Testimonials

Our organization, the Surge Institute, enlisted Mark and the Spacebar Projects team to conduct research and make recommendations as we approach expansion. The research we needed is in an area where we had neither capacity nor expertise. Mark’s professional wheelhouse aligned perfectly with what we needed, and the documents and presentation he produced led to great conversations with our board that led to confirming our expansion strategy. Mark was on task, on time, and on budget, but he was also on target for what we needed, and helped us see beyond our initial challenge. I look forward to working with Mark and team again.

Connie Casson, COO, Surge Institute

Mark was a top-notch strategist, networker, and advisor as Global Citizen Year launched our new partnership with Chicago Public Schools and began building a local community of donors and champions. He is an extremely quick study; within weeks, we all felt like he had been part of the team for years! Mark is also incredibly skilled at cultivating relationships and partnerships, thanks to an extremely rare combination of personality, patience and persistence. Mark is able to gracefully juggle multiple tasks and shares his expertise with humility and a sense of humor. Best of all, he is 100% motivated by mission (not ego) and will always keep student success as his bottom line.

Linda Frey, VP of Strategic Partnerships, Global Citizen Year

Yesterday, Modos was a finalist in the Englewood Quality of Life Business Plan competition. We are proud to share with you that we won the top award, $10,000 through Teamworks Englewood. We want to say THANK YOU for helping us think through Modos using your Continuum Exercise because we were able to come into the room confidently and discuss present and future partnerships, connect with the community, and provide financial facts.

Jessica Newman, MODOS co-founder

In regards to your Continuum Exercise, I was impressed with how effectively you moved everyone along. You are an absolute master of your craft.  In 3 hours, you achieved what would have taken us days to accomplish. I especially enjoyed the open, non-judgmental atmosphere where you helped identify the language most appropriate for the needs of different donors.  You had the depth of experience to guide the group through a deliberate process, compiling, organizing and rephrasing while taking every suggestion seriously until the goal was reached. I enjoyed every minute. It was an exceptionally valuable experience. Thank you again.

Lucinda Vriner, Board Member, Ignition Community Glass

Coming off a major rebrand for the Shriver Center, we needed a compelling communications piece to lay out our new brand positioning and personality. Mark internalized our new messaging platform and brought to life a sharp, cohesive narrative that speaks to uncomfortable truths about poverty and racial inequity in our country. He’s a great listener and strategic thinker and a wonderful partner and bridge between our internal teams and creative lead. We are excited for our new voice through his work!

Ambar Mentor-Truppa, Vice President of Communications, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Our organization decided that it made sense to merge with another similar organization but we weren’t sure where to start. Hiring Mark was the best decision we could’ve made! Mark helped us think through all of the questions we didn’t even know we needed to answer. He is thoughtful, strategic, and kept us on task and organized. I don’t know if the merger could’ve happened without him and it certainly would not have been as easy or seamless. Mark’s contributions were innumerable and we can’t recommend him enough.

Rikki Ray, Director of Development, Camp for All Kids

Our organization called on Mark from Spacebar Projects for assistance in communicating the importance of our work. We were extremely impressed with how connected our group felt through a virtual session (during COVID-19 quarantine) and how the session flowed so smoothly. Mark effectively used technology to highlight the opinions and suggestions of our group, and masterfully rephrased our thoughts in a way that would resonate with funders. We walked away with an improved communication template that creatively conveyed the inspiration, the need, and the solutions our organization provides. We look forward to approaching new funding opportunities with clear and compelling messaging.

Kelley Francis, Executive Director, Calculated Genius, Inc.

Mark facilitated the pandemic-delayed annual leadership retreat of our board and senior staff. Supposed to happen in April, delayed six months to October. Mark worked with us throughout the delay, when the whole world was on fire, continuing to be a true thought partner during a tough time. Then he facilitated a great retreat that didn’t look at all like what we had planned to do in April. He made it all work, like it was the most natural thing in the world to throw out one plan and create a whole new one because, well, COVID!

Mark is a joy to work with, because he is thoughtful and thought provoking. He has been a key leader in nonprofits and had to think through the same sorts of strategic choices I, as Executive Director, am thinking through. He gets it. And when he commits to doing something, he is all-in! He led the way to redesign our whole retreat due to COVID’s many disruptions to our business, then partnered with me to get our entire senior staff and board ready and excited to be coming together to think about the future again. I don’t know that anyone ever facilitated a three hour Zoom retreat pre-COVID, but he just went with it and our entire board stayed with him the entire three hours. Not one person dropped off mid-retreat. Breakout rooms and 20-person sharing – it all went great!

Karl Androes, Executive Director, Reading In Motion

Mark has been an exceptional asset to our organization during a time of transition and strategic growth. Over two sequential six month engagements, Mark has supported our development and org-wide efforts at the tactical and strategic levels, and has shown a keen understanding of how the day-to-day tools and processes power long term success.

Dan Futrell, CEO, The Pat Tillman Foundation