How I Became a Nonprofit Consultant

Social responsibility is a key component of Wonder Girls and we couldn’t think of anyone more respected to interview than Jen Darley. Her impressive resume and work experiences are incredible! We were excited to sit down with her to learn more about her journey and we’re even more thrilled that Jen has been helping us to develop and build a solid foundation for Wonder Girls.

WG: What is your job title/company name?   

Eighteen months ago, I made the decision to start my own business.  I am now the proud owner of Jen Darley Consulting and the Nonprofit Management Group.  After working as Vice President of Operations for a museum in Philly for almost 15 years, I was given the opportunity to take a sabbatical and travel the country with Hillary Clinton during her 2016 Presidential campaign.  After the unfortunate and devastating loss, I took a job with Governor Cuomo and moved from Philadelphia, PA to Albany, NY.  I spent a year with the Governor before I decided it was time to take a break from government and politics and get back to what I really loved...helping people.  I began working for a nonprofit in NYC that provides services and shelter to formerly incarcerated and homeless men.  The work was extremely rewarding and I learned so much from the folks that we were serving.  While we were in fact changing lives, we were only serving a small portion of the population, and I wanted to do more.   I felt like if I went out on my own I could reach so many more people because I wouldn’t be limited to working with just one organization.  So, I made the decision to start my company and have been going full steam ahead ever since.  Going out on my own has extended my reach and my ability to create positive change in the world.  If there is an individual, organization, cause, etc. that can benefit from my knowledge and expertise then I am here to help.

WG: Where and what did you study in college?  

I went to the University of Delaware and studied Psychology and Business Administration.  I originally wanted to be a profiler for the FBI, which is why I chose Psychology as my first major.  As I went through the classes and started to think more about my future, I really wanted to give myself options to pursue another path after graduation.  So, I added Business Administration as a 2nd major my Sophomore year.  While I did not become a profiler, Psychology has always been and will remain, a passion of mine.  I think that is what helps me to really connect with people in both my personal and professional life.  And what has driven me to nonprofit work.

WG: What was that pivotal moment that you knew this is what you wanted to do as a career?

As you get older your needs and wants really start to shift.  When I was in my 20’s and early 30’s I felt like I had to fight so hard to get to the next level and to be treated with respect.  I felt like I always had to prove myself.  Now that I’m in my 40’s I no longer feel like I have to prove myself.  If you want to work with me, great.  If you don’t, that is fine too.  I know who I am and what I have to offer.  My career path might not have been as direct as others, but I believe the diversity in the organizations I’ve worked for, the positions I’ve held, and the experiences I’ve had, have positioned me well beyond my peers.  The broad set of skills that I have acquired can be applied to almost any industry.  I can work almost anywhere with anyone and get the job done.  How many people do you know that can build an organization from the ground up,  design, and implement email marketing campaigns, write grants and develop fundraising strategies, mentor and coach individuals, while also planning and managing 10,000 person rallies for a Presidential candidate?  I don’t believe there are that many and I am proud of that.  

