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About Us
Creative Capacity, LLC (formerly Consulting for Nonprofits) was founded in 2002 by Allison Trimarco to collaborate with nonprofit organizations of all types to increase their management capacity. All of our consulting engagements are designed and led by Allison, who brings 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to her work.
About Allison Trimarco, Principal
Prior to beginning her consulting practice, Allison worked for a wide range of nonprofit organizations, primarily in the arts and in youth service and development. She served as the Managing Director for Scrap Mettle SOUL Performance in Chicago, increasing its ticket sales by 75% and its organizational budget by 40% during her tenure. She also managed programs and public relations for one of the largest public libraries in Illinois, participating in a successful $20 million dollar bond campaign that funded a complete renovation of the library. Other professional experience includes work in public television and regional theatre.
She is an affiliated consultant and trainer with The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, where she has handled fundraising and strategic planning projects for arts, education, and social service organizations. Allison has conducted management seminars for organizations ranging from the national (Grantmakers in the Arts), to the regional (Theatre Alliance of Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, The Nonprofit Center), and the very local (schools, libraries, and community-based nonprofits). She is also an adjunct professor in Drexel University's online arts administration graduate program.
Several projects of note include a 2009 planning process for PlayPenn, a national new play development organization, that developed an effective business model based on their mission and values; a 2008 research assessment that outlined strategies for improving the effectiveness of small nonprofit arts boards, funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Building Arts Participation program; a 2008 plan for building greater private sector support for South Jersey arts and culture organizations, developed in conjunction with the South Jersey Cultural Alliance; and a 2007 strategic plan for Philadelphia’s Attic Youth Center that provided a road map for a transition from a grassroots organization to a stable institution.
Allison earned her Master’s degree in Arts Management with highest distinction at Carnegie Mellon University, and her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre cum laude at Smith College. Her Master’s thesis explored organizational development strategies in small, volunteer-led arts organizations. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband, actor and playwright David Lee White, and their son Nicholas.
