Association of Consultants to Nonprofits ACN News

Clean up your nonprofit consulting contract in 2024

Allison Wong Grant — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 20:39:15 GMT

The new year is a great time to improve practices, create efficiencies, streamline communications and more. Have you looked at your standard contract lately?

One of the perks of being an ACN member is the wealth of knowledge and support you have access to from all of our members. Ellen Shepard recently asked the group, “Does anyone have a clause in their contracts that if a client does not meet specific and agreed upon deadlines for the progression of the scope of work, you will charge an additional fee or renegotiate the contract for more money and/or extension of time?”

A common theme from all of the responses is to be clear with expectations. Clear with client responsibilities, project deadlines and how a change in scope could impact the overall budget. Here are all of the responses we got!

Client Responsibilities

Leslie Cain, of Bryn Mawr Institute, said she adds “client responsibilities” to her contracts and has serious conversations about scope creep and deadlines.

Don Raack of AltruNext reiterates the importance of setting clear expectations of client responsibilities. He adds, “we include a separate paragraph stating that material deviations in time or delivery from the client is subject to a change order which redefines timeline and incremental cost.”

Carol White of CBWhite says it’s important to be explicit about client responsibilities during each phase of the project and emphasize that meeting timelines is a joint effort. She adds, “We find that clients appreciate transparent communication about roles.”

Finally, here is the exact language that Randy Ford at First Story Strategies puts in his contract:

“Pause in Service. Client agrees to provide to Consultant any information or resources Consultant requires to complete Services. Client shall provide such information or resources on or before a mutually agreed-upon date. If Client does not provide such information or resources within seven (7) calendar days of the agreed-upon date, Consultant will consider its Services “on hold” until the delivery of delinquent information, at which time the Parties will agree upon a new timeline for Services.”

Billing

You might consider setting up a billing schedule in your contracts in an effort to keep projects moving along. Thanks to Kelly Kleiman of NFP Consulting for this great suggestion!

Leslie also adds a small 5% admin fee upfront on her budgets to cover for additional hours that will inevitably pop up during a project.

Thank you to all who contributed to this topic. Let us know if you plan to implement any of these practices or have any other ideas!

Gift Ideas for Nonprofit Consultants—During the Holidays and Year-Round

Gordon Mayer — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:06:01 GMT

An ACN member brought a question to the group that inspired a lively and informative discussion: As a consultant, how do you share gratitude with your clients during the holiday season—and throughout the year?

Our members jumped into action with a wealth of useful ideas, from whimsical to edible and choose-your-own gifts—as well as those that support local, Black-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and woman-owned businesses. You’re sure to find the perfect pick for your next client gift-giving opportunity.

Ideas for client holiday (or gratitude) gifts
Many of these companies offer options for wholesale or personalized orders as well:

Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA) also publishes an annual Holiday Gift Guide, Toasting Good, which features gift options from their social enterprise members and other social impact products.

Gift ideas with a personal approach

Cookies from a local bakery (or baker)

Non-fiction book on a topic of interest (Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Management was suggested)

A donation to the nonprofit and fruit basket for the staff

Give the gift-receiver the power to choose

Lastly, you could give your potential gift recipient an option to forgo a gift and instead redirect the dollars to charity:

https://mailergift.com

Create a system to determine the size of client gifts

You may decide to scale your giving efforts based on the client or project. In this case, you can create a rating system where you tie the gift expense to the revenue from the referral source or client and have gift types in several price points.

It’s also useful to keep on hand a small, inexpensive gift that you can use throughout the year to thank or acknowledge clients.

Contributors

Thank you to ACN member Sarah Marion, IOM of Athena Advisory, Inc. for bringing up this topic to the group. And thank you to the following ACN members who contributed ideas to the post:

Kevin Christopher-George of GreenMerits Consulting Inc.
Randy Ford of First Story Strategies
Gioia Giannotti of (r)evolution architecture
Dave Goetz of Journey Sixty6
Joyce Golbus Poll of J.G. Poll & Associates
Selina Gomez-Beloz of Madrina Consulting
Anne Hager of Fundraising Levers
Jerome Holston
Belinda S. Y. Li of CiTTA Partnership
Sarah Merion of Impact Aligned
Debra Natenshon
Lauren Ready of Forever Ready Productions
Lidia Varesco Racoma of Lidia Varesco Design
Crystal Whiteaker of Crystal Lily Creative
Amy Wishnick of Wishnick & Associates, LLC

Thanks to all! Let us know if you find this list helpful.

