Non-Profit Consulting Calls

t I know we need a strategic plan but I have no idea where to begin.

t Our board meetings go on forever and nothing ever, ever, gets done. We can’t get most of our board members to come to two meetings in a row meetings, not to mention helping with anything else.

t Our audiences are down, our donations are down, and our founding artistic director is way beyond retirement age. What do we do now?

t Our referrals have declined sharply over the last year and we don’t know why.

t We are developing an in-house grant-writing function but it’s not working. We can’t seem to get our departments and divisions in sync with the process.

t We have never really done a formal evaluation of our CEO. I know we should, but I have no idea how to begin.

t I’m the first professional staff this organization has ever had and the board is driving me crazy.

t We do nine special events a year and at least half of them loose money and our individual contributions are a joke. I can see what’s wrong, but I’m not sure what a better approach might be.

t Tomorrow the local paper is going to break a story about a sexual harassment complaint here and we are a domestic abuse prevention agency and one half of my staff won’t talk to the other half and my board is freaking out and the mayor just called to say our funding is on the line.

t There is a growing rift between our professional membership and our new leader. We’re loosing members at an alarming rate. I don’t think they feel respected.

t Our leadership is really divided over whether or not we should expand our programs (or build a new facility, or terminate the CEO, or add a new program).

Cultural Planning Calls

t A major donor has just signaled her interest in making really meaningful changes in the way our cultural sector is funded and the city and county are willing to join the conversation, but we can’t seem to get the Chamber of Commerce or the university on board.

t All our polling shows that the public is with us on this issue, but we can’t seem to persuade our elected officials to get on board. Is there a way to learn what other jurisdictions around the country do?

t We have a growing commercial sector that relies on the arts, but they are not connected to local artists or arts institutions. There is something new happening out there, and we need to get our arms around it.

t We have a host of civic issues in which arts and culture could play an important role, but we can’t seem to get a seat at the table.

t We can see that emerging artists are leaving the area in search of better opportunities elsewhere. What kinds of policies and programs can help us retain our creative workers?

t Our major institutions are just not responding to changes in local demographics. If they don’t connect with the new residents of our area soon, we will loose our public support.

t What kind of role can artist studios play in the redevelopment of neighborhoods?

t Our cultural institutions need help in understanding new market realities and using new marketing tools.

t Our public transportation system is in redesign. How can we capture that opportunity to increase cultural participation?

t Access to cultural programs varies neighborhood by neighborhood. How can we establish a more fair distribution of programs and services?

t Each year, the amount of new work presented and exhibited in the community declines. We’re loosing our edge.

t Every single year the city council threatens to terminate our program; it doesn’t seem to matter how well we perform.

t We have major funding needs in the arts and cultural community around here, but it seems like all the funders operate in a vacuum. Nobody is cooperating at the funder’s level and it makes it hard for us to stabilize our programs much less move forward.

t We have to make a policy decision about funding literary programs and publications, but I have no idea where to turn for comparison data on practices within other local governments.

t It seems like our school board and our cultural institutions are going down two entirely separate paths and the kids are getting the short end of the stick.

Foundation Management Calls

t We are a brand new foundation, and we have no idea where to begin. What is our first step?

t We do a conscientious job of considering proposals, and we have really helpful funding criteria, but we have never evaluated the real outcomes of our funding programs.

t We are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between applicants. We get lost in comparing apples and oranges. Is there something wrong with our approach?

t Our board seems to be making decisions based more on personal connections and less on criteria than seems wise. How can we change that?

t Often, the proposals we receive don’t give us the information we need to apply our own criteria in a meaningful way. Can you help us fix that?

t We have determined a need to take a leadership role in changing our state’s approach to water resource management, but we are not sure what that role should look like. Can you help us figure that out?

t Our board is made up of family members; we are not a diverse group. How can we make certain that our funding decisions really serve the needs of our diverse community?

t We would like the members of our board to begin making site visits. Can you help us structure an approach that makes those visits useful exchanges?

t We keep funding programs that address symptoms, but the causes of those symptoms go on forever. We need help focusing our resources on the root causes of the symptoms that trouble us the most.

t Our board is sharply divided over how we should use our resources. Our differences are becoming personal. How can we stop fighting and start doing something worthwhile with our resources?

t Is it time for us to hire a staff?

t Is it time for us to reconfigure our programs?

t Is it time for us to change our staffing structure?

t Is our Executive Director really right for this job?

Donor Services Calls

t I want to make a major gift to a local organization, but I need an independent evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses first.

t I have been a major private donor in my community for some time. I’m interested in so many things and I get real pleasure from saying yes. Still, I feel like I need some help focusing my giving on requests that will make real, lasting changes.

t I recently inherited a substantial amount of money. I want to establish a way of making charitable contributions. I’ve talked to the community foundation and to my lawyer, but I’m just not sure how I want to move ahead.

t I am really concerned about increases in the rate of autism. Can you help me design a giving program that really works? There are so many options, but I’m not sure which choices have the most promise.

t I need a better understanding of what is being done nationally about financial literacy. I’m especially concerned about new immigrants and impoverished women. Can you find out who’s who and what’s what in that arena?

t How can I evaluate whether or not my charitable giving is making a difference?

t What is it fair of me to expect from organizations to which I make a substantial gift?

t I am a long-term donor to a particular organization. Now, I believe they are about to make a terrible mistake. How should I approach them? I want our exchange to be productive.

t I am grateful to be able to support so many organizations, but I’m really a very busy, private person. Can you do the interfacing for me?

Project Management Calls

t We are bringing together 300 residents who are concerned about downtown development. We need help in designing the meeting.

t I want to understand how the civic priorities of the 30 largest employers in the region come together. What will it take to do that?

t We have a ton of great information about a new set of practices we have piloted. We know they are valuable to the field. Can you help document our ideas and experiences? Can you help us figure out how to market the knowledge we have gained?

t Our founding director passed away unexpectedly. Can you get us through this transition in one piece?

t We are exploring a merger with a competing organization. We need a neutral party to facilitate the discussions.