Testimonials

In my search for the right nonprofit for board service, Marta Ferro guided me in identifying my passion, alerted me to amazing nonprofits in the space in which I wanted to serve, pitched me to the board chair with all of the grace and intelligence for which she is known, and ultimately set me on a glide path to a seat on the board where I most wanted to serve.  Marta and Starfish are shamans of the philanthropic world – connected, respected, and genuine forces of good.  I would not be where I am without them.

Marta connected me with one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of my life when she recruited me to be part of the board at the Center for Biological Diversity. In 2010, the organization was looking for a Board Treasurer with nonprofit experience as well as accounting qualifications.  Marta is aware of my commitment to the animal rights/animal advocacy movements and thought that my interests, plus my accounting qualifications, might make me a good fit for the CBD.  I interviewed with the organization that spring, was invited on to their Board, and have been working with them ever since.

Marta changed my life for the better by understanding my philanthropic goals and introducing me to an organization that was the ideal fit for me.  I wanted to get involved with improving public education in the inner city and didn’t know how to go about it.  Marta introduced me to KIPP LA Prep, a charter school in East Los Angeles.  She helped me get involved and eventually join the board.  Shortly after joining the board, we expanded our goals to impact public education in Los Angeles and formed a regional KIPP Los Angeles board where I was one of four founding members.  Our board and team has raised millions of dollars in private donations and now we have 11 schools serving over 4,000 students, including the best performing public elementary school in Los Angeles.  I am proud to say that we are widely recognized as being the top performing charter organization.  While I cannot take credit for the amazing achievements made by KIPP, Marta can certainly take credit for helping me find a meaningful way to give back which has had a positive impact on my life.

We hired Starfish Impact to create an intensive board self-evaluation process with our organization including creating a customized, in-depth evaluation survey along with a one-on-one interview protocol, all while coaching the board chair and leadership on managing an ongoing program.  We wanted to create an intentional, inclusive experience for our board, allowing members to have a voice through multiple channels.  The results were extremely helpful in codifying this type of exercise, our board culture, strengthening our board’s leadership and ensuring we meet our organization’s goals.

Marta has been a longstanding Partner in the Social Venture Partners Los Angeles community, playing roles from Board Member to Fast Pitch Investment committee team, CNN Heroes coach and LA2050 application reviewer, to Fast Pitch Co-Host in 2019. Her fundraising and strategic leadership in the event co-chair role were critical to the success of our event, as well as broadening our network of funders, presenters, and attendees. Marta has travelled to multiple SVP International conferences, and she joined our first cohort of Anti-Racism for White People: Walking the Walk as well as our trip to Montgomery, Alabama to visit the Equal Justice Initiative and take a deeper dive into anti-racism work.  Marta is a life-long learner, and I would highly recommend her as a partner in any initiative she is dedicated to and passionate about. I love knowing that her involvement with SVPLA inspired her to start two other giving circles including Angeles Art Fund, focused on the intersection of social justice and fine arts.

We hired Starfish Impact in early March 2020 to facilitate a development and growth strategic plan.  Not knowing what the next months would be like, we decided to push forward and use the early days of the pandemic to thoughtfully plan and drive our organization forward.  With the steady and professional guidance of Julie and Marta, and with 15 years of virtual consulting under their belts already, we emerged at the end of the summer with a beautifully executed deliverable that propelled us forward on the successful path we have forged in the past year. THANK YOU for helping us assess our current situation through your outside and expert perspective, research our landscape, and equip us with the tools we needed to create our desired national program expansion and fundraising plans.

Starfish created a comprehensive strategic development plan for us, guiding our staff and board leadership through the process.  They gave us a new lens through which to view our organization and helped us set specific goals and a plan to reach them.  We then engaged Starfish as our grants program manager and are very pleased with their ability to get and keep us grant ready, and organized in our fundraising.  Starfish manages research, writing, submissions and reporting as well as provides an expert understanding and relationships in the field.

We hired Starfish Impact with a tight window of opportunity to plan and facilitate our board retreat. Focused on a deep dive into thoughtful and strategic board recruitment, growth and diversification, Marta and Julie delivered professionally and expertly in a sprint mode, resulting in board and staff leadership consensus around why and who we wanted to add to the team. They also provided us with a number of tools and an action plan to execute.  Their ability to manage multiple perspectives and create an inclusive, safe environment was highly appreciated.  I would highly recommend Starfish as a strategic thought partner, researcher and facilitator when it comes to board governance, growth and development.

I hired Starfish Impact to plan and facilitate our board retreat with a focus on defining our goals for brand and fund development, and moving us in a strategic planning direction towards achieving them.  Within a tight timeline, Jen and Marta planned and facilitated a half-day retreat resulting in our team walking away with a concrete understanding of mutual priorities and goals, and the thinking to propel us forward.  Plus, we bonded as a team in new ways thanks to Starfish’s creative execution.

