About the Manager: Keisha S. Nickolson

Nonprofit Solutions Program Manager

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Keisha Nickolson has joined the IUPUI Solution Center’s Nonprofit Solutions as the new Program Manager. In this role, Keisha will focus on the following:

• Build and nurture relationships with not-for-profits and local foundations and funders to determine needs and develop appropriate communication strategies, resources, programs, and education/training initiatives.
• Plan and implement external communication to community leaders.
• Work in partnerships with universities and community partners, plan and deliver seminars and training programs needed by nonprofit organizations and consultants.
• Provide expert guidance and consultation to nonprofits
• Identify resources to help nonprofts and consultants to succeed; develop programs and seek links and partnerships to deliver appropriate education and training to consultants and nonprofits.

Goals

As the new Program Manager for the Nonprofit Solutions Initiative within the IUPUI Solution Center, it is my pleasure to outline my top five goals as it pertains to my position. As the trend continues for more strategic alliances between universities and nonprofit communities, it is my hope that this new initiative will expand on the following:

1. Provide multi-level technical support and services (marketing, strategic growth and development, education, trainings) aligned with capacity building for local small/large nonprofits in Central Indiana.
2. Provide expert guidance and consultations to nonprofits that result in dialogue, networking, and long-standing partnerships of value to nonprofits.
3. Provide an efficient and user friendly online consultant database; one where both the end user and the consultant have a win/win relationship and real outcomes are assessed (e.g. number of hits on a consultant, an online automatic RFP for the nonprofit organization, surveys for nonprofits/consultants).
4. Seek consultants who identify with a need to expand their services within the nonprofit community. Build the consultant pool within the online database to 75 by year end 2007.
5. Facilitate diverse (crossing all target areas of specialization, minority owned nonprofits and consultants, Central Indiana based) and competitive partnerships between consultants and nonprofits.

About Keisha

Keisha S. Nickolson is the Program Manager for the Nonprofit Solutions Initiative with the IUPUI Solution Center. With over 7 years of experience in nonprofit and project management, Keisha has developed partnerships with businesses such as State Farm, Burlington Coat Factory, Babies R Us, United Way, Indianapolis Public Schools, Indianapolis Police Department and FedEx Express, and developed training programs for nonprofits throughout the state of Indiana. In her previous position as Project Manager of Safe Kids Indiana, a local nonprofit focused on unintentional, childhood injury among kids 14 and under, Keisha managed over 35 county-based injury prevention coalitions that focused on over 15 areas of injury risk. In 2005, Keisha was recognized as the leader in her field and was awarded the 2005 Outstanding U.S. Coordinator of the Year for all state based Safe Kids coalition offices.

Keisha earned a B.A. in Chemistry/African American Studies in 1998 and a Masters in Public Affairs (MPA) in 2000, from Indiana University, Bloomington. Keisha is the proud mother of a son, Kyle, and is married to her college sweetheart, Darrell Nickolson, a professor in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI.

Contact Information

» Visit the Nonprofit Solutions Website