Listed below are examples of the types of work we have done with Nonprofit Consulting clients. Out of respect for our clients’ privacy, we do not provide the organizations’ names. If you are interested in having us work with you, however, we can provide you with names of people who will act as references for this work.
Research and Recommendations on Fundraising Strategies
An organization that works on behalf of senior citizens asked Nonprofit Consulting to help them identify viable strategies for fundraising. A team of three consultants reviewed the organization’s existing programs and materials, researched the current field of senior citizen service providers, interviewed existing staff, and engaged in a dialog with the board of directors. As a result of this work, the staff produced a series of research reports and recommendations on topics including demographic trends, other organizations working in the same space, fundraising alternatives, and roles for the board. This was followed by a two-day seminar on fundraising for field staff directors.
A Complete Strategic Planning and Implementation Project
A residential, faith-based school asked Nonprofit Consulting to guide them through the creation of a new 3- to 5-year strategic plan. Over a period of about nine months, Nonprofit Consulting worked closely with the school’s senior leaders to assess performance over their previous planning period, invite the entire school staff to share ideas about its vision for the future, create a set of carefully crafted goals, implement the planned programs, and evaluate progress with a balanced set of milestone measures.
An Assessment of Foundation Fundraising Leading to Doubled Revenue and More Effective Program
A community-based nonprofit asked us to assess the current status and future potential of their fundraising from private philanthropic foundations. We rewrote their proposal templates, positioning the organization as addressing varied interests of many potential funders. We researched new prospects and developed strategies to approach them and to increase support from lapsed and current funders. We collaborated with the CFO and senior program staff to develop project budgets and systems for tracking program data. Two years later, the organization has nearly doubled the amount it raises annually from foundations.
A Constituent Needs Assessment Leading to Strategic Program Definitions
A veterans assistance group asked Nonprofit Consulting to research unmet needs of today’s veterans and help design programs to meet those needs. Nonprofit Consulting met with veterans, nonprofit groups serving veterans, and government agency staff who work with veterans. The research yielded many interesting suggestions, which Nonprofit Consulting knitted together into a dozen new program ideas. The organization’s board of directors reviewed the program ideas and formally adopted several of them as new strategic directions for the organization.
A Customized Project Management Model and Process, and Project Manager Training
A client was rapidly becoming the most active organization in our country in providing programs and activities to help veterans return to civilian life after tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its staff was largely young men and women with little experience in planning programs and managing project teams. Nonprofit Consulting customized a disciplined, yet agile, project management model for the organization, including a full set of documentation templates, project process and content standards, and the selection of a project management software tool. To implement the model, Nonprofit Consulting did hands-on training with all the group’s senior leaders and project managers.
Assistance with Organizational Change Related to Fundraising
A faith-based group with several field sites wanted to make their fundraising organization more efficient and increase their fundraising revenues. They realized the best path toward that goal was to create a new Chief Development Officer position, centralize fundraising operation controls, and encourage their sites to identify and share best practices. Nonprofit Consulting was asked to provide counsel and assistance in all aspects of this significant organizational change.
Strategic Planning and Balanced Scorecard Performance Evaluation
Nonprofit Consulting led a veterans assistance group through a one-day planning workshop to decide whether to continue its alliance with another larger organization, or to break off and operate as an independent entity. After the group established itself independently, we helped them create their initial mission and vision. In order for the organization to honor its commitments to their major funding source during their first year, Nonprofit Consulting created a balanced scorecard by which they tracked their operational activities and program accomplishments.
Assessing Market Opportunities for Fundraising in Different Countries
Several international nonprofits have asked Nonprofit Consulting to help them understand the fundraising markets in other countries and assess the wisdom of opening major fundraising programs there. Nonprofit Consulting fulfilled those assignments by researching economic, social and legal characteristics of the countries under consideration. Where greater details were needed, Nonprofit Consulting received information from on-site research staff in countries such as China, India, Poland, Brazil, Ireland and Spain.
Management of Fundraising Campaign to Double Program Space and Build Capacity
(In association with McConnell Consulting Group.)
An outreach center with plans to expand their facility and build program capacity approached us to help them launch and manage a comprehensive fundraising campaign. We conducted a feasibility & planning study to organize the effort and establish a realistic, but ambitious, dollar goal. We organized volunteer leaders and trained them to solicit major donors. We worked with them to identify potential donors and developed strategies for cultivation and solicitation. To support these efforts, we wrote a case statement, proposals and other collateral. We customized traditional campaign techniques to maximize the unique strengths of this relatively small organization. The campaign raised several million dollars, 25 percent above the original goal, enabling the organization to renovate and expand their facility, start new programs, and seed efforts to provide affordable housing in their neighborhood.
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