SVPA Case Study: AALI
Building a stronger Black community in Austin and beyond
The African American Leadership Institute is poised for growth and sustainability with a new CEO and a plan to expand its services
Challenges
Uncertainty about growth trajectory
Lack of sustainable funding
Reliance on volunteers and fractional staff
Solution
Work with SVP Austin to identify a path forward
Create a pitch deck for new funders
Secure full-time professional leadership
Results
Raised $400,000 from three funders
Recruited new CEO Daphne McDole
Positioned to exit 212 Catalyst to become a fully independent enterprise
Driving leadership, advocacy and innovation
The African American Leadership Institute (AALI) was founded in March 2020 to build a stronger Black Austin community by equipping exceptional leaders to fulfill their moral responsibility to improve lives. But a tenuous fiscal model, reliance on part-time staff and absence of a CEO was holding them back. Working with SVP, AALI addressed these issues and hired a CEO in early 2025, positioning the organization for a stronger future.
SVP Austin stands at the top of the allyship tower. It's an entire organization made up of doers, movers and shakers, who are all committed to providing truly effective advice and mentorship. Heath Creech, founder, AALI
Identifying obstacles to self-sustainability
Collaborating with their SVP coach, AALI explored multiple options moving the organization forward. Together, they identified that fiscal sponsorship, part-time staff and lack of a dedicated leader as the bottleneck to their future growth.
“But it’s hard to implement these things and with everybody on the team doing AALI as a side hustle, we just didn’t have the bandwidth or the structure to begin,” Creech laments. “That’s why we were so focused on getting a CEO – so there’s somebody there every day.”
Building capacity for progress
“We needed somebody who was a networker and a fundraiser, and could lead us to becoming a stand-alone entity,” Creech says. Since its inception, he and a small army of dedicated volunteers led the organization. They all have day jobs, and some are uncomfortable fundraising.
Together with SVP, they developed a detailed financial plan and companion pitch deck to operationalize a new, scalable enterprise and help fund the CEO salary. Their coach even helped them deliver their pitch as an objective third party with deep insight into the organization. Within a few months, AALI secured crucial capacity-building support from the Moody Foundation and St. David’s Foundation.
Guiding the organization forward
AALI began recruiting for the CEO position in late 2024. In January 2025, they announced the hiring of Daphne McDole, a proven leader who has held leadership positions at Huston-Tillotson University, the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Texas and the Texas Preparatory School. Her hiring empowers AALI to pursue financial sustainability and operational efficiency while continuing to drive leadership, advocacy and innovation in Austin and beyond.
I am deeply honored to take on this role as the first CEO of AALI. AALI’s community has always inspired me with its resilience, determination, and dreams for the future. Together with AALI’s team and supporters, I look forward to furthering our mission to create an even stronger, more vibrant Black community in Greater Austin.” Daphne McDole, AALI CEO
