Nonprofit Leader Kathleen Stauffer Shares Secrets to Success

Stauffer's book "11 Secrets of Nonprofit Excellence" offers insights into transforming a struggling agency into an innovative organization.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Kathleen Stauffer, the chief operating officer of The Arc Eastern Connecticut, has written a book titled "11 Secrets of Nonprofit Excellence" that traces the organization's rise from a struggling agency to a forward-thinking and innovative nonprofit. The book, which has sold over 5,000 copies, offers insights into Stauffer's thought processes and strategies that have led to positive organizational changes, including mergers, transformation, and growth.

Why it matters

Stauffer's book provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and successes of running a nonprofit organization, offering valuable lessons for other nonprofit leaders. The Arc Eastern Connecticut's transformation under Stauffer's leadership also highlights the potential for nonprofits to create meaningful impact and employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The details

Stauffer's book covers a range of topics, from the importance of trusting your gut and having mentors to unlocking the genius of your team and creating a trust equation. The book also features Stauffer's personal anecdotes and experiences, such as an interview she conducted with Muhammad Ali as a high school student and the lessons she learned from her mentors. Stauffer has also overseen several mergers during her tenure, consolidating both Seacorp Inc. and the Arc Quinebaug Valley under The Arc Eastern Connecticut. She has a reputation for moving forward boldly, even in difficult times, and has never had to resort to layoffs as a result of a merger.

  • Stauffer wrote the book during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she "got bored" and "just started typing a story" on a Saturday.
  • The book, which is now in its second printing, has sold over 5,000 copies.

The players

Kathleen Stauffer

The chief operating officer of The Arc Eastern Connecticut, who has written a book titled "11 Secrets of Nonprofit Excellence" that traces the organization's transformation from a struggling agency to a forward-thinking and innovative nonprofit.

The Arc Eastern Connecticut

A nonprofit organization that offers programs to help people with intellectual disabilities and their families, including a factory where Arc-branded chocolate chip cookies are made and sold in Massachusetts and along the Eastern Connecticut shoreline.

Rick DeMatto

The late Arc board chairman and well-known local educator who was the director of special education in Waterford for many years, and who persistently encouraged Stauffer to write the book.

Muhammad Ali

The heavyweight boxing champion who Stauffer interviewed while she was still in high school, and who told her one valuable lesson: "Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on Earth."

Walgreens executive

An executive at Walgreens who created an accessible warehouse in Windsor Locks that became one of the most successful operations in the chain, after being inspired by his brother-in-law with an intellectual disability.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on Earth.”

— Muhammad Ali (The Day)

“The team is always smarter than the individual.”

— Kathleen Stauffer, Chief Operating Officer, The Arc Eastern Connecticut (The Day)

“Most mergers fail because they are done badly. And I began to think 'What if you looked at mergers differently and instead of seeing them as competition saw them as an opportunity for collaboration, growth and team benefit?'”

— Kathleen Stauffer, Chief Operating Officer, The Arc Eastern Connecticut (The Day)

“The real injustice is the way that society traditionally sees limitation rather than possibility. Inclusion works.”

— Kathleen Stauffer, Chief Operating Officer, The Arc Eastern Connecticut (The Day)

What’s next

Stauffer is considering launching a cookie truck this summer to expand the successful cookie factory program at The Arc Eastern Connecticut.

The takeaway

Kathleen Stauffer's book and her leadership of The Arc Eastern Connecticut provide valuable insights into how nonprofit organizations can transform themselves, embrace collaboration and inclusion, and create meaningful employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.