Marlene Erven
Marlene is a nonprofit strategist, communications consultant, and community engagement leader with more than three decades of experience helping organizations strengthen operations, build support, navigate change, and achieve meaningful results. Her expertise spans nonprofit management, strategic planning, fundraising, communications, special events, stakeholder engagement, organizational development, and interim executive leadership.
Known for her practical leadership style and collaborative approach, Marlene helps organizations translate complex challenges into clear strategies and actionable solutions. She has successfully guided nonprofits through periods of growth, leadership transitions, crisis management, fundraising expansion, organizational restructuring, and strategic partnerships. Whether advising executive leadership, working alongside boards of directors, or mobilizing community stakeholders, she brings a strong commitment to mission achievement and organizational excellence.
Throughout her career, Marlene has developed and implemented successful fundraising, communications, membership, marketing, and operational initiatives for organizations of all sizes. She has extensive experience building development infrastructure, strengthening constituent engagement, developing strategic communications programs, and helping organizations position themselves for long-term sustainability and growth.
Selected Leadership Experience
Over the past decade, Marlene has served as a development consultant to Care Resource, one of Florida’s largest community health centers. She played a key role in establishing and strengthening the organization’s development infrastructure and capital fundraising efforts supporting facility expansion and renovation projects throughout South Florida. She continues to work closely with executive leadership and development staff on fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and program development initiatives.
As Interim Executive Director of Miami Bridge Youth & Family Services, Marlene led the organization through a period of significant challenge while maintaining critical services for vulnerable youth and families. Her leadership helped stabilize operations and ultimately facilitated a successful merger with Lutheran Services Florida, preserving and strengthening the organization’s decades-long mission of serving at-risk youth.
As Interim Executive Director of Switchboard Miami, she successfully prevented the closure of a $5 million nonprofit organization serving more than 120,000 individuals annually. Working closely with the Board of Directors, professional advisors, and community partners, she helped secure a nonprofit successor organization, preserving critical programs, employees, funding, and community services, including the 211 Information and Referral Center.
During her fourteen-year tenure with the Alpha-1 community, Marlene served as Development and Marketing Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation and Executive Director of the Alpha-1 Association. She helped build the Alpha-1 Foundation into a nationally recognized $20 million medical research organization while expanding the Association into one of the country’s leading rare disease patient membership organizations.
Her previous consulting firm, The Erven Group, provided strategic consulting services to nonprofit organizations including the American Cancer Society, Children’s Home Society, The Kampong, and numerous community-based organizations. She also served as Executive Director of Cedars Medical Center Foundation.
Communications, Community Engagement & Civic Leadership
In addition to her nonprofit consulting practice, Marlene has spent more than two decades actively engaged in civic leadership, coalition building, and community engagement initiatives. She specializes in helping organizations, community groups, and coalitions communicate effectively, build consensus, engage stakeholders, and navigate complex public issues.
Her work includes developing public information campaigns, community engagement strategies, stakeholder communications programs, coalition-building initiatives, and educational resources that help residents and organizations better understand and participate in issues affecting their communities. She is particularly skilled at translating complex information into clear, accessible communications that foster informed decision-making and constructive dialogue.
As President of the Coconut Grove Park Homeowners Association for more than a decade, Marlene has worked extensively with neighborhood organizations, civic leaders, elected officials, and community stakeholders to address issues affecting quality of life, land use, governance, transportation, public policy, and neighborhood preservation. She has helped organize community forums, build strategic partnerships, mobilize residents, and develop advocacy initiatives that strengthen community participation and civic engagement.
Leadership in Legacy Organizations
Marlene also brings extensive experience working with membership organizations and historic institutions. During her four-year term as President of a historic South Florida women’s organization, she implemented innovative approaches to governance, financial management, fundraising, communications, and operations that strengthened the organization and positioned it for future growth and sustainability. Her experience working with volunteer-led organizations provides valuable insight into the unique opportunities and challenges faced by membership-based and community organizations.
