Starrs Aligned: So much more than Lunch at WLP
Organization: Women’s Lunch Place
Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) was started in 1982 by friends Eileen Reilly and Jane Alexander, who saw there was a need among women who were homeless for a safe place to go during the day. Reilly and Alexander met as volunteers at Pine Street Inn, an overnight shelter for men, and noticed that women dressed as men to get a meal and a bed. Being dressed as men put these women at risk at the shelter and on the streets. They decided to do something to change this and found a place in Boston’s Back Bay. Twelve women were served a hot lunch prepared by Reilly, Alexander, and other volunteers. From the beginning, the founders insisted that guests were served lunch at their tables, and not made to stand in line. The use of china and silverware on tables adorned with fresh flowers were the practice then and remains so today.
In March 2020, COVID 19 gripped our world and WLP doubled down on providing services to this ever-growing population. Just as many non-profits needed to suspend services in the early stages of the pandemic, WLP did not pause. WLP pivoted, developing strategic responses and answered the call as a critical partner with the City of Boston and other non-profit organizations. Now, on a weekly basis WLP delivers 1,000 healthy meals and essential supplies to families and individuals living in desperate conditions.
The Challenge
Even before COVID 19 struck, Executive Director, Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, knew that the organization was too reliant on too few generous donors and events and did not have a strategy for growth. The Development efforts had grown organically and needed a strategic lens and a Major Gifts Program. The discussions with Starrs Aligned that began in late February were quickly put on hold while the organization dealt with the many challenges of serving this most vulnerable population during a pandemic. The moment the organization stabilized, we developed a plan.
With insights gained from a rigorous interview process, Ellie was able to understand the “special sauce” of WLP’s core mission, values, and community as well as activities and programming around mission delivery. The next step was to gain a foundational appreciation of the Board and analyze all fundraising activities, data, donors, tools and work flows to create an organizational structure that included donor research, a moves management tracking system and a clear path to growth.
Working closely with the Executive Director and the Development team, Ellie designed a re- organization of the Development shop with new job descriptions outlining clear roles and responsibilities. The Starrs Aligned team worked with the WLP team to upgrade to a new cloud- based system and put the processes in place to ensure the structure was built to deliver a robust, efficient Major Gifts Program.
With staff in their newly defined roles they were guided through creating their first operating plans and templates were created for events, donor meetings and gift terms. Armed with a new Chief Development Officer job description the role was posted and a wonderful new seasoned fundraising professional, Paula White, began in early August to secure a successful fundraising program well into the future.
“Starrs Aligned consultation with Women’s Lunch Place was both foundational and dynamic, and has set WLP on a new trajectory in fundraising! Although our original engagement was centered around the implementation of a Major Gifts Program, Ellie’s wholistic approach led to a strategic restructuring to support a decisive growth plan. Ellie and her team offered critical insight and expertise in systems and data changes. In addition, Ellie worked through critical organizational structure and operational planning that resulted in our being able to recruit a very strong new Chief Development Officer.”
- Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, Executive Director, Women’s Lunch Place