One Year In: Why D’Eramo Creative Exists
One Role, Juggling Many Hats
One year ago, I made a decision that had been quietly forming for a long time.
I stepped away from a full-time role as a Marketing & Communications Director at an incredible and growing nonprofit in Naples, FL. Not because I stopped believing in the mission, but because I had spent years living the same reality I saw everywhere else: one title, all the hats.
If you’ve worked in the nonprofit world long enough, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
In nonprofit environments, those traits are often quietly relied upon. They make you dependable, the person people turn to and make it very easy to become the one who gets shit done.
After 15+ years in the NPO space, I wasn’t unfamiliar with this. I was fluent in it.
The Reality Behind the Title
Nonprofits are built on passion, purpose and people who care deeply about the work. But that passion often comes with an unspoken expectation that a small team can operate like a large one. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Marketing becomes development; Communications becomes operations; Strategy becomes execution and then follow-up, reporting, troubleshooting and training. Ahhh!
None of this is wrong and sadly, it’s often how the important work gets done. But over time, I began to see a pattern of unsustainable structure… Too much responsibility concentrated on too few people. Too many decisions waiting on one person’s desk.
Seeing the Gap
The turning point was clarity and a good bit of frustration if I’m being honest. I could see what needed to be done… not just for one organization, but across many. I also knew I could step in and move things forward without needing layers of onboarding or oversight.
That realization became the idea of D’Eramo Creative.
I didn’t want to replace internal teams. Rather, I wanted to support them.
To become the extra set of experienced hands a small team could lean on without the overhead of a full-time hire and without the expectation that one person should do it all.
The Octopus Approach
During my brand building process, the octopus became the perfect metaphor. One partner with many arms of support. 🐙
Strategy, communications, fundraising, systems, content with each arm ready to step in where it’s needed most. Flexible, responsive and grounded in experience.
This approach allows organizations to stay focused on their mission while knowing that the BTS work is moving forward with care + consistency.
Working Genius
When I later learned my Working Genius pairing, Enablement and Tenacity, it felt like someone had finally put words to how I’ve always worked.
Enablement is the joy of supporting others, removing obstacles and helping ideas come to life. Tenacity is the drive to see things through, push projects across the finish line and make sure they’re actually completed. Together, they explain why I’m quick to respond, deeply reliable + personally invested in outcomes.
They also explain why boundaries matter. Because people with this pairing often struggle to say no, over-commit and feel the weight of responsibility deeply. (Guilty!) D’Eramo Creative was built to serve and support this kind of work sustainably.
One Year In
After a year of building, learning and partnering with organizations I believe in, I’m more confident than ever that this model works. Nonprofits need a support system that shows up and understands the reality of the work.
D’Eramo Creative exists to meet organizations where they are, strengthen what’s already working and help teams breathe a little easier knowing they don’t have to do everything alone.
Sometimes the mission doesn’t change. You just change how you support it.