Creating a strong first impression with your nonprofit's website

Gordon Mayer — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 17:56:08 GMT

Visitors to your website want answers, fast, so your website has to hook visitors from the very first interaction. Here are some tips to make a favorable impression right away

As soon as a new visitor - or even someone who’s coming back for a return visit – arrives on the site, their mind is swimming with questions.

Questions like:

What's your mission?
Why does it matter?
How does it fit into my life?
Why should I believe you?
How can I get involved?

Everyone's busy and ready to move on to the next task. So your website has to hook visitors from the very first interaction.

So how can you create a website that leaves a favorable impression?

By following a few core principles, you can create an experience that invites visitors to dive deeper into your work.

1. Orient your visitors

The moment they land on your site, visitors should be able to understand your nonprofit's big idea. You can do that by describing your nonprofit's work in 15 words or less in the first headline that appears on your Home page. Think of it like your organization's elevator pitch to somebody new.

This text should describe some version of the who, what, why, or where (or all of the above!) about your mission. This helps visitors know what kind of website they're about to read so they understand the context for everything that follows.

2. Make it scannable

The truth is that nobody reads websites front to back — they scan them first and only stop when something catches their attention. If you don't have a scannable website, visitors won't have the entry points needed to explore the rest of your work.

You can increase scannability by breaking your content into sections that each have a specific purpose. Make liberal use of headings, lists, short paragraphs, images, and icons to direct your reader's eye. Anything that breaks up the flow of content will make it easier for readers to skim and hop around.

3. Use ample spacing

Giving your content enough spacing goes a long way toward encouraging people to read it. That means giving your content room to breathe — leaving space around text and images so things feel open and uncluttered.

Effective use of spacing provides structure to your content. It introduces an easy-to-understand visual hierarchy that moves people down the page in an intuitive manner. It also helps draw the eye toward the major actions you'd like visitors to take as they navigate your site.

As a bonus, strong spacing also makes the design feel more considered and professional, enhancing your org's reliability and trustworthiness.

4. Keep your content readable

This is the number one mistake nonprofits make with their messaging: writing their website like it's a grant application!

Using an overly academic tone introduces distance between you and your community. Even if your audience consists of highly educated people, they likely don't enjoy interacting with websites that read like a scientific paper. When in doubt, try to write at an accessible 9th-grade level. (You can use the Hemingway Editor to check your content's complexity level.) Use the sort of language you would use when talking to a friend at a coffee shop when they ask, "So what do you do?"

Beyond the language itself, ensure your site uses a font size that's easy for visitors to read without requiring magnification. Small text is difficult for anyone to read. When in doubt, keep your regular body text at a size of 18px or more.

5. Use “you-focused” language

Here's a simple test: press Ctrl+F on your website's Home page and count how many ”you’s” and “your’s” appear on the page. Then compare that number with how many "we"s and "us"es appear on the page. Which number is higher?

Website testing consistently shows that content containing more "you" makes people want to keep reading. It invites your reader along for the ride by framing things from their perspective.

If you find your website content relies more heavily on “we” and “us” -focused language, try rephrasing some of your sentences to more actively include the reader.

Pulling it all together

Here's the reality: confusing websites get ignored, while helpful websites get used.

With the above improvements in place, you'll nail the first impression of your nonprofit website.

And as people spend more time on your website, they'll read your stories, discover your resources, and explore the ways they can get involved with your org.

Creating an effective nonprofit website can be an ongoing challenge.

But when the pieces fit together well, you start your visitors off on the right foot along the larger journey into your mission.

Austin Hattox is the founder of Pixel Lighthouse

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud: Securing Your Free License is Just the Beginning

Gordon Mayer — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 16:23:35 GMT

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can be a game-changing Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) platform to help nonprofit organizations serve their mission. Nonprofits qualify for 10 free licenses through the Power of Us Program.

However, securing the licenses is just the beginning.

As a Salesforce Consulting Partner, Ascend NPO has learned that the real value of the tool is in how we customize it to solve specific problems unique to each nonprofit.

This can cost less and move faster than many nonprofit leaders may think. Here’s a case study featuring a recent client who leveraged a customized version of Salesforce to transform their program delivery. The project cost less than $10,000 and took about 8 weeks from kickoff to handoff.