I remember my first job as an Event Coordinator for a new museum in Philadelphia and working 15-hour days...nights and weekends.  I was working all the time, but I loved my job and I loved working hard and accomplishing things. I loved making my own money.  I had 6 or 7 different job titles during my time at the museum because I was eager to learn new things.  I kept moving up in the ranks, adding new skills and responsibilities along the way.   By the time I was 27, I had become the youngest Vice President at the museum.  I stayed with them for 14 years, 8 of them as a VP, and since leaving in 2016, I have had 3 other jobs.  I will always be grateful to the National Constitution Center.  They gave me the opportunity to build something from the ground up, and grow along with it.  Not many places are willing to give anyone, let alone a woman in her 20’s, the chance to carve her own path and open doors that are rarely made available to young women.  Not only did I build a revenue-generating enterprise for the museum, but I was given the privilege and opportunity to work with former presidents like George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama; world leaders like Mikhail Gorbechev, Tony Blair and the Pope, and even celebrities like Bono, Steven Spielberg, and Muhammed Ali.  It was an amazing journey, but there was more that I wanted to accomplish.  I think that was when my pivotal moment happened.  I was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work directly with the woman who was destined to be our first female President so I left the job I had for almost 15 years to go on the road with Hillary Clinton during her 2016 Presidential campaign.  I had always played it safe when it came to my job and financial security, which is evident in my having worked for only one organization since graduating college.  When I finally took that big step and left for the unknown, it was then that everything changed.  Working for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016 had a profound impact on my life both personally and professionally.  I learned so much about myself and my capacity to accomplish anything being on the road for months at a time, jumping from state to state, and working long hours with little to no sleep.  I mentored and trained so many wonderful and talented people, many of whom I am still in contact with today.  I loved being a part of something that I believed in, something I was passionate about. It was invigorating.  It was then that I realized that I wanted to live my passion every day...doing work that helps improve the lives of others.  I wanted to put the unique and very broad set of skills that I had acquired to give back, but I didn’t want to limit myself to just one organization.  I wanted to give myself the opportunity and the freedom to work with a variety of individuals and organizations across all industries and sectors.  Since starting my own company, I have worked on the 2020 Presidential campaigns for Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Mike Bloomberg.  While I was doing the campaign work, I was also working with a startup nonprofit to open a homeless shelter in NYC and helping another to start a program that would provide comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.  The scope of work performed was different for each entity, but it was all work that I love doing.  I didn’t have to settle for one over the other.  All of the work that I do allows me to use my knowledge, experience, and skills to give back and have a lasting impact on the lives of others.

WG: Did you have any internships or specific experiences that got you to where you are today?

I was someone who always had a job on summer break during college, even when my friends were living at the beach and having fun.  I felt that it was important to gain work experience in order to compete with other people looking for jobs after college.  In the summer before my senior year of college, I wanted a paid internship that was full time and would give me the experience I needed to secure a job after graduation. Unfortunately, paid internships were very hard to find back then, but I finally found one at QVC in the marketing and PR department.  I went in for the interview and was notified a few days later that they had filled the position, but they had an opportunity in the Events Department that they thought would be a good fit.  It wasn’t in an industry that I was considering, but they were going to pay me $11 / hour so I said I would give it a try.  I had never thought about event planning before, but who wouldn’t want to plan parties for a living?  QVC was such a great place to work.  The people were nice, the work was interesting and I had finally found what I wanted to do after I graduated...event planning.  Because this was a summer internship, it was scheduled to end prior to the start of the Fall Semester.  I had a light schedule as a senior so I had asked the Director if I could remain on into the fall.  She liked the idea of keeping me on, and I was thrilled about the opportunity.  But unfortunately, it wouldn’t be that simple.  A few weeks before the end of my internship, I had gotten caught in the middle of some internal politics, which I didn’t know anything about at the time.  I remember the Director asking me about an incident that took place at an event that I had helped out on.  While I was answering her questions, I might have mentioned that a few of the staff were drinking wine at the event, which is against company policy.  I reported what I saw not knowing that what they were doing was wrong.  This resulted in people getting in trouble and when they were questioned by the Director, one of the women told her that I had been acting inappropriately with the client.  I guess I might have crossed the line by talking about things that were more personal than professional, but I was 21 years old and had no idea that wasn’t appropriate. I wish I could remember exactly what I said to the client that was inappropriate, but all I know is that I was called back into the Director’s office and informed that they were not bringing me back in the fall. I would just finish out the summer internship and be on my way.  I was devastated and humiliated and didn’t know how I was going to show my face for the remaining 3 or 4 weeks that I had left in my internship.  I thought about walking out and never looking back.  But that really wasn’t in my nature.  I am not a quitter.  So, I sucked it up and walked in there every single day with my head held high.  I decided that I was going to work even harder for the remainder of my time there.  I would go above and beyond and prove that I deserved that fall internship.  In my final days, I was assigned a few behind the scenes projects doing research and preparing documents for presentations.  For one project, I created a PowerPoint presentation that impressed everyone (this was back in 2001 when PP was still extremely relevant, but super basic).  I also did a full analysis of some budget numbers and presented them in excel and stayed late to get the work done.  As my time was coming to an end, the Director called me back into her office to talk.  She said she was really impressed with my work and my positive attitude, and the fact that I hadn’t given up.  She apologized for what had happened a few weeks ago and then offered me the fall internship!  I was so excited and proud of myself for turning things around that I accepted the position without hesitation.  Sure, I could have said no because I just wanted them to see what they would be missing.  But I really liked the job and the Director offered me my very own event to plan, which was a huge deal for an intern!  That internship taught me a lot, not only about event planning but how to work in an office setting and how to conduct myself professionally.  Nobody tells you how to talk to a supervisor, or what to say and not to say to a client or what is appropriate or not appropriate to share with colleagues.  The only way to learn is if someone teaches you or you mess up and learn from your mistake.  Well, I messed up but instead of walking away, I turned it around and kept going.  That internship landed me my job at the museum in Philadelphia.  They were looking for an event coordinator and one of the women I worked with recommended me for the job.  If I had given up and walked away from the internship, I might not have ended up where I am today.   I am sharing this story because it provides an important message.  Everyone makes mistakes. It’s a fact of life. But it’s how you choose to handle yourself afterward and your willingness to learn from them that truly matters. 

