For 25 years Hierholzer served as CEO of ChildSavers, a community-based nonprofit child mental health agency in Richmond, Virginia.  He turned a small child guidance clinic into a highly successful child development and behavioral health organization impacting the lives of over 13,000 children each year.  ChildSavers’ services include outpatient treatment, trauma intervention, and training for childcare providers, counselors and youth workers.

These services now represent an annual budget of almost $4 million, with over $1.5 million coming from private philanthropy.

Among Hierholzer’s achievements are:

•Growing the organization’s budget and services seven fold

•Working with boards to conduct seven successful strategic planning processes

•Engaging the agency’s operating board and separately incorporated Endowment board to grow a culture of philanthropy and community networking

•Leading a three year $6.2 million capital campaign to establish and renovate a modern child mental health facility in the former WRVA Radio Station on historic Church Hill in Richmond, VA.

•Successfully managing and establishing the agency’s new brand as ChildSavers

•Leading a two year marketing effort through print, radio, video and television media funded by philanthropy to bring ChildSavers to 20% top-of-mind awareness in the Richmond community

•Establishing strong continuing relationships with a group of major philanthropists in Richmond

•Establishing and leading a $1.5 million annual fundraising program, including a $600,000 annual fund

•Cultivating and engaging a broad network of donors, volunteers, community stakeholders, partner agencies and neighborhood groups to support the work of ChildSavers

•Successfully achieving three COA Accreditation Reviews

•Leading agency staff through two major restructuring processes

•Establishing and following a leadership transition process to leave the agency positioned for a successful future upon his retirement

“ChildSavers’ growth was a journey of personal and professional development for me,” says Hierholzer.  “Leading a nonprofit agency is a continuing process personal learning.”

“Effectively engaging board members, successfully cultivating donors and leading staff through organizational change was often a daunting, lonely and humbling challenge,” admits Hierholzer.  “I did not do it alone.  My success was as much the product of the gifts of others as it was my own efforts.  I believe a successful CEO must learn to cultivate, trust and rely on the gifts of others.”

And lastly, “A successful CEO must learn to take care of him or herself.  The person of the CEO is the instrument of leadership.  A good leader must be healthy and able to achieve a reasonable balance between work and family.”  With a smile, Hierholzer adds, “at least most the time…”.

Hierholzer opened his consulting practice in July, 2012.  “I want to share what I have learned in my career with other CEO’s so they can be successful.  We do critical, difficult work.  Our success can be the difference between lives lost or saved.  Coaching and good, confidential counsel for nonprofit CEO’s is not optional.”