Tom Suddes
Tom Suddes has made a name for himself as a THOUGHT LEADER in the ‘NONPROFIT’ ARENA.
A coach, trainer, consultant, speaker and writer with over 33 years of experience in development, strategic visioning, campaign management and major gift solicitation, Tom has been labeled CONTRARIAN, RADICAL, WHACKY, CRAZY and (what he feels is the highest compliment) “THE TOM PETERS OF THE NONPROFIT WORLD”.
Suddes is widely known as a MAVERICK and an AGENT of CHANGE. He began his career in the Development Office at the University of Notre Dame in 1973. He eventually became the Director of Development and headed the Campaign for Notre Dame, which raised $180 Million ($50 Million over the $130 Million Goal).
In 1983, he founded The Suddes Group, which managed over 300 campaigns, raised over $1 Billion, and helped generate 3 million new jobs in their work with 125 economic development organizations around the country.
In his current role, he acts as Chief Visionary Officer for The Suddes Group and Chief Evangelist for the For Impact Movement. As the “voice” of the FOR IMPACT COMMUNITY, Tom lives, plays and coaches at the FOR IMPACT LEADERSHIP CENTER just outside Columbus, Ohio.
He has made more than 6,000 one-on-one major gift presentations and has trained thousands of “nonprofit” leaders in the art and science of FOR IMPACT … and raising more money at a much lower cost.
He speaks and provides training throughout the country for entrepreneurs, sales people and leaders in both the nonprofit and the for-profit sector.
A serial entrepreneur since age 16, Tom has founded 19 businesses Suddes was the first Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Notre Dame; and has taught in the Masters Program at Notre Dame and the Leadership Program at Franklin University.
In 1996, Tom won a Trip Around the World when Success Magazine and Opportunity International awarded him a Trip Around the World to share his SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURIAL experiences with Third World Micro-Entrepreneurs in Russia, Poland, India, the Philippines and Australia.
Tom served in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer, completed Airborne and Pathfinder Schools, and became a Tactical Officer at Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia.
A two-time welterweight boxing champion at Notre Dame, Tom has been the boxing coach at Notre Dame for 35 years, returning every year for a six-week ‘mini-sabbatical’ to coach and referee the Bengal Bouts.
Throughout his crazy, eclectic, eccentric life, Tom has been anchored by his wife Trudy and his five children, who have somehow overcome their father as a huge life impediment. Now, his six grandchildren, Savannah, Keegan, Calvin, Thomas, Tatum and Roscoe are the centerpiece of life on a 50-acre farm/training center outside of Columbus, Ohio.
Tom’s Harley Davidson is still his vehicle of choice.
Contact Tom – tom@forimpact.org
Nick Fellers
Nick is co-founder of For Impact and president of The Suddes Group. In the last 10 years he’s raised over $75Million for causes in 30 countries and trained leaders from over 1000 organizations in how to use a sales process to maximize funding opportunities.
An entrepreneur, Nick started his first business while a student at the University of Notre Dame. Studying biology and philosophy, Nick would leave the labs early to make sales calls for his business – the first of it’s kind student social network – a precursor to facebook.com. After graduating, Nick and his business partners sold their business to focus on ‘scaled impact in the social sector’.
Nick is passionate about family, social entrepreneurship, running and all things web. He and his wife, Anna, live in Columbus, OH with their son, Will.
Nick’s helped to found several social ventures and currently sits on the board of Road of Life Cancer Prevention for Kids – an organization that develops and sells health prevention curriculum to schools. As an avid runner, Nick is currently working on running marathons in all 50 states – hoping to complete runs in Massachusetts (BOSTON!!!), Mississippi, and New York in 2012.
True to his tech beginnings, Nick keeps one foot on the web-start-up arena. He contributes as a partner to B.A. Mensch – a digital marketing firm. He also leads an R&D effort seeking new ways to leverage cloud computing and ‘big data’.
Contact Nick – nick@forimpact.org
Kerry Suddes
Kerry started her career 16 years ago in the for profit training world where she built and facilitated ‘World Class Teams’ programs for thousands, including Fortune 500 companies JP Morgan Chase, Nationwide Insurance, Medtronic, Merck, KeyCorp, General Motors and Sherwin-Williams.
In 2003, Kerry joined the For Impact Team and has since coached and trained hundreds of organizations through successful funding efforts ranging from $100k to $15M. Kerry has worked closely with The American Cancer Society, The American Lung Association, and many private schools and social service agencies.
In addition to working in the field on funding initiatives, Kerry leads the team in designing and delivering the Funding Boot Camp and Board Workshop experiences. Kerry completed her degree in Speech Communications and Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego.
Contact Kerry – kerry@forimpact.org
Tim Card
Tim brings to The Suddes Group|ForImpact team a strong combination of skill sets and experience from his 28 years in business ownership and management, organizational and Christian Ministry leadership, and funding development success. Prior to his current role as Regional Partner, Tim experienced first-hand the high value and results which can be achieved by integrating the ForIMPACT approach through his relationship with The Suddes Group as a client working on a $14M capital campaign.
As a visionary leader, Tim has owned and operated three different businesses as well as served on numerous non-profit boards during his career. He is viewed by many as a “positive change agent” because of his passion to help others succeed and internal drive to see non-profit organizations make the “Quantum Leap”. For Tim, “it’s all about Advancing the Vision to Achieve the Vision” by increasing funding levels with the organizations he serves.
Tim lives in Spokane, WA with his wife and two children and primarily works with clients in the Pacific Northwest. He leads a principled life of Christian character and strong family values. During his leisure time, Tim enjoys camping and boating with his family, golf, and playing the drums.
Contact Tim – tim@forimpact.org
Mike Gemm
Mike brings a wealth of business and finance expertise to For Impact. Always having a strong service ethos, Mike graduated from the University of Notre Dame with his MBA and started in the non-profit world as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Mike originally came to the For Impact movement in 2003. Wanting to engage deeper in an organizational setting, Mike moved to Washington, DC, to join the social entrepreneurship movement at College Summit, an award-winning national organization increasing the college enrollment rate in low-income communities.
At College Summit, Mike utilized the For Impact frameworks and thinking as Director of New Sites, where his team successfully launched multiple sites, eventually enabling thousands of young people to enroll in college. In addition to his work at College Summit Headquarters, Mike has also served as a coach to young people, empowering them to realize their potential and break through obstacles in their lives. Throughout his career, Mike has been recognized as a catalyst, sharing his contagious enthusiasm for life and constant improvement.
He and his wife, Jessica live in Cambridge, MA with their son Nathaniel. He is passionate about personal development, health, and coaching.
Contact Mike – mike@forimpact.org
Carol Rowland
Carol brings 15 years of funding experience to The Suddes Group having raised over $75M – working as a consultant/coach and as part of a prestigious health system.
In addition to experience and success, Carol brings a particular gift of story telling. Starting her career as a journalist and then later fine-tuning her skills at one of Omaha’s oldest public relations firms, Carol made the leap to the For Impact sector to help organizations excel at developing and sharing their story.
As a team member, Carol also brings a lot of experience in working with hospitals, schools and arts organizations. Always on the move, she spends part of her time working in the field, often in the central plains states and the rest of her time at her home, south of Nashville. She’s trying to figure out the guitar, loves her alma mater – U of Iowa and can’t wait to see what her nieces and nephews do next.
Contact Carol – carol@forimpact.org
