Building effective organizations starts with a commitment to invest in change. Change doesn't have to be difficult, intimidating or expensive. But it needs leadership. Having worked with hundreds of organizations over the years, I can help lead your organization's effort to become more effective. I provide training, consulting, facilitation and program development services in the areas outlined below.

• Assessments
• Board Development
• Strategic Planning
• Organizational Structure
• Fundraising Planning
• Organizational Start-Up
• Collaboration and Merger

Assessment

An assessment is an important tool to help groups understand where they should focus their energy. In an organizational development process, an assessment helps the group focus on the fundamental problems and not just the symptoms. As part of a strategic planning process, assessments help define the needs and trends in the community, and capacity of the organization to address those needs. Most importantly, an assessment builds commitment among board and staff members to try a new approach when the current one is not working.

Board Development

A strong board of directors is the single most important element to a successful organization. Building a strong board is not a question of luck. The key is an effective board development program that includes recruiting, orientation, training, evaluation and recognition of board members. The best boards have many options for involvement, including potential service as a non-board committee member and advisor.

Strategic Planning

Organizations with limited resources must make strategic decisions about how they will invest their time and money. A strategic planning process builds consensus about where the organization wants to go and how it hopes to get there. A mission statement shapes the visions of the board members into a unified direction for the organization. Goals and strategies further define the strategic direction of the organization, while annual plans, work plans and program budgets ensure that the plan serves as the framework for all activities.

Organizational Structure

With strong organizations, as with good architecture, form follows function. Developing the appropriate organizational structure builds on the successful process of defining your purpose and function. Strong committees manage schedules efficiently and keep an organization functioning smoothly. Advisors support the board members by offering additional resources to support the governing of the organization. A good structure also includes clear lines of authority, clarifying the board's role of governance and the staff's role of management.

Fundraising Planning

For organizations that have clear plans and good people, fundraising becomes less of a challenge and more of an opportunity. Long-term strategic plans make possible the development of long-term fundraising plans, which look beyond the current budget and examine the future potential for resource development. A stable fundraising program balances on a broad base of revenue sources, including memberships, appeals, special events, grants, major donor gifts, investments and planned giving programs.

Organizational Start-Up

Groups just getting started face a long list of organizational development steps to become effective. By concentrating on building a strong foundation, these groups can move quickly beyond the small details and into the activities for which they were formed. The result is a more immediate impact in the community and greater satisfaction among board members and other key volunteers.

Collaboration and Merger

Nonprofit groups are rarely in it alone. Many others have a common interest in making the community a better place, and share a role in making it happen. Collaboration ensures that groups have defined common ground to guide their shared roles, thus preventing overlap and redundancy. As groups work together more they sometimes see the value of integrating their structures, which can be as simple as shared staff or as comprehensive as merger. These can be difficult paths for groups, but often have the potential to elevate the capabilities to an entirely new level.

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