Melissa J. Pond: A 15-Year Track Record of Nonprofit & Government Leadership

Melissa J. Pond brings over 15 years of dedicated service to the nonprofit sector. Armed with a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University, she has held roles such as Federal Grant Manager, Grant Reviewer for United Way and local hospital Community Benefits funds, and has served on the advisory or executive boards of more than 15 nonprofits. Additionally, Melissa is an AmeriCorps alumna, further showcasing her commitment to community service.

Career Accomplishments:
☛ Organized and managed $895k over four years to support municipal programming for communications access for persons with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency, as well as the municipality's first ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan. In December 2021, this project was recognized with the Social Advocacy Award from the American Planning Association Massachusetts Chapter.
☛ Developed and taught a nonprofit leadership course for her alma mater and taught more than a dozen courses in four subjects online for accredited colleges and universities.
☛ Recognized by the Massachusetts State Senate in 2015 and 2014 with official citations for community service and leadership.

In 2022, she launched Melissa J Pond LLC to catalyze community advancement through strategic planning, expert grant-writing, and effective communications, fostering sustainable impact and growth.

Agency Accomplishments:
☛ Created an affordable, high-impact grant-seeking signature package that includes mission and vision statements with effective formulas, a theory of change framework, stakeholder mapping, data resources, grant research, and draft narratives.
☛ Identified and drafted applications and strategies for $1 million grant funding for a recreational, historic site in Abington.
☛ Developed a winning proposal to develop a leadership training program for a leading national community development professional association.
☛ Assisted small business clients in obtaining a total of $37,000 in grants
☛ Self-published seven books through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

☛ Provided thought leadership on strategic impact across regional, state, and national platforms through quotes, blogs, magazine articles, as well as engaging in both in-person and virtual presentations