The Plague of Nonprofit Mediocrity How Funders, Nonprofits, and Boards Can Use Philanthropic Intermediaries to Cure Their Local Communities

by Grady Brock, APR, MA, Kimberly

• ISBN13: 9798317808150
• ISBN10: 8317808157
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-10-09
• Publisher: BookBaby
• More Book Details
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Summary

To prosper—or even survive—in today's highly chaotic, competitive, and exasperating philanthropic environment, stakeholders must continually evolve and improve. Doing so, however, is much more arduous than most can comprehend. Working to achieve real social change is a punishing pursuit, and one where the odds are stacked against you. Moreover, any misstep could cost local children a safe home, women a network to survive, seniors a retirement includes basic necessities, and much more.

This deficiency, prompted by 25 years in the nonprofit sector, proved to author Kim Brock that the industry has become comfortable with its own underperformance. Unlike in the corporate sector, where underperformance quickly drives a company out of business, philanthropy has no built-in forces to motivate improvement. Combined with chaotic and fractured grant-making practices, nonprofits are hindered from making real change.

While this book is not intended to cause trepidation without a solution, the last section focuses on Philanthropic Intermediaries (PI). This local, expert organization can cause a significant paradigm shift that has the power to cure the plague of mediocrity.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, "Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." If you are called to create a more purposeful and productive social sector, this book will give you the tools and confidence to achieve it. May it help you marry hope with action and cure the plague of mediocrity holding back your local community.

Author Biography

With a master's degree in communications and business, a professional accreditation in public relations, and multiple certificates in nonprofit management and oversight, Kimberly Grady Brock's education, combined with 30 years of experience, has proven her as an exceptional nonprofit leader that's able to translate innovative business principles and true philanthropic passion into increased outcomes and long-term community change. Kim's fundraising campaigns and relationship-building have resulted in her personally raising over $140 million, and her organizational assessments and strategic planning have propelled the diversity of revenue streams for numerous organizations. Her visionary and strategic team-oriented approach consistently confronts the timeworn constraints of nonprofit thinking, encouraging people's creativity while requiring strict policies and procedures to ensure program quality and responsible scale.

Her skills and proven experience have led to a powerful resume, including multiple nonprofit CEO positions, CEO of a community foundation, CEO of a corporate foundation, professional association president, consulting firm principal, adjunct college professor, and more. Kim's diverse resume has earned her a reputation for leading organizations into a new period of growth and impact, providing her with a deep understanding of multiple nonprofit stakeholder groups few have experienced. However, her overall view of the social sector has been shaped by much more than just her professional record.

In her personal time, Kim has served as a dedicated volunteer, strategic donor, grant committee chair, board member, board president, and committee chair—providing her a uniquely diverse understanding of various nonprofit positions and multifaceted viewpoints to build a more cohesive and effective nonprofit sector. She has served as a board member of United Way of Central Florida, the local Chamber of Commerce, the Fundraising Committee of Florida Southern College, and numerous other local and regional nonprofits. She has also been recognized with awards from Walt Disney World, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Florida Public Relations Association, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, and more.

Her understanding of various stakeholder perspectives—professionally and as a volunteer—has allowed her to unite people and build more collaborative local sectors with less waste, more potential, and a unified vision.

Living in Lakeland, Florida, Kim is married to her college love and best friend, Jon Brock. Together, they share two beautiful daughters, Kristen and Lynsey, who are both talented singers—not a talent they inherited from their mother—and Kim's constant inspiration. These two extraordinary young women, as well as Kim and Jon's exceptional nieces and nephews, are the motivation for this book. They deserve much more than what today's social sector can offer.

When not expanding her understanding of our social sector, Kim enjoys traveling, reading, and watching her daughters sing anywhere and everywhere. According to her family, she also has an unhealthy obsession with harboring stray animals, especially those in need of extra love and "charity."

If you want to learn more about Kim's work or follow her explorations and viewpoints as they evolve, please connect via one of the online outlets listed below.

Website: Philanthropy.Solutions
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kgbrock
Instagram: brockkimgrady
X: @PropelCharity
Email: [e-mail]