A Commitment to Mission-Driven Results
Marlene is recognized for her ability to build trust, develop productive partnerships, and bring diverse stakeholders together around shared goals. Her combination of nonprofit leadership, communications expertise, fundraising experience, community engagement skills, and practical problem-solving enables her to help organizations move from ideas to implementation and from challenges to opportunities.
Known for her practical leadership style and collaborative approach, Marlene helps organizations translate complex challenges into clear strategies and actionable solutions. She has successfully guided nonprofits through periods of growth, leadership transitions, crisis management, fundraising expansion, organizational restructuring, and strategic partnerships. Whether advising executive leadership, working alongside boards of directors, or mobilizing community stakeholders, she brings a strong commitment to mission achievement and organizational excellence.
Throughout her career, Marlene has developed and implemented successful fundraising, communications, membership, marketing, and operational initiatives for organizations of all sizes. She has extensive experience building development infrastructure, strengthening constituent engagement, developing strategic communications programs, and helping organizations position themselves for long-term sustainability and growth.
Selected Leadership Experience
Over the past decade, Marlene has served as a development consultant to Care Resource, one of Florida’s largest community health centers. She played a key role in establishing and strengthening the organization’s development infrastructure and capital fundraising efforts supporting facility expansion and renovation projects throughout South Florida. She continues to work closely with executive leadership and development staff on fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and program development initiatives.
As Interim Executive Director of Miami Bridge Youth & Family Services, Marlene led the organization through a period of significant challenge while maintaining critical services for vulnerable youth and families. Her leadership helped stabilize operations and ultimately facilitated a successful merger with Lutheran Services Florida, preserving and strengthening the organization’s decades-long mission of serving at-risk youth.
As Interim Executive Director of Switchboard Miami, she successfully prevented the closure of a $5 million nonprofit organization serving more than 120,000 individuals annually. Working closely with the Board of Directors, professional advisors, and community partners, she helped secure a nonprofit successor organization, preserving critical programs, employees, funding, and community services, including the 211 Information and Referral Center.
During her fourteen-year tenure with the Alpha-1 community, Marlene served as Development and Marketing Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation and Executive Director of the Alpha-1 Association. She helped build the Alpha-1 Foundation into a nationally recognized $20 million medical research organization while expanding the Association into one of the country’s leading rare disease patient membership organizations.
Her previous consulting firm, The Erven Group, provided strategic consulting services to nonprofit organizations including the American Cancer Society, Children’s Home Society, The Kampong, and numerous community-based organizations. She also served as Executive Director of Cedars Medical Center Foundation.
Communications, Community Engagement & Civic Leadership
In addition to her nonprofit consulting practice, Marlene has spent more than two decades actively engaged in civic leadership, coalition building, and community engagement initiatives. She specializes in helping organizations, community groups, and coalitions communicate effectively, build consensus, engage stakeholders, and navigate complex public issues.
Her work includes developing public information campaigns, community engagement strategies, stakeholder communications programs, coalition-building initiatives, and educational resources that help residents and organizations better understand and participate in issues affecting their communities. She is particularly skilled at translating complex information into clear, accessible communications that foster informed decision-making and constructive dialogue.
As President of the Coconut Grove Park Homeowners Association for more than a decade, Marlene has worked extensively with neighborhood organizations, civic leaders, elected officials, and community stakeholders to address issues affecting quality of life, land use, governance, transportation, public policy, and neighborhood preservation. She has helped organize community forums, build strategic partnerships, mobilize residents, and develop advocacy initiatives that strengthen community participation and civic engagement.
Leadership in Legacy Organizations
Marlene also brings extensive experience working with membership organizations and historic institutions. During her four-year term as President of a historic South Florida women’s organization, she implemented innovative approaches to governance, financial management, fundraising, communications, and operations that strengthened the organization and positioned it for future growth and sustainability. Her experience working with volunteer-led organizations provides valuable insight into the unique opportunities and challenges faced by membership-based and community organizations.
A Commitment to Mission-Driven Results
Marlene is recognized for her ability to build trust, develop productive partnerships, and bring diverse stakeholders together around shared goals. Her combination of nonprofit leadership, communications expertise, fundraising experience, community engagement skills, and practical problem-solving enables her to help organizations move from ideas to implementation and from challenges to opportunities.