National Executive Service CorpsAdvisors to the Nonprofit Community Since 1977
New Canaan Community Foundation Executive Directors Group September 25, 2014
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Agenda• Introductions• NESC Mission & Background• Why Engage Consultants?• Consulting Process & Panel Discussion– Business Operations– Strategic Plan– Board / Staff Relationships– Confronting Change
• Discussion Summary
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NESC MissionTo make a meaningful contribution to our communities
by strengthening the management of nonprofit organizations, schools and government agencies
through high-quality, affordable consulting services
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NESC Background• NESC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consulting organization
that serves the nonprofit community
• Founded in 1977; HQ in NYC with regional offices in Westchester, Connecticut, New Jersey and Long Island
• Sectors served: Social Services, Education, Healthcare, Religion, Arts & Culture
• Part of nationwide Executive Service Corps network
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NESC Background• Over 225 volunteer consultants– 35,000 hours of professional time given annually
• Consultants are senior executives from companies such as:– IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Aetna, Time Warner, AT&T,
ExxonMobil, MasterCard, General Foods• Since 1977, over 2,000 projects for 1,200 clients– 150 projects for close to 100 clients in SW CT region
• Clients range from large to small– Over 50% of clients annually are repeat clients
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Capacity Building Practice AreasStrategic Planning
Marketing & Branding
Board Development &
Governance
Organizational Assessment
Social Enterprise/
Earned Income
Operations/Process Analysis
Financial Management
Executive Search
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The NESC Approach• Experienced Consultants – senior executives and
professionals who volunteer and are commited
• Project teams – provide a diversity of relevant for-profit skills and non-profit experience
• A participatory, facilitated approach – the client is engaged in the process and owns the solution
• Actionable results – timelines, accountability, and follow-up
• Affordable rates – mission-driven services at a fraction of the cost of for-profit firms
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Nonprofits face significant challenges
• Government funding has been reduced on the national, state and local levels
• Competition has increased among nonprofits for private funding from foundations and individuals
• Increasingly, more people are needing services from the nonprofit community
• Regulations and reporting requirements are increasing.
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How are Nonprofits Responding?
• Revisiting mission, vision and goals• Assessing competition and environment• Evaluating programs, staff and delivery systems;
cutting non-essential ones• Adopting systems to evaluate output and
outcomes• Evaluating opportunities to partner or collaborate• Looking for new sources of revenue• Replacing paid staff with volunteers
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How Consultants Can Help
• Resources• Expertise• Time • Objectivity• Best Practices• Advice & Counsel• Facilitation & Project Management
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The Consulting ProcessDiscovery
VisitsDevelop Proposal
Sign Agreement
Research, Interviews and
Analysis
Preliminary Findings and
RecommendationsAction Plan
Write/Present Final Report
Follow-Up on Implementation -- 3
Months Later
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Case Studies PanelConsulting Process Considerations
• What challenge(s) was the organization facing?• Why did they seek a consultant? • Who drove the decision to engage a consultant? • How was the project funded?• How was the project defined (requirements)?• How was the consultant / organization interface managed?• How did the project progress? (challenges, opportunities, intended /
unintended consequences, mid-course corrections) • How was ongoing status communicated to stakeholders? • How were final recommendations communicated / received?• How were action plans developed and committed to?• What happened after the consultants left?