Strategy
We help organizations increase and expand strategic thinking and advocacy. Whether you are looking toward your organization’s future, contemplating a programmatic shift, or considering a substantial expansion, taking time to map out a strategy for success is a worthy investment.
Our approach deepens strategic thinking by employing tools that will benefit your organization long after we have exited the scene. The process involves understanding your place in the marketplace, identifying your unique advantages, and planning future development in a manner that maximizes your strengths. Outdated “strategic planning” is replaced with an organic process for strategic thinking, assessment, and action.
Development
Knowing where you want to go in the future can be a meaningless exercise if you do not have the resources to get there. We provide technical assistance allowing you to conceptualize and execute resource enhancement campaigns.
We have substantial experience in successful growth strategies including: private donor expansion; capital campaigns; human capital campaigns; foundation support; and governmental contracting. We will help you tailor a plan for your community based on your unique program strengths.
Evaluation
Are we making a difference? That is the ultimate question for social impact organizations. Although it is challenging and resource intensive to measure long-term societal impacts, there are a number of powerful tools to assist you in making informed judgments about the impact of your work.
All evaluation requires a careful balancing of rigor vs. burden. You could collect and measure 10,000 data-points but then you might not have time to perform any work. The key is to select a limited set of high-value data-points that are meaningful in measuring your impact — and then to track and assess that data on an on-going basis using dashboards and data visualization tools.
We also have substantial experience conducting on-site, peer-review assessments for organizations that fund social impact work.
Coaching
“It’s lonely at the top” may be a cliché but, for a CEO striving for self-improvement, it is a troubling reality. Our best decisions are made through a process of interaction and dialogue — but sometimes that approach is neither viable nor appropriate. In such circumstances, an experienced and knowledgeable strategic partner can be an invaluable resource.
We offer both on-going and point-in-time executive coaching services tailored to your unique needs and sensitive to the intricacies of your organizational culture.
Technology
Emerging technologies should empower the work you do, not hinder it. We are committed to helping you leverage the power of technology where it is most valuable — on the ground and in the field.
If you are considering enhancements to your technology, we can help you make the right choices to improve performance and protect your data. We also can help you use existing internal and external data sources to both plan for the future and evaluate past effectiveness. Using free or low-cost software, you can create powerful dashboards and data visualizations that serve to improve your work, and simultaneously, function as powerful marketing tools. A picture is worth a thousand words.