Sharon Danosky is a strategist and thought leader who partners with nonprofit organizations and their boards to build organizational capacity that works. With over 25 years as a member of the senior management team for hospitals and human organizations and 10 years’ consulting for organizations across the non-profit sector, Sharon knows how to drive change and achieve results. It’s not about adopting the latest trend – rather it’s focusing on the introspective work an organization needs to do while understanding and embracing external dynamics.
As a consultant, facilitator and teacher, Sharon has led organizations to achieve unprecedented growth, re-infused boards with a new sense of purpose, focused discussions on strategy and impact, built sustainable fundraising programs that achieve double-digit increases, facilitated collaborations among organizations, brought organizations together while assimilating cultures and challenged non-profits to communicate in ways that resonate throughout their communities. Whether in the Board room, the Chief Executive’s Office or working with staff, Sharon brings a hands-on approach that gives her clients the tools that work and instills them with the confidence to succeed.
Sharon’s non-profit experience began by being a member of the team that raised the funds to build a new hospital, almost 40 years ago. Thus began her love of fundraising. Since then she has raised hundreds of millions dollars for health and human service organizations, libraries, animal and environmental organizations as well as arts and cultural organizations. And she has taught Boards, CEO’s, Executive Directors and Development Directors how to raise funds most effectively.
Sharon is a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer, and has conducted rousing seminars and workshops through her affiliations with national, regional and local associations and foundations. She has led major initiatives for established non-profit organizations, including charitable organizations, community foundations and membership associations. Sharon is also a sought-after presenter at international conferences and has published articles on governance, boards, fundraising and strategy. She was part of a ten-member delegation that worked with non-governmental organizations in Russia. And while she doesn’t speak Russian, she does speak your language.
Consultants
Karen Greve Milton is a Senior Consultant with Danosky & Associates, LLC, partnering with non-profit organizations and their boards to build organizational capacity through improved governance, engaged boards and stronger financial sustainability. As a member of the D&A team, Karen brings her 25-plus years of executive management experience and skill-set in re-energizing and re-organizing local, state and federal agencies in matters of governance, compliance and policy to the non-profit community. She understands that strong governance creates engaged boards, aids board recruitment and improves finances which enable non-profits in carrying out their mission, executing their vision and remaining financially stable. Her broad portfolio of executive management experience enables her to engage with non-profit organizations in solving issues related to budget & finance, capital assets, committee structure, governance protocols, programming, event planning and executive director searches.
Karen is a 2019 graduate of the Interim Executive Director Training Program of The Support Center in Manhattan. In October 2022, Karen was certified as a LifeCycles Consultant by the LifeCycles Non-Profit Institute. She also attended the Board Source Intermediate Governance Training offered through the Hartford Foundation Non-Profit Support Program in Fall 2022.
Since April 2021, Karen has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Civic Education, a national not-for-profit organization, dedicated to educating citizens of all ages about the operations of their American government. She also serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. In this capacity, she helped the Center create its first operating budget, hire outside financial management advisors and re-energize the Finance Committee. During her two-year tenure as Treasurer, the Center has stabilized its financial situation, increased revenue and reduced expenditures. She applies her experience with the non-profit Center for Civic Education to the issues facing D&A clients, including generating robust discussions among Board members, engaging Board members in the financial issues of their organizations and helping them implement strategies that will strengthen their entities for future growth and stability.
Since joining the D&A team, Karen has helped their non-profit clients develop new strategic plans, strengthen organizational governance, re-define their place within their eco-landscape to improve revenue streams and conduct a successful search for new executive director leadership. As a member of the D&A team, she leads their non-profit clients in robust discussions focused on impact, strategy and revenue-generation. The most important questions to ask are where do you want to go and how are you going to get there? The D&A experience helps their clients to answer these questions, turning the answers into actionable strategic governance plans.
Karen has been involved with community-based non-profits throughout her entire life, beginning with the Girl Scouts, church choirs, alumni organizations and bar associations. She is a former President of the New York Women’s Bar Association, a former Director of the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation and a member of the New York City Bar Association, the Federal Bar Council and the New York State Bar Association where she co-chaired the Working Group on Law Practice Management & Technology of the NYSBA Task Force on the Pandemic and the Legal Profession. She continues to donate her time and talent to her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania where she serves on the Board of the NY PennPARC Council, dedicated to promoting the performing arts at Penn. A life-long choral member, Karen sings in multiple volunteer choirs at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Harlem, and the Cathedral Choirs of the Cathedral of St. Agnes in Rockville Centre, New York. This August, she traveled with the Cathedral Choirs of St, John the Divine to the UK where she sang at Westminster Abbey and the Cathedrals of Ely, Lincoln and Liverpool.