Case Study – Dads Move

Meet Dads Move, a growing nonprofit based in Washington state. Their mission is to strengthen the role of parents, especially dads, in raising children with behavioral health needs.

As Dads Move has grown, they encountered significant challenges in delivering their programs efficiently due to outdated systems. To overcome these hurdles, they partnered with Ascend NPO. Let's explore how the implementation of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud transformed their program management and delivery.

Assessment and Diagnosis

Dads Move relied on manual processes, paper documents, and scattered data in spreadsheets, impeding their growth. Then, they secured several high-value grants. The funders wanted them to scale up, but required the group to meet performance and reporting standards.

The group needed Salesforce to create more standardized systems and automate parts of the intake process that staff previously did manually. Plus, as Dads Move grew, leaders wanted a better handle on their programs and results to make more data-driven decisions.

Planning and Implementation

Dads Move engaged Ascend NPO for Salesforce consulting and implementation services. Ascend NPO conducted in-depth sessions with the Executive Director, Program Manager, and other staff to understand their program management. This resulted in a detailed process map that identified:

Required data points
Staff handoff areas
Automation opportunities
Necessary documentation

Using the process map as a guide, Ascend NPO designed and implemented a custom solution within Salesforce.

This tailored solution empowered Dads Move to automate and track applications, care plans, and support services. They could now accept applications online, move applications and care plans through a structured process, and document support services they provided to clients.

Results and Impact

Implementing Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud had a significant impact on the nonprofit's operations. Some of the key outcomes included:

Streamlined Program Delivery and Reporting: Program delivery and demographic data became readily available, which made reporting for new and existing grant requirements much easier. This helped the nonprofit ensure that they were meeting grant requirements and could quickly report on their program impact to funders.
Increased Efficiency: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud streamlined the intake and referral process, resulting in an increase in the number of families served per staff member. By reducing time spent on administrative tasks, staff members could focus more on their mission, leading to heightened staff satisfaction.
Improved Program Participant Satisfaction: The improved case management capabilities enabled Dads Move to connect families with support services more efficiently. As a result, client satisfaction levels increased, and more families received the vital assistance they needed.

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud empowered Dads Move to amplify their impact and deliver better outcomes for the families they served. By harnessing the platform's capabilities, they streamlined their operations, alleviated administrative burdens, and refocused their efforts on providing critical support services to those in need.

Summary

The success story of Dads Move illustrates the power of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud to transform a nonprofit’s operations.

Matt Souza

Meet Matt, an experienced nonprofit consultant and Salesforce professional with nearly a decade of expertise, founded Ascend IPO in 2020. Learn more about his firm and Salesforce customization Ascend NPO here.

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Congrats to the winner & finalists of our new LGBTQ+ EMPOWERment Award offering cash, technical assistance

Gordon Mayer — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:04:00 GMT

UPDATE! (June 11)

Thank you to the groups from across the U.S. who applied!
The Association received submissions from across the country from innovative LGBTQ+ organizations. After narrowing down a highly competitive field of applicants from across the country, four finalists were invited to a virtual business pitch session to present their projects to a panel of consultants who work with nonprofit organizations.
After a careful selection, the judges selected the Supply Hive as the finalist who would be receiving the financial award and six pro bono consulting sessions. The other finalists, the National Queer Theater, Equality Chamber, and Affinity Community Services, will each receive consulting support from ACN volunteers.

When the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits created its mutual-support EMPOWER groups in 2022, providing support so members could help each other was one of the main goals. Now members of the LGBTQ+ Empower Group have added helping others to their goal.

“The LGBTQ+ EMPOWER Group was formed to raise the visibility and profile of members within the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits who work to support LGBTQ issues and beyond,” says David Dow, a. member of the LGBTQ+ Empower Group that created the grant.

“As a group we decided to create and collaborate on this award to recognize the important work of nonprofits serving our communities at such a critical and contentious time and to provide needed exposure, funds, and mentoring from ACN member consultants,” Dow adds.

The grant initiative the group created marks the first time ACN has provided a grant of cash and technical assistance to another organization in this way.

One organization will receive a financial award of at least $1,500 as well as six months of support from ACN-member consultants whose collective expertise covers every aspect of working in the nonprofit and social impact sector and who will be available for an established meeting schedule.

