Chris Kammerer is something of a “volunteer VIP” at Taproot. With dozens of pro bono engagements under his belt over nearly 15 years, Chris has given countless hours to help nonprofits tackle some of their trickiest challenges. Chris describes himself as “a believer in making big plans” and brings that optimism and future-thinking to each new partnership. As nonprofits navigate an evolving funding landscape and growing community needs, skilled volunteers like Chris are a more vital resource than ever. Discover how Chris balances his expertise, time, and passion to build lasting, effective nonprofit partnerships.
From Corporate to Nonprofit
The first fifteen years of Chris’ career were spent in the business world, serving in executive strategy positions and consulting with corporate clients. In 2011 he began moonlighting as a Taproot volunteer, working on big strategic planning efforts, participating in marathon events, and providing a variety of other volunteer services. Chris left the corporate world and made the leap to become a nonprofit consultant full-time in 2020, when he founded Focus Strategy Advisors to help small and mid-sized nonprofits solve strategic, operational, and fundraising challenges—a move that was possible in part because of the skills he had utilized and polished through years of skilled volunteering.
“Taproot has been transformative for my career,” he reflected. “It helped kindle my love of working with nonprofits, enables me to meet new missions and leaders, and allows me stay grounded in a wide variety of communities and causes, as well as the ways they are supported. Taproot helps me keep my skills sharp by seeing what works and what doesn’t work in different situations.”
Even as his own successful consultancy business continues to grow, Chris builds time into his busy schedule for skilled volunteer service. “Because of Taproot, I’m able to increase and decrease my pro bono hours to keep pace with change in my personal and professional life.”
Taproot helps me keep my skills sharp by seeing what works and what doesn’t work in different situations.
“Quick and Meaningful Impact”
With his background in the corporate sector, Chris knows firsthand that in the business world, the pace of change can be slow. “Plans can take months to implement, and growth is often incremental,” he said. When he turned his strategic, operational, and fundraising skills to nonprofits, however, Chris discovered that skilled volunteers can have “quick and meaningful impact,” an energizing change from what he was used to.
Taproot has heard countless stories over the years about how transformative it can be when a pro bono consultant collaborates with an organization to approach challenges with new perspectives and fresh ideas. The effect can be particularly consequential for smaller organizations where even seemingly modest changes can lead to fundraising gains, cost savings, or restructuring that empowers the organization to more effectively reach its goals.
“I’m not suggesting nonprofit challenges are easy to solve,” Chris clarified. “But there is an opportunity to pro bono consultants—precisely because of their experience, knowledge, and perspective—to help nonprofits make significant progress quickly and more clearly see pathways to growth.”
Nonprofit leaders who have partnered with Chris concur. Sherazade Langlade, CEO of Workforce Professionals Training Institute, shared that Chris was instrumental in helping the organization fundraise and better market their services by more clearly articulating the value proposition of their work. But beyond his current recommendations, Sherazade explained that “Chris’s approach to partnering has helped grow our confidence in knowing how we can adapt and adjust our communications, and he’s shared resources and approaches so that we can continue to do this.”
Chris (left) works with nonprofit leaders at a Taproot consulting event
Making the Connection
When selecting a nonprofit with which to partner, Chris tends to look for organizations with annual budgets of less than $4 million, valuing the big impacts he’s witnessed in similar-sized nonprofits over the years. Chris explains, “I love helping nonprofits through those early growth challenges. Assisting a nonprofit to grow their budget from $1 million to $1.5 million may only seem like 50%, but that’s an inflection point. Improving how they’re operating can often double the nonprofit’s impact: twice the number of direct service hours, or goods distributed, or beneficiaries helped. It makes me feel good about what I do.”
While skilled volunteers often gravitate toward certain causes over others, the mission area is less important to Chris. “I find that if you give a nonprofit leader one minute to explain their cause, it’s difficult not to be inspired and energized by their passion and commitment.”
Chris (left) during a strategy session at a Taproot consulting event
Strategic Sessions
Chris favors Taproot Plus’ one-hour Sessions as his go-to for engagement with nonprofit partners. Sessions’ focused timeframe is designed as an opportunity for nonprofits to ask questions and “pick the brain” of a volunteer consultant with a specific background.
Prior to the Session, Chris reviews the nonprofit’s challenge shared in their request and does basic research on the organization’s work, finances, and operations. Chris’s advice for nonprofits going into their first skilled volunteer meeting is to be as clear as possible about what they’re looking for and use data to help provide the scale of their work and what success could look like. That clarity and those metrics can “help a pro bono consultant ground their recommendations, give us a shared vocabulary, and make clear when improvement and growth is achieved,” he said.
While not all Sessions are intended to create ongoing collaborations, Chris is open to working with nonprofits on a continuing basis when there is a need. “As long as both the nonprofit and I feel the relationship is productive, my routine is to do one hour a month,” he shared. At the end of a productive Session call, Chris closes with an invitation for the organization to do some homework and connect with him again.
There is an opportunity to pro bono consultants—precisely because of their experience, knowledge, and perspective—to help nonprofits make significant progress quickly.
Support for Emerging Challenges
One of Chris’ ongoing partnerships is with the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, which promotes the use of restorative justice practices in schools. The nonprofit’s original Taproot Plus request was for advice on organizational restructuring and developing a leadership succession plan. Chris began working with the Executive Director and board members in early 2024 and continues to provide monthly pro bono support to the team, offering advice and perspectives on developing a strategic plan and other emerging challenges.
Tasreen Khamisa, Tariq Khamisa Foundation Executive Director, said that “working with Chris has been beyond amazing. His expertise is very much valued and needed. He has been a sounding board for me, offering us much-needed focus and guidance.”
Committed to the Work
Even with a busy schedule of paid consultant work, Chris isn’t planning to slow down on skilled volunteering any time soon. “It keeps drawing me in. I got into this work almost 15 years ago and am constantly drawn deeper into the work of nonprofits. Every year I seek to do a little more pro bono.”
If you are interested in working with Chris, reach out to him via email.
We are grateful to Chris for sharing his story and for his dedication to meeting the needs of so many worthy nonprofit organizations! If you are interested in donating your skills to support organizations in the community, learn more about becoming a skilled volunteer with Taproot.