Helping Solve Real Problems for Real Nonprofits: a Volunteer’s Experience

Colby Cartledge has spent her career in enterprise strategy and innovation, the kind of work that turns an open-ended question into a plan a business can act on. As a Compass Pro Bono volunteer, she has brought those same skills to three Twin Cities nonprofits.

One example of what that looks like is her project with Urban Boatbuilders, a Saint Paul nonprofit that helps young people build job and life skills through paid woodworking experience. Colby and her team focused on a practical question: could products made in the workshop generate new revenue and more paid work for apprentices?

The Compass team modeled projected costs and revenue to determine what would actually be profitable, at what volume, and how selling direct-to-consumer compared with selling through a shop. Their recommendation was to start small, with a few core items, to test the concept and learn the production process, then expand.

Urban Boatbuilders went on to put that recommendation into practice. “They are currently selling their charcuterie and cutting boards created in their workshop through local shops and getting revenue from it, which is really exciting to see come full circle,” Colby said.

Part of what makes the experience work for Colby is the balance between structure and connection. Compass vets and scopes the project, and assembles the team, but the work itself unfolds over months of collaboration with the nonprofit. For Colby, that sustained connection is part of the appeal: “I get really energized by that, being in the environment where the work is happening and meeting the instructors and staff,” she said.

Colby also talked about learning from the people around her: nonprofit governance from teammates with nonprofit careers and project management discipline from a teammate who spent his career at 3M, for example. She has also built connections across Twin Cities organizations she wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise.

For Colby, the experience ultimately led to an even deeper connection with Urban Boatbuilders. After two consecutive projects, Urban Boatbuilders asked her to join their board, where she now serves alongside three other former Compass volunteers. Executive Director Marc Hosmer says board members who came through Compass “have just added immensely to both the conversation, but also the work and the impact of the board as a whole.”

When asked her favorite thing about Compass, Colby’s answer was simple:

“I think it’s solving real problems for real organizations that otherwise wouldn’t have access to this skill set.”

Colby Cartledge at a Glance

Three Compass projects completed for Twin Cities nonprofits
New skills in nonprofit governance and project management, with an expanded professional network across Twin Cities organizations
Volunteer connection that grew into board service

Compass Pro Bono Volunteers at a Glance