and service.
What are you looking forward to in this new role?
I look forward to working with a variety of organizations whose overall vision and mission is to do good—to make the world—or at least their part of it—a better place. To be part of that, and the variety of ways it’s being done, makes every day a new adventure!
I’m excited about my new role because everything Arthur Alley does—mission and strategic planning, campaign readiness, fundraising guidance, coaching development professionals—is on the cutting edge. It’s about making a difference, moving organizations forward—doing better, being better, improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities. It’s an exciting privilege to be playing a part in those kinds of movements.
How do you hope to be able to serve Arthur Alley’s clients?
A wise man said to me once, “Learn from the experience of others. You don’t have time to make all those mistakes on your own.” I’ve had the privilege of learning from several wise individuals across the years, in pastoral ministry and fundraising. I learned much from their teaching, their experiences, and their mistakes. And, I certainly learned from my own mistakes as well. What I hope to do is to let all the experience and learning with which I’ve been blessed, be of benefit to others. For me, it’s time to pay forward what so many gave to me. I also know that as I collaborate with good people doing good work, I’m going to continue to learn and grow—as a person and as a professional. What a fun place to be!
You’ve previously worked as a consultant and have also used the services of consultants as a development director. Why is consulting important to you and the sector?
When you’re in the middle of a forest, it can be hard to see at least three things: One, the forest—the whole forest, the big picture. Usually, as a nonprofit organization, you’re preoccupied with a small section of it. Two, individual trees—there’s so many of them! Three, the path forward. There’s usually more than one. Which one (or more) is the right one? Hopefully, the consulting firm—and the consultant—hold a perspective that has resulted from viewing many forests in many settings. They’ve seen the individual trees—opportunities and pitfalls, and the final destinations of many paths. This “outside” perspective is vital. It can breathe fresh air and pump fresh blood into an organization, because it can envision new possibilities and a better future for the organization, and more importantly, the people it serves. I relish the opportunity to bring that perspective to our clients.
When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun?
For the last ten years, we’ve lived apart from family, and in that time our family has gained six grandchildren. We recently moved into the same community as two of them. So, we’re certainly having fun with them! I also enjoy making music, a sixty-year hobby for me, reading, and writing. I have a yard and house that keeps me occupied as well, and we throw in a little travel and beach time once in awhile.
If you’d like to connect with Chuck, you can email him chuck@arthuralley.com. Want to learn more about how Arthur Alley can help you achieve your fundraising and mission development goals? Contact us here and we’ll be in touch.