Shore Community Services, Inc.
Over the past 75 years, Shore Community Services, Inc. has grown from a small parent-led group in a family’s basement into a $6.5 million nonprofit supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the North Shore of Chicago.
The organization dates back to 1949, when teacher Lois Lloyd opened a modest school in her Evanston home for her daughter, Patty, and other neighborhood children with intellectual disabilities. What began as a small classroom soon became a gathering place for parents to connect and support one another as well.
At that time, families had few options. Children with developmental disabilities were typically institutionalized in state-run facilities, with little access to education or community life. As parents across the country began rejecting institutionalization in favor of raising their children at home, organizations like Shore Community Services stepped in to build programs that made community living possible.
With advocacy from parents, Shore and other groups, Illinois eventually created special education programs within public schools. Early efforts, however, still left out children with profound disabilities, so Lloyd and her husband, Thomas, led a group of parents to fundraise for a new school. Their efforts marked a turning point as the nonprofit expanded its services and deepened its impact over the following decades.
Supporting Independent Living
Today, Shore provides services to about 400 adults and children a year in 20 communities -- from Chicago’s Far North Side to Evanston and neighboring suburbs. For clients living with their families, the nonprofit offers in-home assistance. Shore also operates residential housing and daytime programs including art classes, life-skills training and employment services. Many participants receive job placement support and coaching, helping them live independently in their communities.
“When services for people end after high school and they transition into adulthood, we step in to fill the gap --to continue lifelong learning, socialization, independent living and employment,” said Erin Ryan, CEO of Shore Community Services.
Board Fellows Partnership
Shore recently became a partner organization in the Golub Capital Board Fellows Program through Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In the selective program, Board Fellows serve as ex-officio members on the boards of Chicago-area nonprofits. Fellows in the traditional two-year MBA program commit to their boards for fifteen months, while the Accelerated Board Fellows’ nine-month commitment allows students in the Evening and Weekend, MBAi ,and 1-year MBA programs to participate. Both programs require coursework in nonprofit governance and a strategic project for the host organization.
Ryan had seen the benefits of working with Board Fellows in a previous role at another nonprofit. For an established nonprofit like Shore, she said, the students’ fresh perspectives and skill sets fill valuable gaps on the board.
A New Look at Fundraising
When Praveen Soundararajan, MBA ’25, joined Shore as an Accelerated Board Fellow, he brought marketing experience and a curiosity about the nonprofit’s fundraising strategy. “He dug into fundraising with a marketing lens, which was a totally fresh take on the same numbers and data we’ve been looking at for a long time,” Ryan said.
Most of Shore’s $6.5 million budget comes from state Medicaid funding, with roughly 10 percent from fundraising. Board Treasurer Paul Shuman noted that donations had slipped in recent years as longtime supporters passed away and broader economic and political uncertainty -- including tariffs -- left other donors hesitant to give.
Soundararajan focused his project on helping Shore become less vulnerable to shifts in public funding and regulation. “The goal was coming up with strategies to increase the private donor bases and sponsors, giving Shore the independence to do what they’ve been doing extremely well for the past 75 years,” he said.
He conducted a deep analysis of Shore’s donor database and uncovered “hidden opportunities that we hadn’t seen,” Ryan said. In his final presentation to the board in spring 2025, he recommended strategies for re-engaging lapsed donors, encouraging legacy giving and following up with first-time event attendees.
“He was really good at organizing the data in a way that didn’t look like a giant spreadsheet,” Ryan said. “He boiled it down to what the board needed to see to make strategic decisions.”
His participation in board and committee meetings also added a new dimension to discussions. “He was very willing to speak up and ask good questions,” Ryan said. “Some of the questions he asked were things board members were probably wondering themselves or didn’t have the words to ask.”
Even simple suggestions -- like updating the list of acronyms used in Shore’s materials -- helped keep the organization accessible to its different audiences.
Soundararajan said the experience demystified nonprofit board structures and gave him confidence to contribute. “Despite starting out as a complete outsider, by the time I shared my recommendations I could speak with conviction, using the data I’d analyzed and the knowledge I gained from my board service and the Kellogg program,” he said. “It felt good for my work to be well received by people who have been with the board for over 15 years.”
Like many nonprofits, most of Shore’s board members do not have a finance background. That’s why Kellogg students are such a welcome addition, Shuman said. “They’re sharp, eager to learn about the organization, and they bring the financial acumen the board needs.”
Soundararajan’s work had such an impact that Shore invited him to join its board as a full member. At the time, he was preparing to start a new role as director of business operations and strategy at Contoro, a robotics startup, but he immediately accepted the board position.
“I really believe in what they’re doing – and there’s so much more to do,” he said. “I didn’t want to say good-bye to such a beautiful community.”
In the fall of 2025, the board met for a retreat to build on his recommendations and shape fundraising strategies and goals for the next two years. “We’re building a more systematic fundraising apparatus, and we’re definitely going to take his project into account,” Shuman said.
Soundararajan said the Board Fellows program prepared him well for his board role. A memorable Kellogg simulation, in which students practiced making fundraising asks, will prove particularly useful. “That’s why I enjoyed the program: Everything was practical and hands-on, so it’s not the first time you do something when you have to do it in the real world,” he said.
Planning for Future Growth
Shore continues to benefit from its Board Fellows, each contributing different strengths. One of its newest Fellows, Wes Stroud, MBA ’26, brings experience in digital marketing and growth strategy. He is working with the Finance Committee and leadership team to develop flexible, user-friendly budgeting tools to plan for the nonprofit’s future growth, Ryan said.
Lasting Impact
Ryan emphasized that the relatively short-term engagements of Board Fellows still leave a lasting mark on a nonprofit.
“Sometimes the impact is years down the road -- that’s the nature of nonprofits,” she said. “The impact of Board Fellows’ projects may not always be immediately apparent, but the value of their work resonates for a long time.”