Starfish not only developed a strategy for us but also stayed on board to manage the initial execution of the plan.  The team was also very available to advise around other issues and connected us to additional resources outside the scope of their work.  As a result, our business operations and development efforts have been improved and further, the lives of our women and children have been directly impacted through generous in kind donations.  Getting involved in #SupportingOurSector was one highlight that allowed us to engage our support base in a new, creative and valuable way, and positively affected our bottom line at the end of the year.  I can highly recommend the Starfish team if you need additional support, resources and expertise as well as a team that will also understand and care about the human side of your mission.

I really appreciate Starfish Impact and Julie’s work with Kitchens For Good.  Because of your efforts we are in a strong place with our grants management program and ready to fly on our own.  The systems, processes, research and master grant proposal foundation, as well as grants won, have set us up for continued success.  We are grateful for the expertise and guidance you have provided, and Julie is a true pleasure to work with.

It has been a great pleasure working with the Starfish Impact team in helping to create the 3 year strategy plan for LIFT-LA.  They provided great amount of expertise, tools, and insight that helped to engage all levels of our organization in the process- our program constituents, external stakeholders, board members, and staff.  Their framework is structured enough to allow for important formative conversations to happen, that probably would not have happened otherwise, but also flexible enough to be responsive to our particular needs.  For instance, on request, they presented at several board meetings along the way to introduce and give updates on the process.  LIFT-LA has been in good hands with this group—a professional, fun, creative, resourceful, patient and intelligent crew that have been a joy to work with in putting together what I know will be a dynamic growth plan for LIFT-LA.

New Horizons hired Starfish Impact to create a Major Gifts Strategic Plan for the first time in the organization’s 60 year history.  The team delivered a comprehensive narrative plan and numerous attachments providing a Major Gifts road map for New Horizons. We were so impressed we hired Starfish Impact again to execute the plan. Marta, Faye, and Adrienne are strategic additions to New Horizons and provide a unique compliment to our organization bringing an outside perspective to our organization. Starfish Impact’s team approach is a bonus as we get more than one talented brain working on our behalf.st

L.A. Kitchen is thrilled to work with Starfish Impact as we launch our dynamic new social business. Marta’s team is wildly professional and super connected, and we’ve seen immediate results since we began working with them. Many talk, few deliver….Starfish Impact delivers!!!

Marta and her team at Starfish Impact have taken our organization to a whole new level. Marta’s guidance and expertise have allowed our small, growing organization to establish solid roots and flourish. I feel like I can reach out to Marta for advice on anything…grant research and writing, board development, governance, and more. Since teaming up with Starfish Impact in late 2013, we have secured multiple grants, built solid relationships with foundations and developed a growing network of supporters throughout the community.  Our organization would not be where it is today without the invaluable support of Marta and her team!

Marta Ferro could be President of the United States. Every company, every non-profit, every project achieves greater success if Marta is handling the execution. I’ve been inside over 100 companies during my consulting career and no one handles details like she does. If Marta is involved results just show up; and failure, undoubtedly, is NOT an option.

I was the Chair of the Board of Directors for KIPP LA Prep, and we hired Marta to head up our Development efforts for the organization. She was brilliant in her approach to her work, as well as her execution. She quickly assessed the big strategic goals, and formulated a well thought through plan to attain those goals. What was particularly important to us was that her execution was impeccable. She regularly communicated to all stakeholders, and took full responsibility for project management and followed through on all details.

Marta delivered solid results which the entire Board was very pleased with. She was an absolute joy to work with and I would highly recommend her to both operating nonprofits as well as private and corporate foundations looking for operational consulting and leadership in their community impact investment strategies as well as due diligence management and execution. Marta has a strong business background and embodies integrity and a results oriented focus as well as is easy to work with. She approaches her clients in a team-oriented, open manner and works well with all types of people. I couldn’t recommend her more highly to any entity looking to create a lasting social impact on its community.

KIPP LA Prep began working with Starfish Impact in the spring of 2006. Marta worked with the School Leader to develop the business and development strength of our Board of Directors. Within nine months, our school elected four new members who have become pivotal to the advancement of the school. Ms. Ferro’s ability to connect nonprofits with key members of the business sector is unparalleled. In the spring of 2007 we decided to increase Ms. Ferro’s scope of services and contracted with her to fulfill all development and advancement services. In this time, Ms. Ferro has created a robust pipeline of funding opportunities.

She has helped develop the school’s relationships with prominent foundations. She launched a successful individual contributions campaign and designed and implemented three successful fundraising events, “Hoop It”, “Museum of KIPP Art (MOKA)”, and “KIPP LA Prep’s Annual Campaign Kick Off Party”. Ms. Ferro has helped KIPP LA Prep craft and identity the brand that positively impacted our ability to raise funds. She is a phenomenal asset to our school.