David Dow said that the LGBTQ+ Empower Group, which is leading the consulting initiative, looks forward to helping. Some examples of how they envision the work going forward might include:

Developing a new service area or program that brings direct benefits to LGBTQ+ populations
Incorporating LGBTQ+ concerns into existing DEI efforts
Launching a new outreach campaign to expand service to LGBTQ+ individuals
Revising existing documents to incorporate more inclusive language.

These are just examples; group members say they are open to whatever needs candidates for the grant put forward.

Pro bono consulting for finalists

All finalists will receive one pro bono consulting session with a volunteer consultant.

More than 150 consultants from across the U.S. and Canada make up the ACN, which was started more than 30 years ago in Chicago. Members work with local and national organizations in areas from Association Management to DEI and from Social Media to Strategic Planning.

More details on our website here.

Questions? Email acn.Igbtq@gmail.com

Members can add comments to this post

The Truth About Creating Inclusive Content For Your Brand

Gordon Mayer — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 15:51:37 GMT

“Inclusion in branding and business is a hot topic right now.”

I’ve lost count of the number of times a variation of this statement has been said in my presence.

If you’re white, cis-gendered, neurotypical, non-disabled and/or a heterosexual leader in any community—whether you have a platform with a small following, or you lead a large group with hundreds of creatives—this is for you.

While you’re trying to incorporate diversity through messaging and visuals, you could be doing more harm than good.

Genuine inclusion isn’t something that you buy in a package with a checklist, or employ with a gallery of stock photos showing people from diverse backgrounds. Change isn’t made simply through posting graphics with trendy colors.

Genuine inclusion takes work—deep, uncomfortable, disruptive, work—and here’s the truth: A lot of people in positions of privilege aren’t ready to let go of their comfort to do the real work that’s required of them, in order to examine their participation in the oppressive, capitalist, white supremacist system that still rules every aspect of our lives—yes, even our creative businesses. This is a system that many of our fellow creatives and business owners have learned how to operate in just to live.

Lasting Change Starts with Disruption

As an inclusive branding and leadership development consultant, I spend a lot of time guiding people through the challenging process of identifying and disrupting their own bias, before they can even create and share content that’s welcoming and inclusive. We work to disrupt everything that feels familiar and comfortable to identify that bias on a personal, professional, and community level. This process starts with an examination of their own behaviors and beliefs, as well as those of the people and environments they’re connected to.

First, we clarify the importance of inclusion, as well as examples of key terms and behaviors, before getting to the roots of their existing brand, where we re-visit and re-define core values, beliefs, and commitments.After we go through the process of doing this deep, often uncomfortable work, then—and only then—can we get into creating content that speaks to inclusion in a way that’s rooted in core values.

It’s vital to first do the deep, inner work that brings awareness to the ways we all participate in systems that create harm within marginalized communities.

Examples of harm include not speaking up when you see harm being done; excluding people because they’re “different” in some way; spiritual, emotional, or experiential bypassing; using or excusing racial slurs, sexist or homophobic language; talking negatively about someone else's weight, appearance, or disability; or using and excusing microaggressions. Even in the form of a “joke,” these things can all cause harm, whether someone points it out or not. (And often out of fear of retribution, they won’t.)

It’s tempting to jump right into using inclusive messaging and visuals, yes. But, if you avoid addressing and engaging in the inner work first, without holding yourself and your community accountable, then you run the risk of causing even more harm. That harm takes the shape of:

Action Bias: The need to develop and act on solutions just to feel good about “taking action” before a problem is even defined or understood,—especially when it doesn’t actually solve the problem.
Performative Allyship: Outwardly showing support for a community or group without doing any real work behind the scenes to understand the challenges or needs of the communities you’re attempting to connect with.

Creating Truly Inclusive Content

When you do the deep inner work and you’re ready to create inclusive content, then it’s time to consider your message and who you’re inviting into your brand and community. You have to create from a place of understanding and consider that everyone has their own unique lived experiences in addition to their personal identities, which influences the way they connect with brands and the content that gets shared. Something important to understand is that diversity brings people in, representation gives them a voice, and inclusion makes them feel welcome, heard, and understood.

When you're incorporating genuine inclusion into your life and business, your goal should be to provide people with a sense of belonging. With that in mind, here are a few questions for you to consider:

What is your motivation for bringing inclusion into your brand and community?
How is inclusion connected to your core values?
How do you account for unique/individual lived experiences?

