To the Lori’s Hands community,
Many of you know that Maggie Ratnayake joined the Lori’s Hands team as our first paid staff person in 2017 and that this was one of the most positively influential moments in our organization’s history. What you may not know is that it was a true leap of faith for Maggie. Maggie left a position with a long-standing nonprofit to lead our team when we had never before managed a large grant, processed a payroll, or written an HR policy. Up until that time, we were an entirely volunteer-led organization. Maggie was excited to expand on our mission and to build on what our group of founding volunteers had begun.
Over the last 6 years, Maggie has built the plane as she’s flown it — and she’s flown it with grace, efficiency, and an attitude that has made us all want to join her for the ride. She has led our team in expanding from one chapter to three, from one staff person to 5, from 42 clients served annually to more than 220, and from an annual operational budget of $79,000 to $519,000.
This spring, Maggie has decided to step down from her full-time role as Lori’s Hands’ Executive Director. We are thrilled, however, that she will be transitioning into a part-time Program Director role with Lori’s Hands to support us through this big change as we continue to build out our team. Lori’s Hands has outgrown the ability to have one person serving as our lead fundraiser, lead strategist, lead implementer, lead… everything! And Maggie would like to have the flexibility to spend more time with her young family in the coming years. We are launching a nationwide search for an Executive Director who will focus on expansion, fundraising, and overall visioning for the organization. This person could not be luckier to start in that role with the support of a person who knows and loves and excels at leading our program as Maggie does. Maggie’s note to our community with her reflections on this transition are included below.
Please join us in thanking Maggie for her years of leadership. And please share this job posting with the realistic dreamer in your life — the person who wants to pilot a now well-built, stably flying plane, and take our mission to new heights.
Sincerely,
Sarah LaFave
On behalf of the Lori’s Hands Board of Directors
Message from Maggie:
The past 6 years of my professional life have been rewarding, inspiring, and fruitful. When I joined Lori’s Hands in 2017, I was the organization’s first full time employee. We had a dedicated Board of Directors and team of student leaders who were overseeing our services to a few dozen clients in Newark, DE.
Since then, we’ve grown to a staff of 4 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. We’ve also engaged more than 1,200 student volunteers and provided ongoing assistance to more than 425 community members with chronic illness. We’ve opened two new locations, were awarded a federal grant for two consecutive years, have recently begun training others on how to implement intergenerational service learning programs, and so much more.
Simultaneously, I became a mom – a hope deferred that’s become one of the greatest joys of my life. Over the past few months, I have taken time to reflect on my personal and professional goals, as well as my hopes for Lori’s Hands. I believe whole-heartedly in the potential Lori’s Hands has to improve the lives of community members with chronic illness and to equip future health care professionals with a unique, and necessary, understanding of health and medicine. Lori’s Hands has experienced tremendous growth over the past 6 years, and I believe the organization is on the doorstep of incredible opportunity and potential for outsized impact nationwide. At the same time, my precious daughter is headed for kindergarten in the fall.
While I wish I had the capacity to be fully present and invested in both of these progressions, I’ve decided to step into a part-time role with Lori’s Hands, beginning this summer, to enable me to be more involved in my daughter’s day-to-day life and to open the door for a new leader to take Lori’s Hands to the next level of advancement. I am excited to serve as Lori’s Hands’ Program Director, overseeing elements of our operations, training, quality assurance, and program development.
I am incredibly grateful to the Lori’s Hands Board of Directors for their empathy, commitment, and ingenuity as we’ve made plans for these upcoming changes. It is a privilege to work with a Board whose dedication to their staff is such a high priority in carrying out our mission. I am also thankful for your support in making Lori’s Hands what it is today and what it has the potential to be in the future.
I am thrilled about what’s ahead for Lori’s Hands and would be grateful for your help in identifying our next Executive Director. Please consider sharing this posting within your circles, or even applying yourself.
Here’s to a year ahead that is filled with purpose and fulfillment.
Maggie
