Susan Kenny Stevens

Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute is an expanding community of nonprofits, funders and consultants driving organizational capacity in the nonprofit sector to build stronger communities. Strong Nonprofits. Stronger Communities.

The Institute is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has affiliate markets in Syracuse, N.Y.; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Regina, Saskatchewan. In these bi-national markets, we work locally with private foundations and government funders interested in strengthening the business model and operating capacity of important grantee partners. 

Locally, the Institute designed and manages the ATLAS and Agile programs for the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. In six years, these two programs have invested more than $5 million in the capacity of 30-plus Valley nonprofits. The Institute has a two-year partnership with the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits to help member agencies throughout Arizona assess their lifecycle stage and challenges, then determine how best to address them. 

In each of our four markets, we work through Institute-trained local consultants, providing professional development, certification and a much-needed affiliation mechanism to connect consultants with local and national peers.

Our programs are based on the principles from Dr. Stevens’ award-winning book, Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity. Lifecycle principles meet nonprofits “where they are” and strengthen their ability to accomplish mission and programs. The Institute and our affiliates are actively developing a series of capacity ecosystems across North America, weaving together the nonprofit, funder and consultant communities.

Susan Kenny Stevens founded the Institute in 2015 as a legacy effort to pass on the lifecycles capacity approach to future generations. Since then, the Institute has trained several hundred nonprofit executives, board members, consultants and funders throughout the United States and Canada on the important relationship between operating capacity and mission delivery. 

Susan Kenny Stevens holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior. She founded The Stevens Group, a boutique nonprofit consulting firm, in the late 1980s in St. Paul, Minn., sold that firm to Larson Allen (now Clifton Larson Allen) in 1998, and then led CLA’s Nonprofit and Government Group for 10 years before moving to the Valley in 2014 and founding the Institute.

Special thanks to InMedia for this much-appreciated award, and to the Phoenix nonprofit and philanthropic community for your generous welcome. Together, we are building a healthy ecosystem in the Valley for nonprofits and the millions of residents who need them. Strong Nonprofits. Stronger Communities. 

Company Name: Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute
Main Office Address: 24437 N. 72nd Way, Suite 300, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Phone: (480) 808-9237
Website: www.nonprofitlifecycles.com
Number of Locations in Metro Phoenix: 1
Number of Employees:1
City Nationally Headquartered: Scottsdale, Ariz., with affiliates in Syracuse, N.Y.; Vancouver, B.C.; and Regina, Saskatchewan
No. of Years with Firm: 3
Year Established Locally: 3
Specialties/Services: Professional Development and Certification for Nonprofit Consultants, Lifecycle Capacity Assessments for Nonprofits, Capacity Investment Advisory Services for Foundations, Specialty Consulting and Transition Planning for Nonprofit Founders