If you want all people to feel welcome, you'll need to make sure they can find themselves represented in the content you share, in a non-tokenizing way. It’s also important to be consistent. For example, you can't only share images or messaging in support of the Black community during Black History Month, and you can't only show support of the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month.

In addition, your brand should include ethical representation of the people you're inviting in. Avoid stereotyping, engaging in cultural appropriation, and using people in brand photos who do not actually identify with the audience(s) you are looking to connect to. (For example: do not use models who aren't part of the LGBTQ+ community to represent the LGBTQ+ community.) It’s important to be consistently inclusive in practice while being mindful of the language and imagery you share in public and in private. This also includes the relationships you keep and the organizations you support.

The truth about creating inclusive content for your brand is that every action you take toward building a genuinely welcoming community requires awareness that can only be achieved through identifying and disrupting bias. It requires continuous work, recognition, and mindfulness that people need to be able to see practiced throughout your brand.

Crystal Whiteaker (pronouns: she/her), is the author of the new book Brave Leadership is a Choice: An Inclusive Guide to Creating Belonging, and an Inclusive Branding and Leadership Development and Consultant specializing in coaching and consulting for brands and leaders that care deeply about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. More at her website, Crystal Lily Creative.

Don't forget that members can add comments or questions to this post!

New members & programs, more diverse board: 2022 in review

Gordon Mayer — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 15:04:44 GMT

Well, Fellow ACN members—we find ourselves at the start of another year, wondering how the last one slipped by so quickly. 2022 was a busy year for ACN! Some of our accomplishments include:

Two established EMPOWER groups: LBGTQA+ and New Consultants
Holding an in-person celebration with Dr. Judith Wright as the keynote speaker
Addressing long-standing governance issues that introduce unnecessary bureaucracy and slow down ACN’s work

Our membership has also continued to grow in size and scope. At the end of 2022, ACN had 150 members in 24 states and 1 Canadian province, and we continue to attract members from all over the US.

On average, our members have more than 20 years of experience and serve 8 clients a year. ACN members also represent the full range of consulting experience-- from “just started” to an established organization with $50 million in revenue. I’m thrilled to see just how much of a “big tent” ACN is—welcoming both members who are starting out and experienced and established consultants.

ACN also welcomed 5 new board members in July 2023:

William Moore, The Strategy Group (KS)
DeRhondal Bevly, RubyRose Strategies (IL)
Allecia Harley, Prevention Advisory Group (IL)
Dennis Johnson, Sort Sol Group (IL)
Arthur Padilla, StratG Works (WA)

The current board is a step in the right direction as the Board seeks to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The board now has directors in 5 states, representing solo entrepreneurs, small consulting firms, and large international organizations and represents members from the LQBTQA+ community and several racial and ethnic groups.

So what’s on deck for 2023?

Planning and development of CAN DO IT!
Under the leadership of Allecia Harley, this January ACN developed and launched the CAN DO IT! Program for new consultants. The sessions cover a range of topics critical for new and just starting consultants such as legal structure, financial management, and marketing. This year’s program will start next week with 15 registrants -- registration is closed but we plan to host this series again based on interest.
Expanding the scope and reach of EMPOWER groups
ACN’s EMPOWER groups are one of our most vibrant programs; both the LGBTQA+ and New Consultants groups have grown since they started about a year ago.

The New Consultants groups has more than 30 people and is still growing! And the LGTQA+ group has developed and is launching a mini-grant program for nonprofits working on LGBTQA+ issues. This grant also comes with ACN consultant support. Both groups are great examples of what happens when smart and savvy ACN members come together.

ACN plans to expand our EMPOWER group offerings to address the interests of other sub-communities within the larger membership, such as Consultants of Color and Large Organization members. We welcome ideas for other EMPOWER groups, too!
Focus on identifying and amplifying the programs and activities that ACN members find valuable
A key strategic focus that ACN’s Board of Directors started in 2022 is more clearly defining the value that consultants get from their ACN membership. This includes analyzing the interests and needs of established consultants and expanding our program offerings to ensure that members outside of the Chicago area are able to participate in as many programs as possible.

It’s important that we do this right and make sure members get what they need from ACN—whether in Chicago or out of state, new to consulting or an established firm of 20+ years, solo practitioners or part of multi-state firms.

