The Intiman Theater at the Seattle Center awoke bright and early Wednesday morning to debut the new 501 Commons. Rocking the a.m. with a little hip hop from MCDK (a Seattle hip hop group), I couldn’t help but to strut with a little grove to my step. They even made me smile. I must say, that is pretty impressive for 7:30 a.m. Nice work 501 Commons.
501 Commons serves charities, philanthropy, schools, and faith organizations. Simply put, they serve the 501 sector. On Wednesday morning they hosted a launch party to unveil their new self, morphing from the former Executive Service Corps and into the new and sexy 501 Commons. Although their name and website underwent a massive makeover, their mission remains the same; to strengthen communities by empowering schools and nonprofits.
With over 200 volunteer consultants and coaches, 501 Commons provides roughly $750,000 worth of services to over 60 nonprofits every year. Now that’s impressive! Nancy Long, 501 Commons Executive Director, spoke on the panel during the launch and emphasized the organization's goal to build customizable services and programs for each unique client.
Before the presentation, I met a consultant who had been volunteering with 501 Commons for about ten years. Being surprised with the turnout for a 7:00 a.m. event, I asked the consultant how 501 Commons pulled it off since I didn’t see much prior advertising. He told me that Nancy Long’s roots run deep and that she has been an active in the Seattle community for many many years. “In my opinion,” he said, “Nancy walks on water.”