Marta’s leadership at Step Up has helped to grow the organization to higher levels over her leadership tenure with the organization. She joined the Board and immediately became a natural leader and trusted advisor to me and my team. Since Marta assumed the role of Los Angeles President, revenues have grown significantly, the Board has more than doubled its fundraising, our community programs are richer and impact an exponentially larger number of women and girls, we have a tiered membership fundraising strategy, and hired the first three staff within the Los Angeles chapter. Her leadership style is diplomatic and direct, and has allowed her to manage and work with the many type-A overachievers we luckily have on our all-volunteer Board and working Committees.

As a result of Marta and her team’s strategic and professional approach to their roles, the Los Angeles chapter continues to methodically set and then reach its goals. I have great respect for Marta in both the nonprofit as well as for-profit arenas. Marta is the kind of person that excels at everything she does. She gives everything over 100%. She is also an ethical and fair person, who is extremely thoughtful in her approach to all business endeavors. She is an asset to any team.

Starfish Impact has been a rock for me as I have taken my vision for Project Lyme and launched it into the world.  Julie and Marta have been with me since inception and have not only served as our development and governance advisors but also as one of my key business advisors and executors on all things Project Lyme including operations, programs, marketing, events, organization leadership and communications.   Nothing is too big or small to ask them to handle and I appreciate the confidentiality, trust and smarts that I get with the Starfish team.  

My company, Amalfi Estates, a residential brokerage on LA’s westside, had been giving back to the community for several  years, but we had no consistent philanthropic plan.  We hired Starfish to coordinate and fine-tune our charitable giving initiative. They put together a comprehensive business plan reflecting our company’s needs and narrowed our charitable giving from 30 charities to 5 core ones that each reflect a major category. In addition, they helped focus our efforts by suggesting we give 10% from each commission to one of our core 5 charities from which our clients choose.  I am thrilled with the results, and our clients are excited.  We have become one of the leading residential brokerages on the Westside through our charitable giving and have been fortunate to have helped thousands of families in the process.  We highly recommend Marta and her amazing team at Starfish.

I had the pleasure of meeting Marta through a mutual associate of ours in the non-profit world. She had come highly recommended and after working with her personally, I can understand why. She has the passion and drive to help her clients succeed in taking their non-profit organizations to the next level. She is truly a professional who understands the non-profit world and what needs to be done in order to flourish in it. I would highly recommend Marta and her services as she was not only a joy to work with but also brought results.

Our Foundation hired Starfish Impact to develop the first strategic plan in our history.  Although we have been very clear for decades around our giving priorities and operations, with generational shifts and new ideas emerging among our leadership, we felt the time was right to significantly plan for the future.  The Starfish team was thoughtfully put together with experts in the arts, social justice and next gen dynamics in order to match our needs.  And then they got to work—facilitating a series of workshops in order to hone our values, mission, vision, theory of change and goals. They also addressed professional development and continued education, Trustee development, legacy and big picture future decision making.

Starfish took sensitive and important themes and decisions, and helped us focus on them in a meaningful and exciting way.  We emerged from the process with an executable plan and have continued to consult with Marta around different inflection points including a new hire, a large grant relationship and decision, and bringing others along as future Trustees.  Further, we recently referred and funded a grantee to engage with Starfish on their own strategic planning process in order to build capacity including enhancing their growth and future operational success.  We value and trust the team and Marta’s leadership.

The Karen Toffler Charitable Trust was in start-up mode when we hired Starfish Impact to create a philanthropic strategic plan to guide our Executive Director and Trustees in the execution of our purpose. Their facilitation around uncovering and articulating our values, mission, vision, roles and an action plan forward was invaluable. The end result is that we are now impacting early-stage medical research that does not have typical access to funding, and at the same time we are deeply honoring the legacy of our founders, best-selling authors and futurists, Alvin and Heidi Toffler.  Further, Starfish Impact’s advisory and mentoring services ensured that our team was set up for success. We gain true meaning from our work and thank the entire Starfish team for all they did for us at such a critical juncture in our journey.

We hired Starfish Impact to work on a sprint project with us to execute a landscape analysis in one of our key funding areas, Breast Cancer.  They delivered exactly what we expected and wanted, and we were able to use the research to make informed decisions and plan for our future.  I would welcome working with the Starfish team again if the opportunity arises to utilize outside consultants.  Their acumen and professionalism is much appreciated.

Our organization hired Marta Ferro and Starfish Impact to lead our efforts to grow and diversify our already very talented, engaged, and dedicated group of board members, and the results far exceeded expectations.  On a faster than anticipated timeline, Marta and her team created a realistic and customized process for us and then executed a very thoughtful search targeting exactly what we were looking for individually as well as in the cohort we recently voted on the board.  Marta listened to us and based on her relationships and research, brought us stellar, great fit candidates, and guided us through the entire process.  Our organization and leadership are thrilled with the outcome and are confident we have a new group of members ready to devote their time, energy, and efforts to help move our team forward.