Finally, as I write this, the Board of Director’s governance committee is starting the process of building a slate of candidates for the FY2023-2024 fiscal year. I wholeheartedly encourage you (yes, you!) to consider applying for the Board--or if you're reading this and not yet a member, join us!

Thank you all for your partnership.

Shailushi Ritchie, ACN Board President

A Look at the Landscape for Grant Writers in 2023

Gordon Mayer — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 17:17:24 GMT

The outlook for fundraising has changed a lot over the past few years, particularly due to the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on philanthropy.

Not all of the changes that resulted from the pandemic are bad. Since 2020, donors have remained committed to philanthropy, with many even increasing their giving during the pandemic.

This is good news for grant writers and nonprofit fundraising consultants alike. It means more opportunities for winning more grants and raising more money for your clients.

Don’t forget, though, that the grant writing landscape is constantly in flux. Along with increases in giving, there are also many more nonprofits and consultants asking for money, meaning the landscape is becoming more competitive.

If you are a grant writer, it’s critically important that you keep up with—and stay ahead of—trends in grant writing. My platform, Instrumentl is one tool you can use for that purpose. Here’s a list of grant writing podcasts that provide timely ideas and interviews with well known experts.

Now, on to a list of ways that grantwriters can gain more clients in 2023.

4 Ways Grant Writers Can Gain More Clients in 2023

Market Yourself

Marketing yourself is key to reaching more clients and landing more grant writing gigs.

If you build a website, make sure it is effective—tell people who you are and what you can offer them. Consider testimonials from current or former clients who are happy with your work. You can even create an online “portfolio” with samples of your work that potential clients can review.

Keep it simple: a clean, streamlined layout, bold colors, and concise language will go a long way in helping you sell yourself to potential clients.

Most importantly, include a way that clients can contact you.
Create a Digital Presence on social media

You can put your portfolio on Linked In or other social platforms, too. LinkedIn can be an effective way to establish your brand, get the word out about your services, and build your network.

Facebook and Twitter (still!) are also platforms you can use to reach more potential clients. As you build your digital presence, be sure to connect with fellow grant writers and consultants. They’re often a great resource and a potential connection point for new clients. ACN has a members only LinkedIn group where you can share what you have to offer/what you’re looking for and meet peers to compare notes.
Consider a Cold Pitch

Find some organizations that interest you and reach out! Maybe you connect to their mission, or you feel passionate about the impact they have had on your community. This may work best with small, local nonprofits that could really benefit from your expertise.

When you make a cold pitch, be sure to include the following:

- A brief, yet professional, introduction
- A summary of the services you offer
- Why you are the best (share your success rate!)
- How hiring you will benefit their organization
- Some grants that they might be eligible for

That last item will take some leg work on your part, but it will pay off. This is a great way to show potential clients that you are knowledgeable about grant writing and that you already have a short list of potential grants that you could win for them. The return on the investment of your time can be high.
Get Out From Behind Your Desk
Building your network using digital platforms is great. But there is sometimes no substitute for old-fashioned networking. It’s important to see and be seen.

In addition to ACN (of course!), consider joining networks like the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Grant Professionals Association, or another group relevant to your work. These organizations have local chapters that often host in-person and online meetings, networking events, and training sessions.

Wrapping Up: 4 Ways Grant Writers Can Gain More Clients in 2023

The grant writing landscape is changing—and getting more competitive. As a grant writing consultant, you must be flexible and adaptable to stay ahead of the game.

Take a grant writing course (from us or others) to keep your skills sharp, work on building your network and your brand so you can reach more potential clients, and consider using the Instrumentl platform to streamline your efforts and help you win more grants.

If you follow this advice, you’ll be sure to have an amazing 2023!

Will Yang leads growth at Instrumentl, a marketing partner of ACN that provides nonprofits with grant prospecting, tracking, and management. (It’s available at discounted rates to ACN members).

Remember, ACN members can add comments or questions on each blog post.

Consultant celebrates banner first year with support from ACN EMPOWER Group

Gordon Mayer — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 15:08:34 GMT

When I began consulting last year, I had no idea where it would lead or if I would make it on my own. Spoiler alert: it has been a tremendous year! ACN’s EMPOWER Early Stage Consultants Group has played a significant role in that.