WG: What is a day like for you?  

Each day is very different for me now that I have my own company. However, no matter what I have going on, I always make an effort to begin each day with the same question, “What do I want to accomplish today that will motivate, inspire, and move me forward?”  I am at my best when I feel organized and productive and writing this list each day really helps to put me in the right frame of mind.  I started this routine about 8 months ago when I was feeling the effects that the COVID-19 shutdown was having on my ability to grow my business.  I was focusing too much energy on the negative, which was causing me to feel overwhelmed and anxious.  I finally decided it was time to shift my focus and energy towards the positive things I could accomplish.  I am so much more productive since making that shift, and have started to make some real progress with my business.  

WG: If you could give your high-school-self advice, what would it be?  

Don’t sweat the small stuff, and the mean girls will always be mean.  Don’t try so hard to impress them.  Just be yourself, and be proud of your accomplishments.  I was smart, athletic, and talented yet I spent way too much time trying to hide my talents because I didn’t want people to think I was stuck up or that I was better than them.  Women are taught to be modest while men are taught to be confident and boast about their accomplishments.  It took me until I was in my 30’s to finally be proud of myself and not be afraid to show it.  That is when I started using the phrase “own your awesome.”  Don’t be afraid to be proud of yourself or confident in what you have to offer.  Don’t be afraid to have a voice and share your voice because it deserves to be heard...it needs to be heard.  Bragging comes from a place of insecurity and is usually used by someone to build themselves up by putting others down.  “Owning your awesome” is just about being proud of yourself and recognizing that you deserve good things and that you are capable of greatness.  You aren’t putting anyone else down.  It’s not coming from a place of insecurity.  It's allowing your true authentic self to shine for a while.  One of the reasons why I love Wonder Girls so much is because they truly embody this message and inspire young women everywhere to “own your awesome.”

WG: Lastly, where can people connect with you?  

To be honest, social media is something that I have been reluctant to embrace fully.  I guess I have a hard time posting things for the entire world to see.  I know that it is essential to growing a business so I am working on it.

Currently, I can be found on Linkedin or my website www.jendarleyconsulting.com, which is a work in progress so please don’t judge.  I am also building a website for Nonprofit Management Group which will soon be available at www.nonprofitmanagers.net.  I am hoping to have my company's Facebook page in the next few months as well.  However, if there is anyone that is interested in helping me to build my social media presence I would welcome you with open arms!