Testimonials

“We were fortunate to receive a capacity building grant at a time in the life of our organization where we were growing out of our “small nonprofit” shoes, and becoming a more complex, mid-size organization. We were a bunch of subject experts and providers, none of whom had built an organization before. Thankfully, we were introduced to Kim Comart. He had the capacity that we needed. His expertise ran the gamut, from A-Z, from soup to nuts.

Over a two-year period, Kim guided RAW through a process that created the solid foundation upon which we work today. In fact, I feel confident that the little 11-year old organization we introduced to Kim in 1999 would not have just celebrated its 30th anniversary if it was not for Kim.

Kim lead us through strategic visioning and planning. He supported our staff and Board to face and answer tough, high-level questions. He helped us to reveal new opportunities right within our existing portfolio. He helped us strengthen every aspect of our operations. His decades of experience, HUGE network of contacts, and ever-enthusiastic persistence in helping us maintain focus on our goals, truly changed our course and moved us forward in very positive ways.

For myself as a leader, Kim was especially valuable. His warm and encouraging manner, his terrific sense of humor, his compassion, and his vast portfolio of experience, from which he could draw as I faced one or another challenge…these aspects of Kim as a consultant are just some of the reasons that I can recommend him with the highest confidence. The fact that he has remained a long-term friend of the organization and a colleague to whom I can always look for sage advice reflects the sincerity and the passion with which Kim approaches his work in the nonprofit sector.”

– Kit Jenkins, Executive Director, RAW Art Works

“Last summer our friends at Liberty Mutual Foundation referred Kim Comart to us to help the Boston Higher Education Resource Center develop a strategy for long-term, sustainable growth, including strategic planning, fund development, and board development. Kim did — actually, continues to do — an outstanding job. From his first meeting with us, he simply “got us” — our mission, our team, what drives us, potential pitfalls, etc. Kim’s deep knowledge of nonprofit management, coupled with his strong background and reputation in the Boston nonprofit and philanthropic sector, proved to be critical ingredients in our success. Boston HERC’s stakeholders all trusted his judgement and were glad that he had “joined the Boston HERC team.” Kim provided leadership in Boston HERC’s decision to pursue designation as a 501(c)(3) application, including helping design the governance structure and draft the by-laws for the new entity. All the while, Kim continued to support the Boston HERC in countless ways, including encouraging our new Director of Operations and providing his wisdom as we launched a e-newsletter, expanded our outreach to foundations, and initiated a series of “Meet & Greets” that has already doubled our number of individual donors. Even after his original contract with us concluded, we asked Kim to stay on to help build an advisory board. This group will evolve into Boston HERC’s founding Board of Directors. We all trust Kim and are so glad to have him involved with the organization.”

– Sam Acevedo, Executive Director, Boston Higher Education Resource Center

“Kim’s guidance of our first strategic planning process was a game-changer for our foundation. He saw a role for us as a philanthropic leader in our service area—something we would never have envisioned without his guidance. Kim helped us go beyond being a grantmaker and leverage our knowledge, influence, and convening power to achieve greater impact. His work on that planning project and our subsequent strategic planning project also helped strengthen the foundation’s Board of Directors. Over a decade later, we’re still a small foundation, but (as our Board chair likes to say), “We pack a punch well above our weight class.”

– Sue Murphy, Executive Director, Liberty Bank Foundation

“As Interim Executive Director, Kim Comart played a vital role during a very difficult period of transition for Community Connections Inc., one of the largest providers of developmental disability services in Massachusetts. Stepping in on short notice for the founding President & CEO, Kim focused on identifying and addressing critical weaknesses in the organization, while directing the overall management of the organization and positioning us for long-term success. He helped engineer a smooth and successful transition. Kim was also instrumental in helping the Board of Directors select a permanent leader, who is proving to be the right choice for CCI. As members of the CCI Board during this period, Kim earned our respect and gained our confidence for his impressive leadership abilities.”

– Chris Kirrane and Sergio Balegno, Board of Directors, Community Connections, Inc.

“In honor of the James H. Napier Foundation’s 60th anniversary, we engaged Kim to lead us through our first ever strategic planning process. This was no easy feat — however, Kim’s guidance and supreme experience and knowledge of non-profits and private foundations allowed us to step back from our previous grant making and rethink our priorities. As a result of working with Kim, we developed a new grant making vision, strategies and priority areas that allow us to work deeper with our grantees and to become more thoughtful and deliberate in serving the children, youth and families of Meriden and Wallingford, CT. I highly recommend Comart & Associates.”

– Daria Smith, Foundation Administrator, James H. Napier Foundation

“Kim came to us at a challenging time for our organization. His experience, expertise, and reputation were keys to our success. Serving as Interim Executive Director, he provided strong and steady leadership, skillfully guiding HSTF through a transition to a permanent chief executive officer. Kim was especially instrumental with the campaign to renovate our youth center, driving the planning, fundraising, and project management with our staff, Board, architect, and builder. His relentless energy and enthusiasm were just what we needed, and we are grateful for his time with us.”

–Mark Saperstein, President, Hyde Square Task Force