Meet Kerri Mollard | Founder and CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kerri Mollard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kerri, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When someone asks my advice about starting a business or working as a consultant, I often say that you must have 1) a high tolerance for risk and 2) be comfortable with ambiguity.

A tolerance for risk is an essential aspect of entrepreneurial life. Even after 20 years in business, I cannot predict what our client mix will be six months from now. I have weathered the ups and downs of business growth and have learned that a deep belief in our ability to meet client needs is the lens needed to manage not knowing exactly who we will be working with or what scopes of work will be in demand. This uncertainly is why I believe being comfortable with ambiguity is as essential as risk tolerance.

There is very little about consulting work that is black and white. Navigating the dynamics of the gray is a big part of what keeps this work both interesting and fulfilling.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mollard Consulting began 20 years ago in 2003, and it was just me in the beginning. As we grew, I added subcontractors to build a team, and hired our first full time employee in 2015. Today, we have eight employees and plan to add more in 2024.

Our original focus was grant writing, but we now offer a breadth of fundraising, planning, board governance, and capacity building scopes of work. While our company began with a corps of arts and culture clients, we have grown to serve organizations in education, human services, youth development, health, housing, environmental, recreation, civic, community-based, and other sectors.

We have a niche and deep expertise in public-private partnerships, which is a powerful way to raise funds, and nonprofit board governance, which is central to how a nonprofit functions. We often say that the single most important relationship in a nonprofit is the relationship between the board and the chief executive, and the second most important relationship is among the board members themselves. How powerful it is to bring leaders, and dollars, from both sectors together to move a nonprofit mission forward. When leaders align on a vision with shared resources, organizations can move mountains.

Mollard Consulting celebrated its 20th anniversary this past September at the Grange Insurance Audobon Center. It was such a wonderful gathering of clients, colleagues, family, and friends, and I look forward to the next decade of growth and impact.. In addition, this past November, I was honored with the Association of Fundraising Professions award for Outstanding Professional Fundraiser. It was a lovely honor and I am proud to serve the nonprofit sector and

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First stop is beautiful German Village, which is where I lived for 12 years before moving to New Albany in 2010. The Old Mohawk or Brown Bag Deli for lunch, Helen Winnemores, the Red Stable, and the Book Loft for shopping, and Schiller Park for a lovely walk.

I could not miss the Columbus Museum of Art on Broad Street and the Topiary Park two blocks away on Town Street. Both hold a special place in my heart as my husband and I met at the Museum in 1996 and he proposed to me in the Topiary Park on Valentine’s Day in 1998. And while in that part of downtown, a visit to the Columbus Metropolitan Library Main branch would be a must.

Depending on the time of year, a trip to the OSU campus for a Buckeye tailgate and football game is always fun, or to the new Crew stadium to see our MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew, or in the summer, an afternoon at Huntington Park for a Clippers game.

I would make sure we had time to visit one or more of our beautiful MetroParks, which are gems in central Ohio, and that we’d get out to Apple Valley in Knox County, which is our getaway spot. We would have to do a little detour into downtown Granville for a drink at Seek-No-Further Cidery, which is my favorite bar in central Ohio, or to get peaches at Branstool Orchards in Utica.

Closer to home, I would spend the rest of our time in New Albany, taking in the beauty of our leisure trail and park system, shopping at Elliott Cooper on Market Street, and eating at Fox in the Snow, Hudson 29, or BrewDog.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our Mollard Consulting team – thank you to everyone who works at Mollard Consulting. From Lindsey, who is our longest-tenured team member and leader, to our newest employees beginning in 2024, thank you for your belief in our mission and vision.

To Lindsey Steinberg, Meghan Frolo, Irina Ursu, Kim Hosler, Kelley Morris, Colleen Speer, and to all our subcontractors and former team members – thank you!

It is a pleasure to work with you and I am grateful for your contributions to the company and our clients. Our mission is to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations and the individuals who serve them.. Our vision is thriving communities and families through highly effective nonprofits. This talented team helps every nonprofit that we serve reach new levels of effectiveness and impact. And for that, I am both grateful and proud.

Website: https://mollardconsulting.com/about/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrimollard/. or https://www.linkedin.com/company/mollard-consulting-llc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerri.mollard/. or https://www.facebook.com/mollardconsultingllc/

Image Credits
personal photo is Shelby Miller Photography https://shelbymillerphotograph.com/ 20th anniversary photos by Ian Alexander Photography https://ian-alexander-photography.com/ Questions? Contact [email protected] CMC photo Rick Buchanan Photography https://www.rickbuchananphotography.com/ New Albany Chamber of Commerce photo of the Delta Awards