A letter from the Founder

When I founded Idlewild, I did it with two goals in mind - to provide high quality, bespoke consulting services to organizations that were changing the lives of people in their communities, and to provide a healthy, supportive place to work. Prioritizing our clients and our staff, while at the same time building a successful business, is an ongoing and exciting challenge. Idlewild has grown from two people in 2015 to 16 people in 2022, serving more than 100 nonprofits at any given time. Our growth has been slow, steady, and 100% organic.

As we started, we asked ourselves a key question: how do we create a business built on respect, trust, and the idea that a for-profit can be socially responsible, purpose-driven, and create beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders? In essence, how do we keep PEOPLE first? That has been our guiding principle for the past 10 years. 

Different from other consultancies, our model is designed to not burn our team members out by squeezing in maximum billable hours and creating intense pressure in an internally competitive environment. I learned from experience that the traditional consulting model is not good for the consultants and ultimately is not good for the clients. 

Research and experience shows that people want to work at, and do business with, organizations that serve the community. At Idlewild, we strive to change the way clients consume/engage with professional services. Unlike our competitors, we get excited about the large, complex projects, as well as the tiny nonprofit that has more modest requirements, or who simply need on-demand consultants to provide occasional advice and support as needed. 
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Our philosophy at Idlewild is an ongoing experiment, a challenge that we have embraced. It’s a framework and a way of making strategic decisions where the end goal isn’t solely about the bottom line, it includes what is fair and right for my team and my clients. The triple bottom line is a balancing act that we’ve re-committed to every day.
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We’re very grateful that we have been able to grow our client base through referrals. Our clients become our partners, and the partnership is long lasting. We value those clients and in return, they share their success with Idlewild and Salesforce tools with their peers. I think it says a lot about us that our new client acquisition is 90% referral based (clients telling clients!) and that our clients continue to work with us year over year.  In fact, in 2021, 10 years from when this journey began, I’m still working with my very first client.
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I am forever grateful to my team and our clients who work to make the world a better place.  People expect more. The world is changing. Come join the movement!

Founder, CEO