Karen is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Case Western Reserve School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, where she served as an Editor on the Law Review.
John Brooks has over 27 years of non-profit management and fundraising experience. He has expertise in major & planned giving, corporate sponsorships, foundation & corporate grants, fundraising events, direct marketing, volunteer management, community outreach, external communications, and media relations. John has extensive experience developing, training, and leading numerous volunteer and board committees to identify and solicit donors and to conduct fundraising events.
John was most recently the Chief Development Officer for Columbus House, a New Haven based non-profit organization serving those who are experiencing homelessness and has served in that capacity since January 2004.
Prior to working at Columbus House, he was Vice President of Marketing & Development for Save the Sound, a New Haven based environmental organization and was also Director of Development at the state headquarters of Special Olympics Connecticut.
John has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 1996. He has served on the AFP Board of Directors since 2006 and was the Chapter President in 2011-2012. He has held leadership positions on the Program, Nominating and Mentorship Committees. He is the 2021 AFP Outstanding Fundraising Professional
He is the former Vice Chair of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Non-Profit Resource Council and served on the steering committee for Leave-A-Legacy Connecticut. He is a graduate of the Greater New Haven Leadership Center.
John is a Philadelphia native and lives in Monroe with his wife Monica. He has 2 grown daughters and just recently became a grandfather! When not involved in non-profit work, John enjoys cycling, kayaking, fishing and hiking.
Matthew Krumholtz is an innovation strategist, change agent, and social impact advocate. As a consultant, Matthew works with mission-driven organizations to achieve their goals through multi-disciplinary problem solving, strategic planning, and revenue-generating partnerships. He is a recognized leader in translating novel solutions across complex systems and matrixed organizations to inspire change.
Matthew brings experience in developing innovation strategies and building high-impact coalitions that advance transformational change. He has worked with for-profit and nonprofit organizations in sectors from higher education to financial services to digital media. He recently developed and co-led the Impact division at HuffPost, a capacity-building arm that secured philanthropic funding to develop innovative partnerships and place-based initiatives. One of these initiatives was a multi-year grant-funded collaboration around economic justice, with a central focus on housing affordability and community equity.
He holds a PhD from Princeton University, where his doctoral work focused on narrative change strategies that ignited and sustained social movements.
Collaboration
Jenora Ledbetter and Sharon have been working together on several initiatives where they can assess, educate and embed the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion into an organization’s culture. Jenora is the President of the Self-Care Network LLC, which she founded. Together, Jenora and Sharon bring different backgrounds and different perspectives to advise boards how to bring community and lived experience into their mission, their purpose and their strategy. They have created safe spaces for conversations and help boards understand the larger commitment and accountability they have to an entire community. It is a collaboration that they treasure and that brings immense value to their clients.
Support Team
Alexis joined Danosky and Associates after five years in the corporate sector. Alexis has a wealth of experience in all aspects of operations and is excited to transition into the nonprofit sector as she begins her role as Client Engagement Manager. Serving as the go-to point of contact for clients, Alexis is proud to serve as the bridge between clients and Danosky ensuring they receive the best service possible. Alexis prides herself on client satisfaction and growing these relationships. Given her experience previously working at Quest Diagnostics Lab in Client Service & Data Entry, Alexis has become an expert in understanding client expectations, translating them into actionable plans, and overseeing the delivery of services. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family!
As soon as she bounded into our offices, Atka made herself at home. And we don’t use the term “bounded” lightly. She has the grace and agility of a full grown deer, happily leaping over the five foot fence surrounding the Danosky property that was foolishly erected to keep her in. (Thank goodness for the invisible fence) Finding great joy in running, chasing squirrels up trees and tossing balls into the air, she brings a sense of fun and brevity to the Danosky team.
Atka came to us in July 2018 from a shelter in South Carolina where she only had one day left to live. She quickly made friends with the Danosky family and adopted to the role of the Director of Goodwill (DOG) immediately. With a little research, we discovered that she has an amazingly “global” DNA, which accounts for her easygoing and accepting disposition – and strong work ethic!
American Staffordshire Terrier – 25%
Siberian Husky – 25%
German Shepherd – 12.5%
Australian Shepherd – 12.5%
White Swiss Shepherd – 12.5%
Chow Chow – 12.5%
Atka takes her work very seriously. She is responsible for generating goodwill, initiating play, keeping morale high, and holding the pack together. While she has a high level of energy (fitting right in with the rest of the team), she also has her contemplative side, which she displays at all of our team meetings. While loving all of our clients, she has let it be known that our work with animal shelters is among her favorites.