FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL - JASON CLARK,  MPA

Jason brings over 25 years of experience in program management, development/fundraising, evaluation, volunteering and serving on board of directors with various nonprofit organizations. With an undergraduate degree in marketing from The Pennsylvania State University and a masters in public administration from Villanova University, he combines a unique mix of for-profit business and the nonprofit/governance knowledge to inform his perspective in organizational success. 

As a Philadelphia area native, he began his journey in the African-American church, serving in many volunteer capacities including the trustee and scholarship & endowment ministries. Feeling an innate calling to serve those in need, he turned down numerous more lucrative opportunities in the private sector, and decided to volunteer and eventually gain employment with nonprofit organizations.

The first professional experience that shaped him was working with the organization Baptist Children's Services.  He began as a volunteer and through the company recognizing his passion and skill, was offered employment as an Outreach Coordinator for their Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. The program was in danger of being eliminated due to compliance issues, but Jason saw this as his direct calling and not only removed the program from high risk status, but transformed it into an award winning program, with the capstone of him winning the Youth Worker of the Year Award given by the Mid-Atlantic Network for Youth. Within the organization, he rose from the outreach coordinator, to eventually become the director of the entire program, being the youngest director in the organization’s history; more than tripling the size and budget of the program. This was when he knew he was “where he belonged”, linking his personal passions with his profession through the application of more traditional business related strategies to be successful in the nonprofit space.

 While obtaining these experiences, he realized that many of the organizations that serve minorities did not have minorities in key leadership positions.  Additionally, minority led and religious based organizations faced unique barriers that many of their service counterparts did not have to endure, thus adjusting their ability to maximize their impact.  This became a passion for Jason, and while he maintained full-time employment at the executive level for program management and development at various larger organizations, he also acted as an independent contractor, specializing in smaller nonprofits, those led by and who served minority communities, religious institutions, as well as reviewed and wrote grants for various organizations (maintaining a 92% success rate for over 175 grants written).  

While being on the fast track to continue in executive leadership at large nonprofit organizations, Jason felt a calling towards more. “Sometimes, real change is about being uncomfortable and taking some risks”, Jason said as he laid the foundations of creating MyIdeaCompass. With much of the social unrest in the world, the varying levels of government consistency/support and the growing numbers of failing businesses and nonprofit organizations that are disproportionately overrepresented by organizations that are founded by or service minorities, Jason felt “The time is now.” His vision is to partner with the community, not profit from it. His hopes are to offer elite services to communities and organizations that may not have access to such services and information.  Ensuring that free services, integrity, honor and transparency are a key part of the mission and service model.