Meet Prospera Technical Assistance Committee (TAC) Member in South Florida, Danielle St. Luce
Danielle St. Luce is an impact investing consultant who has her own consulting practice and works as an independent contractor with Cogent Consulting PBC. She has experience in economic development and community-focused initiatives. She also serves as a member of Prospera’s Technical Assistance Committee (TAC) in South Florida, where she contributes her time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimonials to help us deliver services to more clients, support our staff, and serve as a representative of our brand in the community. Continue reading to learn more about Danielle and what motivates her volunteer service.
What are your workplace’s mission and products/services?
As a consultant, I’ve been fortunate to participate in projects across different sectors, with most of my work falling under the umbrella of economic development. I primarily work with asset owners and allocators who want to invest in their communities, generally through place-based impact investing that seeks to generate both financial and social returns within a specific geographic area. My role is to help clients achieve their impact investing goals. Most of my day-to-day work involves supporting clients throughout the investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, closing and execution, and monitoring and reporting.
What motivated you to serve as a Prospera volunteer?
I’ve worked in the same ecosystem as Prospera since 2018 and have always been impressed by how the organization adapts to the needs of our community’s small businesses. Every time I’ve connected with someone from the team, they’ve been working on a new initiative or project. When the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t say no. Speed and innovation can be rare in the nonprofit space, and the opportunity to contribute in my own way was something I couldn’t pass up.
What have you enjoyed the most so far about volunteering with Prospera?
Serving on the Technical Assistance Committee (TAC), we get to learn about the entrepreneurs the Prospera team works with. It’s always a pleasure to hear the team talk about these entrepreneurs, not just about the business side, but also about their motivations and stories. Every business has its own personality, and that brightens up our committee meetings. These entrepreneurs have already received hours of technical assistance from the team before they reach the committee. As a committee, we can help build on those efforts by supporting additional technical assistance through TA awards and by contributing our members’ expertise and advice during meetings.
What would you most like the community to know about Prospera?
Prospera is a shining star in the local entrepreneurial support ecosystem. Supporting small businesses is hard, but Prospera makes it work and has continued to grow despite industry-specific challenges. The organization deserves more support so it can provide more resources to the community. Even when financial support isn’t possible, volunteering, referring entrepreneurs to Prospera, and advocating for the organization can help.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned throughout your career?
Kindness is more necessary than we think, not only kindness toward others, but also toward yourself. I think most people assume being kind means disregarding boundaries, propriety, or protocol, but that’s not the case. You can be firm, fair, and kind in most situations without sacrificing your business objectives. It’s harder, but more rewarding.
How do you stay informed about trends in your industry?
Impact investing is an interesting mix of traditional finance, philanthropic giving, and responsible investing. Staying current with industry trends requires keeping up with regulatory changes and court decisions that may affect certain clients’ investments. Our industry also has the equivalent of trade publications. One of the most popular is ImpactAlpha, which I read when I have time.
Danielle’s experience in impact investing and economic development, combined with her commitment to entrepreneurship, makes her an important member of Prospera’s Technical Assistance Committee (TAC) in South Florida. Through her understanding of community investment and her participation in committee meetings, she brings professional insights and perspectives that strengthen the organization’s work with local entrepreneurs. By sharing her time and talent, Danielle contributes to Prospera’s efforts to provide resources and guidance to small business owners while helping advance our mission.
