Ferndale’s ardentCause L3C plans up to 4 more jobs

Ferndale-based ardentCause L3C has scored a microloan from the Detroit First Step Fund, financing that should allow the start-up to grow and add people. The two-year-old firm creates software which helps nonprofits measure their results and maximize their impact, while illustrating their successes graphically. It has grown from its two co-founders, Kathleen Norton-Schock and Rosemary Bayer, to 12 employees and the occasional intern. It plans to hire another 2-4 people over the next year. “Non-profits always need to tell their story about why they’re doing and what they’re doing,” Norton-Schock says. “But they also need to measure what they’re doing in this world of shrinking funding.” The software from ardentCause L3C also helps non-profits cut down on time spent on administrative work. So far it has met with success at more than 60 nonprofit sites. Norton-Schock expects that number to grow exponentially in the next year. “It’s a huge field,” Norton-Schock says. “The non-profit field has been growing and there is a great need crying out to be met.” Source: Kathleen Norton-Schock, co-founder of ardentCause L3C Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.