Successful organizations achieve their goals through high performing staff and engaged boards. As nonprofits go through their life-cycle, challenges and performance dips occur; it’s normal. We determine the source of problems, recommend solutions and facilitate dialogue to build agreement for those solutions. Processes we utilize to increase your organizational excellence include: 

• Analyze current functions and processes to pinpoint areas needing improvement
• Conduct an organizational needs assessment to identify strengths, areas needing improvement, market niche and opportunities
• Conduct interviews or surveys to identify issues and opinions
• Present findings and recommendations to the board and staff; facilitate priority-setting to achieve improvement
• Create an Implementation Plan to achieve results
• Facilitate retreats and discussions with individuals and teams
• Hire us for a few hours or retain us for ongoing consultation. We advise on a wide range of topics to resolve complex problems.

Team Building

Infighting and lack of clarity in any team creates a negative work environment and impedes achievement of goals. We can help you take the team of staff or board to the next level of performance. 

• Identify team members’ communication and work styles
• Identify barriers between leaders, staff and management teams
• Provide strategies to address barriers and to rebuild relationships
• Evaluate staff structure and recommend improvements to optimize teamwork and productivity
• Facilitate retreats to create shared values, discuss problems and agree on steps to improve team member relationships and performance

Board Development

Successful organizations thrive with a robust, engaged board and a strong board-executive relationship. We provide counsel, facilitation and tools to:

• Understand the type of board you need
• Implement processes to recruit, retain, evaluate and release board members
• Uncover the talents, skills and connections of your board
• Understand attributes needed in new board members
• Increase board engagement
• Create a strong partnership between the executive and the board chair
• Understand the difference in board roles, staff roles and responsibilities
• Decide the need for committees or advisory councils based on strategic goals
• Manage committees for function, efficiency and results
• Learn to run a dam* good meeting
• Create board evaluation processes
• Troubleshoot dysfunctional boards, including board bullying
• Develop shared organizational values, discuss problems and agree on steps to improve relationships and performance
• Navigate an organizational crisis
• Educate on board performance and functionality

Leader Transitions

Leader transitions can cause organizations to flounder, precipitate disagreements about the organization’s trajectory, and create conflicts regarding leadership. We will:

• Lead the board through the transition from a board-led organization to hiring the first staff member
• Counsel on advance succession planning to prepare for a transition / emergency departure scenario
• Facilitate emergency succession planning for organizational continuity during unplanned departure of key staff or board member
• Design the process and facilitate hiring an executive director

Strategic Planning

Organizations must understand their niche and mission impact. A roadmap to success requires measurable goals, strategies, and appropriate human and financial resource allocation. We work with you to design your future.

• Create an inclusive process with clear steps that engage board and staff
• Assess your operating environment, sector trends, and organizational capacity
• Discover your organization’s niche and value in your market
• Conduct surveys to understand your constituents’—external and internal stakeholder—opinions, values and ideas
• Facilitate board and staff planning discussions and retreat
• Determine measurable goals and strategies to achieve your mission
• Recommend committee structures to advance achieving goals
• Counsel on tactical annual work plans for staff and board committees to achieve goals
• Facilitate creation of dashboards to measure and communicate progress

One-To-One for Leaders

Coaching
Our coaching helps you discover your leadership style and increase your leadership skills. Our focus is executives and individuals pursuing excellence as leaders. Click here to learn out more about our coaching services.