After I organized MW Strategies LLC and began my journey as a fundraising and management consultant to nonprofit organizations, I quickly realized there was more to being a solopreneur than the pros/cons list I threw together last summer. So, I started to seek out resources that would expand my knowledge about the business of nonprofit consulting.

Through ACN and the Early Stage Consulting Group, I have learned that nonprofit consultants might be the experts in helping our clients, but we need our own network and support group in order to be most effective.

What’s an EMPOWER Group?

In spring 2022, ACN started their EMPOWER Groups that bring together consultants for conversations around common interests and topics. I have found camaraderie with newbies like myself in ACN’s EMPOWER Early Stage Consultants Group.

We hail from all over the United States, Canada, and sometimes even further away. We specialize in IT, website design, fundraising, grant writing, strategic listening, organizational management, and more and are serving a vast assortment of missions.

We meet monthly and intrepid ACN Executive Director Tricia Fusilero and Susan Kahan of Sapphire Fundraising Specialists keep us organized, learning, and sharing with one another in a safe and mutually supportive environment. We have gratefully welcomed more seasoned ACN professionals, including Janet Cobb and Amy Cook, who have generously shared their wisdom and experiences with us and inspired us to explore new ways of working.

Topics we have covered include:

how to gain visibility through speaking engagements,
ins and outs of RFPs and contracts,
finding work/life harmony,
structuring our time and boundaries effectively,
consulting versus coaching, and
how to partner with other consultants.

We discuss trends and personal successes and challenges that provide support in the often lonely world of sole proprietorships and encourage each other to expand our horizons. We make referrals and share ideas.

For example, when someone in the group was concerned about not having launched their website yet, several of us reassured them by noting we didn't launch websites until a few months of business operations--and also that you don't have to launch everything all at once or keep everything the same forever.

We formed our own LinkedIn group to keep in touch between meetings and boost each others’ posts. Every meeting, we come away with actionable information and helpful resources.

As a result, I look forward to more effectively supporting my clients and their constituents with this knowledge gained while also keeping a balance with the other parts of my life. Whether you have been in nonprofit consulting forever or are just starting out, ACN and its EMPOWER groups are a great way to build your practice.

Would I still be a consultant one year in, even if I never found ACN and its EMPOWER Groups? Probably - but having a supportive network and benefiting from the experience of others who’ve been where I am has made a huge difference. The power of a network makes all the difference--and ACN is a great network.

Remember, ACN members can add comments or questions on each blog post.

De-Bias Your Evaluation Practice

Gordon Mayer — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 12:21:05 GMT

Traditional evaluation approaches prioritized funders’ needs rather than focusing on the needs of the communities where nonprofits’ were working. Bias was often built into these evaluations.

There is a new movement to change that: Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation, CREE.

I am conducting a half day workshop titled, ‘Actionable tools to De-bias your evaluation practice’ at the 2022 American Evaluation Association conference this fall. As I plan my session, I thought it would be helpful to share some tools to de-bias evaluations using the CREE approach and the “why” behind the workshop with the ACN community so that every nonprofit and evaluator can reconsider how we measure success.

Past approaches to evaluation often perpetuated the existing historic injustice in the U.S. and other places. These evaluation models have disproportionately impacted certain populations or communities, continued disparities and sustained imbalances in power.

In response to that problem, a few evaluators created the Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE) approach.

Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation addresses the dynamics and practices that have historically undervalued the voices, knowledge, expertise, capacity and experience of all evaluation participants and stakeholders, particularly people of color and other marginalized peoples.

This CREE model and de-biasing your evaluation requires that evaluators to engage in a process of ongoing self-reflection and adjustment, including a willingness to question and adapt traditional evaluation methods in response to stakeholder input. In 2018, the American Evaluation Association updated their evaluation guiding principles, drawing on concepts of cultural competence and equity in evaluation.

How it works

As an evaluator, I look for ways to tell the story of a community. I strive to partner with community residents to give voice to successes and challenges through data and evidence. The CREE model ensures that I center my evaluation on the community and this model provides a deeper understanding of lived experience.

To do that, I first identify who “the community” is. For example, I was part of a team that helped design an evaluation recently for an organization that provides free grief counseling for children who lost their loved ones. In this case “the community” is the children receiving services.

The organization and I recognized we cannot truly measure success of the programming if we do not include children in the evaluation. So, our team designed a creative toolkit that uses art as a way to measure the kids' coping skills that they received in the programming.

