September, 2024
Scott Gelzer relocated to the Driftless area during the early days of the pandemic and joined The Works in 2022. He likes to say he’s in “semi-retired” phase and loves living in the area. Raised in a small-town Michigan business family, part of his story involves managing retail, service and investment real estate businesses. His story’s central theme is his dedication to charitable organizations. His principal crafts are consulting, training and coaching. In 2023 he partnered with The Works to lead a six-week Proposal Writing Studio that helped eight area charitable organizations improve proposal writing and fundraising. Participants gave the Studio high marks and most reported specific improvements in their fundraising.
He engages with The Works as a combination of learning and service. Learning fuels his own growth and service is a means to help Driftless nonprofit leaders improve their organizations. He also recently partnered with the Works on a business planning seminar for nonprofits.
He led nonprofit organizations in MI, IL and WI. His last full-time job was the Executive Director of a Milwaukee-area foundation awarding $1.5 million in grants each year. Prior to that he was a management consultant, trainer and coach for organizations throughout the upper Midwest. He’s been a nonprofit Board President on multiple occasions and offers a consistently sold-out seminar for nonprofit Board Presidents. The 2025 calendar for the seminar is currently being created.
His personal pro bono service and giving targets mental health and the arts, both causes a tribute to family members. He presently serves on the Board of the Crawford County Community Fund, the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin and on the capacity-building grants committee of the La Crosse Area Community Foundation.
Scott has a Master’s in Urban Policy and Planning and a Bachelor’s in Anthropology. He has taught dozens of University and community training courses. We have come to greatly appreciate all he does for our communities on both sides of the Mississippi!
You can connect with Scott on his LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-gelzer-49244621/ or by email nonprofitventuresnext@gmail.com
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