The executive director of LGBT grantmaking organization Delaware Valley Legacy Fund will leave his post later this month to take a position with another local LGBT group.
Perry Monastero, who has helmed DVLF for the past five years, will step down Oct. 23 and, the following week, start as the director of development and marketing for LGBT health clinic the Mazzoni Center.
Monastero said he hadn’t been seeking a new position, but was presented with the opportunity by Mazzoni executive director Nurit Shein.
“I really wasn’t looking for a job, but Nurit spoke to me about the position a bit ago and I was initially interested and I gave it some more thought, and it seemed like a great opportunity,” he said.
Mazzoni began searching for someone to fill the position when current director of development and marketing Darrell Young announced that he would be relocating to the West Coast.
Monastero said, in describing the position, Shein detailed the new direction in which she was hoping to take the Mazzoni Center and how he could play a role in that progress.
“Nurit was telling me how she wants to take the organization to the next level and wants to really build the organization beyond what it’s already been able to accomplish,” Monastero said. “I was excited for that opportunity. She’s not just resting on her laurels but is thinking of how to make this organization bigger and better for the community, which I think is really exciting. I’m thrilled to be able to work with Nurit and her entire team at the Mazzoni Center.”
Shein said Mazzoni has spent much of the past decade trying to “repair its community relations,” which she said took a hit while the organization was under the direction of previous administrators. She said she thinks the organization has regained a good deal of trust from the local community and can now focus on other organizational goals, like expanded fundraising.
“Now is the time to capitalize on the regained trust and to move on to the next level,” Shein said. “We want to be able to bring in more dollars from corporate partnerships, and I don’t think we’ve done enough in the area of planned giving and multiple-year pledges and really cultivating individual donors to a different level of giving.”
Shein believes Monastero’s work with DVLF and his strong ties to the local LGBT and philanthropic communities will make him “well-poised” to work in these areas.
“In the five years he’s been at DVLF I’ve gotten to know him, and he’s a person of integrity who’s very capable, very thorough and has really worked to get to know the community and have the community get to know him,” she said. “He is totally dedicated to the mission of raising funds for LGBT services in the Philadelphia region and has been able to forge personal and organization connections that are really astounding. I thought he would be a wonderful addition to Mazzoni as we are a growing, mid-size organization and need that level of expertise and that level of dedication. I really admire the work he’s done with DVLF and how he brought the organization to where it is today.”
Mark Mitchell, vice president of the board of directors at DVLF, said that during his time there, Monastero heightened awareness among local residents about the importance of investing in the future of the community.
“He’s bridged the gap with the community as far as it comes to education about grantmaking and scholarships and how important it is to work with and collaborate with other organizations,” Mitchell said.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].