For more than 15 years, Nonprofit Montgomery has served as a buttress for Montgomery County’s nonprofit sector, helping organizations build capacity, strengthen connections, and advocate for the communities they serve. Today, as nonprofits navigate tighter budgets, delayed funding, rising demand, and a shifting public landscape, that role is more important than ever.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Brigid Howe, Nonprofit Montgomery is focused on helping organizations do what they do best: deliver on their missions. That means improving internal systems, reducing administrative friction, and creating opportunities for nonprofits to learn from one another. “We’re all about operational efficiency,” Howe said. “We’re trying to create excellence across the board so that organizations can run more efficiently and focus more on their missions.”
Strengthening the Whole Ecosystem
For Howe, operational efficiency is not only an organizational issue. It is also an ecosystem issue. Montgomery County is home to many nonprofits working on overlapping and complementary needs. When those organizations understand one another’s strengths, they can coordinate more effectively, avoid duplication, and create a stronger network of support for residents. “No one organization can do everything,” Howe said. “That’s why networking and being linked up is so critical.”
That philosophy is behind Nonprofit Montgomery’s convenings, including Power Hour gatherings and ice cream socials. While these events may look informal on the surface, their purpose is strategic: to bring people together, spark conversation, and build the trust that makes collaboration possible.
A Partnership Built on Complementary Strengths
The relationship between Nonprofit Montgomery and the Primary Care Coalition is one example of how trust, shared values, and complementary expertise can lead to meaningful impact.
Howe first connected with PCC COO Hillary Tsumba over a decade ago. Over time and through leadership changes at both organizations, their shared interest in strengthening systems grew into an organizational partnership. PCC brought deep expertise in data collection, analysis, and data insightfulness. Nonprofit Montgomery brought strength in operations, convening, and nonprofit capacity building. “We almost fit hand in glove with each other,” Howe said. “PCC is an expert when it comes to data analysis, data collection, and data review. We’re really good at operations.”
Together, the organizations have worked at the intersection of data, operations, and systems change. Their collaboration around Montgomery County’s Nonprofit Resilience Center Strategic Planning funding is one example. By partnering on each other’s strategic projects, they are able to extend the reach and impact of the funding beyond what either could achieve alone.
Reducing Friction and Building Capacity
Nonprofit Montgomery is also working directly with county leaders to improve the systems nonprofits rely on. One recent effort brought together nonprofit leaders and county representatives to examine the county’s administrative processes around contracting. The goal was practical and urgent: identify the friction points that slow organizations down and begin designing ways to reduce them.
The organization is also reframing its FIRM Financial Management Institute as part of a broader effort to build countywide nonprofit competencies. That work includes talent development, referrals, peer learning, and practical tools that help organizations strengthen their internal infrastructure.
At the same time, Nonprofit Montgomery continues to engage county leaders and candidates so they understand the issues facing the sector. By elevating nonprofit voices before and after elections, the organization helps ensure that policymakers are better prepared to respond to community needs.
What Partnership Makes Possible
For PCC, the partnership with Nonprofit Montgomery reflects a larger truth about systems change: progress happens when organizations bring their strongest assets to the table and commit to shared solutions. “The relationship we’ve had with PCC has been extraordinary,” Howe said. “I hope it is an example of the type of relationship you can develop, and how meaningful it can be when two organizations bring both heart and talent to the work.”
As Montgomery County’s nonprofit sector faces a new era of challenges and opportunities, partnerships like this one show what is possible. With strong data, effective operations, trusted relationships, and a shared commitment to community well-being, organizations can do more than adapt to change. They can shape a stronger future together.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Brigid Howe, Nonprofit Montgomery is focused on helping organizations do what they do best: deliver on their missions. That means improving internal systems, reducing administrative friction, and creating opportunities for nonprofits to learn from one another. “We’re all about operational efficiency,” Howe said. “We’re trying to create excellence across the board so that organizations can run more efficiently and focus more on their missions.”
Strengthening the Whole Ecosystem
For Howe, operational efficiency is not only an organizational issue. It is also an ecosystem issue. Montgomery County is home to many nonprofits working on overlapping and complementary needs. When those organizations understand one another’s strengths, they can coordinate more effectively, avoid duplication, and create a stronger network of support for residents. “No one organization can do everything,” Howe said. “That’s why networking and being linked up is so critical.”
That philosophy is behind Nonprofit Montgomery’s convenings, including Power Hour gatherings and ice cream socials. While these events may look informal on the surface, their purpose is strategic: to bring people together, spark conversation, and build the trust that makes collaboration possible.
A Partnership Built on Complementary Strengths
The relationship between Nonprofit Montgomery and the Primary Care Coalition is one example of how trust, shared values, and complementary expertise can lead to meaningful impact.
Howe first connected with PCC COO Hillary Tsumba over a decade ago. Over time and through leadership changes at both organizations, their shared interest in strengthening systems grew into an organizational partnership. PCC brought deep expertise in data collection, analysis, and data insightfulness. Nonprofit Montgomery brought strength in operations, convening, and nonprofit capacity building. “We almost fit hand in glove with each other,” Howe said. “PCC is an expert when it comes to data analysis, data collection, and data review. We’re really good at operations.”
Together, the organizations have worked at the intersection of data, operations, and systems change. Their collaboration around Montgomery County’s Nonprofit Resilience Center Strategic Planning funding is one example. By partnering on each other’s strategic projects, they are able to extend the reach and impact of the funding beyond what either could achieve alone.
Reducing Friction and Building Capacity
Nonprofit Montgomery is also working directly with county leaders to improve the systems nonprofits rely on. One recent effort brought together nonprofit leaders and county representatives to examine the county’s administrative processes around contracting. The goal was practical and urgent: identify the friction points that slow organizations down and begin designing ways to reduce them.
The organization is also reframing its FIRM Financial Management Institute as part of a broader effort to build countywide nonprofit competencies. That work includes talent development, referrals, peer learning, and practical tools that help organizations strengthen their internal infrastructure.
At the same time, Nonprofit Montgomery continues to engage county leaders and candidates so they understand the issues facing the sector. By elevating nonprofit voices before and after elections, the organization helps ensure that policymakers are better prepared to respond to community needs.
What Partnership Makes Possible
For PCC, the partnership with Nonprofit Montgomery reflects a larger truth about systems change: progress happens when organizations bring their strongest assets to the table and commit to shared solutions. “The relationship we’ve had with PCC has been extraordinary,” Howe said. “I hope it is an example of the type of relationship you can develop, and how meaningful it can be when two organizations bring both heart and talent to the work.”
As Montgomery County’s nonprofit sector faces a new era of challenges and opportunities, partnerships like this one show what is possible. With strong data, effective operations, trusted relationships, and a shared commitment to community well-being, organizations can do more than adapt to change. They can shape a stronger future together.
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