Isaiah Allen, Chief Development Officer

I joined Hammer & NER as the Chief Development Officer on January 2. Starting right after New Year’s Day made it feel like I was taking on a big New Year’s Resolution. The role is responsible for leading the fundraising efforts that support our work. I joined the Hammer & NER team as an outsider. I haven’t worked at Hammer & NER in a different role, and my most recent job was with an organization that supported young people from low-income backgrounds in getting into and completing college, not disability services. As an outsider, to do my job effectively I have been learning how everything we do works and supports our mission, to provide the people we serve the opportunity to live life to its fullest.  Being that you are likely someone connected with Hammer & NER for a long time, I thought you might appreciate getting the perspective of someone who is encountering Hammer & NER for the first time and digging deep into how it works.

My first observation is that the people who work at Hammer & NER care deeply about the people we serve. Our staff put their expertise in disability services to work because they care about the people impacted by disabilities. I have been in meetings about building maintenance and nursing services and staff training when one of our homes is being discussed. Without fail, the people who live in that home will be named by staff from memory, not from a roster or list, and fond stories about those people are shared. This is a “people first” organization.

My next observation is we are in a moment that the science of care for people with disabilities is advancing and evolving rapidly. Changes in health care are resulting in longer life expectancies for the people we serve. This has meant that we have had to innovate aging support in how we provide care. Our Program leadership, nurses, and direct support staff are at the forefront of the field, creating new ways to address these new challenges. This is an innovative and responsive organization.

The last observation I’d share (for now), is that Hammer & NER has an incredible culture of generosity. There is a robust staff giving program that enables staff to make donations directly from their paycheck. About a third of the people we serve have a family member who is a donor. Every member of the Board of Directors is a donor. And there are dozens of people who have notified us that they have named Hammer & NER as a beneficiary in their Will. This all requires intentionality, care, and commitment to our mission. As a newbie to Hammer & NER, I’m excited to learn all these incredible things about my new workplace and my new coworkers.

(Isaiah is pictured above with his three children)