Sam Woollard is passionate about connecting the business community with the nonprofit community so that they can effectively work together to address community challenges. For the last 30 years Sam has worked with nonprofits, foundations, businesses and government entities facilitating strategic planning, conducting project management, and leading community conversations. She is constantly amazed at the creativity and problem solving that can occur when individuals and organizations take the time to get to know each other and create a common language and shared understanding of desired outcomes. Sam grew up in a family that did not have many financial resources but had a strong commitment to each other and serving the community. Her mom was a youth leader who often brought home young people who were having a difficult time. Hearing their stories led Sam to understand how fortunate she was to have such support in her life. Her mom's compassion and commitment to serving the community has had a lifelong impact in the choices she has made with her career. After graduating with a degree in social work, she initially set out on a direct client service track but quickly learned that her strengths lay in administration and connecting different parts of the social services system. Throughout her many years of working in the social services sector, she became increasingly aware of the lack of connection and understanding between the business and nonprofit sectors and sought to figure out a way to connect the two. Her work with Successful Giving allows her to do just that. Sam was born in England and moved to the United States when she was fourteen. She is grateful that philanthropy was at the forefront of her childhood and thankful that every day she gets to work with people who want to make the world a better place.
