professional headshot of Donna Catalano, sitting in industrial office setting with short brown hair and wearing a blouse with a navy blue vest

Meet Our Team:

Donna Catalano, MS, PMP

Consultant

With over 35 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, Donna brings a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges organizations face and knows that transforming big visions into actionable outcomes is no small task for nonprofit leaders. Throughout her career, Donna has found that even well-established organizations with strong missions can be hindered by operational inefficiencies, unstructured project management, and stakeholder communication challenges.

Before joining the Mission + Strategy team, Donna founded and led Eastlake Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in applying best practices in project management, organizational development, and change leadership to help nonprofits reach their goals.

Prior to this, in her role as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at Search, Inc. in Chicago, Donna successfully managed diverse responsibilities. These included program improvement planning, outcomes measurement and management, quality assurance, human resources, safety systems, facility management, and the delivery of vocational, residential, medical, and behavioral services. Her operational expertise was complemented by a thorough understanding of state and federal regulations governing community-based services for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Additionally, since 1998, Donna has served as a surveyor for the Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). In this role, she has traveled across the U.S. and Canada to consult on best practices in nonprofit management and service delivery for individuals with disabilities.

As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Donna combines practical experience with proven methodologies to deliver sustainable results. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work with dual majors in social work and psychology from Western Michigan University and a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from DePaul University.

Q&A with Donna (March 2025)

  • What inspired you to join Mission + Strategy, and what do you find most compelling about our mission to ignite community transformation through collaboration?

    This one is tough for me because I’ve been a part of the Search/Keystone team for 27 years and was just asked to assist on a couple of M+S projects within the past year, rather than ‘deciding to join.’ 😊

    I would say that I’m impressed with how M+S approaches each engagement in a highly customized way; exploring what each prospective client is requesting and building the team of professionals who can best deliver the results.

  • With over 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, what is one key lesson you’ve learned about overcoming operational inefficiencies, and how can nonprofits apply this to strengthen their impact?

    One of the biggest roadblocks to efficiency that I see frequently is the lack of documented processes. Knowledge management and knowledge sharing might sound like extra bureaucracy, but nonprofit leaders should think of them as essential. The way work gets done is a key organizational asset—if it only exists in a few people’s heads, that’s a huge risk. Plus, when processes aren’t written down, training new employees becomes harder, and the quality of work can suffer because people have to track down coworkers for answers instead of having the information at their fingertips.

    As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to regularly review how well your processes and tools are documented. Ask yourself: Are our procedures written down? Are they regularly updated? Are they easy for employees to find in different formats? And are we using technology in ways that make sense for us?

    A great first step is simply outlining what needs to be documented, perhaps by department or program. Providing a standard template can make the process easier, and setting a realistic timeline—maybe a year or more—helps ensure the work gets done without overwhelming your team.

  • As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), how do you integrate project management best practices into nonprofit environments? What is the direct impact on organizations?

    Project management tools and techniques aren’t just for big construction or tech projects—they can be simple, flexible, and a great way for nonprofits to keep their projects on track.

    Nonprofit organizations routinely juggle a variety of different projects, from planning events and launching new programs to expanding sites and working toward strategic goals. The challenge is that these projects often rely on the same people and resources that keep daily operations running, which is why having an organized system in place makes such a difference.

    If a nonprofit leader is unsure where to start with project management tools and techniques, the best approach is to focus on three key areas: planning, resources, and communication.

    - Planning – Start by defining the project. Why is it important? What’s the goal? Then, breaking it down into detailed steps helps set realistic timelines and allocate resources effectively. A little extra time spent planning upfront will save a lot of headaches during implementation.

    - Resources – One of the most common project pitfalls is underestimating how many people and how much time a project will actually require. When that happens, the timeline or scope usually takes a hit. Being realistic about resource needs from the start can help avoid unnecessary delays.

    - Communication – A project manager’s job isn’t to prevent changes to the project plan—it’s to anticipate them and keep everyone in the loop when they happen. Clear and consistent communication makes adjustments smoother and helps keep the project on track.

    By keeping these three elements in mind, organizations can take a simple but effective approach to managing projects more successfully.

Together, we are stronger.

Ready to strike a balance between your mission and business strategies?