For more than 30 years, ACN has strengthened mission-driven organizations by serving as Chicagoland’s premier society of professional nonprofit consultants. As thought leaders in this focused and ever-changing sector, our members provide organizations with a rich resource of expertise, education and experience.

Our Mission, Statement of Purpose and Statement of Values

Vision Statement
The Association of Consultants to Nonprofits envisions a world where all organizations doing social impact work have the external expertise they need to fulfill their missions.

Statement of Purpose (aka Mission Statement)
ACN raises the profile of consultants doing social impact work by providing its members with opportunities to build relationships and expand their expertise.

Core Audience
ACN’s core audience includes all consultants who work with organizations doing social impact work.

Statement of Values

Honesty and Trustworthiness

We are committed to being honest, transparent, and trustworthy in our interactions and relationships with each other so that we can learn, grow, debate, and improve our consulting practices in community with each other.

Commitment to Excellence

We conduct our operations and programs with integrity, competence, and commitment to ACN’s purpose and vision. We expect management, leadership, and members to conduct ACN business with respect for each other as well as for our partners, allies, and clients in the social impact sector.

Responsiveness and Adaptability

ACN is dedicated to learning and adapting its approach to programming and operations based on changes in the social impact sector, membership demographics, and an evolving understanding of how to meet the needs of its members. ACN encourages new and diverse ideas from its members while also respecting its historical approaches and efforts and values the open exchange of ideas through networking, relationship-building and ongoing professional development.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

ACN values diversity in its membership and strives to create an atmosphere for all members and guests that centers equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice. We recognize that we have a great deal of work to do and are committed to establishing organizational policies, processes, and systems that actively seek to undo the harms caused by racism, sexism and misogyny, homophobia and transphobia, xenophobia, and the exclusion of differently-abled individuals.