Vanessa Bright, MBA, LMSW, is the founder and executive director of Maryland Reentry Resource Center, a nonprofit that provides support services to individuals returning from incarceration.
“We are very passionate about our mission. We really want to help our clients. We don’t do things just to check off a box, we actually try to meet them where they are and figure out what they need and want,” she shares.
Throughout her career, Vanessa worked for other nonprofits and public and private sector companies. She was inspired to launch the Maryland Reentry Resource Center in 2019 after working as a community educator teaching financial literacy and entrepreneurship in a women’s prison.
“The vision to build a nonprofit that provides support services for them once they come out, also with social enterprise attached, was born during that time,” she explains.
Helping Others Reach Their Potential
Vanessa has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and feels strongly about helping others.
“I really like the nonprofit world, I like helping people reach their potential,” she shares. “I finally found my passion and my calling.”
Vanessa is dedicated to providing the support formerly incarcerated people need as they transition back to life in their communities. She developed a workbook to help people who are incarcerated with goal setting, financial literacy, character development, entrepreneurship, and career readiness.
“I like to see people reach their potential,” she says. “People start to get it, start to change their way of thinking, and realize they can have more in life, they just need to work a little harder.”
While she loves her work and solving problems, it can be challenging to finance a nonprofit. However, Vanessa and her team started a for-profit green infrastructure maintenance company that teaches landscaping and helps people find jobs in the field.
“We created a company so that we can provide those jobs, as well as have money come into the organization,” she adds.
Nonprofit Work is Rewarding, But Not For the Faint of Heart
Vanessa knows she found her life’s calling in nonprofit work. She believes that future nonprofit leaders need to reflect on why they want to enter this field.
“It’s not for the faint of heart. You have to really know your why,” she says.
Her advice to anyone entering the nonprofit space is to remember that these organizations need to run like a business.
“The difference is the social mission, and the IRS designation is very clear on that distinction, but it still needs to function like a business. You still need to have more revenue coming in than going out, and have all your processes in place and separate your accounts,” she explains.
However, once you understand how to operate a nonprofit, having a job with a social impact can be extremely rewarding. Vanessa’s own son has been inspired to give back after seeing his mother dedicate her life to helping others.
“The biggest compliment I could have ever received is that my son is following in my footsteps of service to others. He works at a Boys and Girls Club and he’s so passionate about really changing their lives and making a difference,” she shares.