The art is then catalogued and tagged to show which coping skills are resonating with which age group. This evaluation helps improve the program by showing the most effective skills that are resonating with that community (kids).

Nonprofits seeking to de bias their evaluations should look for an evaluator who will- intentionally identify as a practitioner of CREE Here are some other things to look for - Evaluators must infuse CREE into all evaluation methodologies and designs. It requires integrating diversity, inclusion, and equity principles into all phases of evaluation.

Participation in the evaluation by the individuals most impacted by the program we are evaluating is a hallmark of CREE. It also incorporates cultural, structural, and contextual considerations into the evaluation, including historical, social, economic, racial, ethnic, and gender-related factors.

Three tools to de-bias evaluations

Here are a few potential opportunities for integrating the core principles of equitable evaluation into future work:

Identify effective research teams that are culturally competent and ideally include individuals who bring a diverse set of perspectives, skills, identities and lived experiences. Incorporating members of the community studied into the research teams is a great way of bringing cultural competency into the team.
When developing data collection instruments such as interviews, focus group protocols involve stakeholders in the design phase. This will ensure that the tools developed are culturally relevant and provide valuable information.
Ensure that all the voices are represented in the evaluation.

There are nine steps in the CREE model and evaluators must ensure cultural sensitivity is integrated into each step.

These steps are outlined in image 1:Image 1: Nine steps to the CREE model
Source: Adapted from Hood, S., R. Hopson, and K. Kirkhart. “Culturally Responsive Evaluation: Theory, Practice, and Future Implications.” In Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, edited by K.E. Newcomer, H.P. Hatry, and J.S. Wholey. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2015, pp. 281–317.

What’s next for CREE

CREE is still relatively a new practice and there are efforts at the national level to mainstream these models and incorporate community voice in evaluation.

Federal organizations like HRSA, CDC and others are also calling for more community voice into evaluations. Nonprofits and even some evaluators are still learning about this model. Fortunately, there are organizations like Expanding the Bench that work towards diversifying evaluation and elevating culturally responsive and equitable evaluation.

There is a growing recognition in the field about CREE approaches and funders have expressed growing interest in designing evaluations to counter the power dynamics of traditional approaches to evaluation and to promote equity for study participants and other community members.

Given the historic injustices and power imbalances, it is time to shine light on our current practices and find ways to debias our evaluation practices.

Deepika Andavarapu, AICP, PhD is the founder/CEO of D.E.E.P Consultants. She conducts culturally responsive evaluations, as well as diversity, equity & inclusion training and strategic planning. Reach her at deepika@deepconsultants.org.

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ACN goes (inter)national: new board, plans for year ahead

Gordon Mayer — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 02:23:41 GMT

ACN elected new and returning board members in June.

Board President Shailushi Ritchie, founder and CEO of Sevah Consulting, shares thoughts on our growth in members from across the U.S. and Canada and plans for the coming year.

You might be wondering what ACN's Board and Committees are working on for our membership this year. Here's a teaser:

We experienced exceptional membership growth outside Chicago. This is great for our national visibility and presence, but also poses challenges in delivering programming, supporting networking, and creating community among all members.
Program committee is exploring ways for all of ACN's programming to reach members outside the Chicago area. We'd love it if members, particularly those outside Chicago, who might be interested in helping to develop this approach join the team!
Save the date and plan to join us October 20, 2022 to celebrate our ability to return to in-person events. We would love it if our outside-of-Chicago members could join us, but there will also be a meaningful way for anyone who is not attending in person to participate. (Please do reach out to Program committee members if you're interested in helping.)
Our AJEDI (Access, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) work continues. The Board has committed funds to start the work on the equity, inclusion, and diversity challenges we are aware of and to identify those we aren't aware of.
We continue to explore ways to partner with nonprofits and agencies that serve nonprofits, including community foundations and state nonprofit associations. This is another area where we invite interested members to support the work and help ACN foster connections in different areas of the country.
Communication committee and our association management firm are working overtime to share news, information, and announcements. I especially want to raise up Tricia Fusilero’s video profiles of members - did you know we have a YouTube page? The team has been keeping our website updated, social media posts at the top of our feeds, and more.

We have amazing leadership in the Board of Directors, Committee Chairs, and volunteer members making ACN's vision come to life.

As the Board President, I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has worked to make ACN what it is and who are offering their time and expertise to take it into its next phase. Thank you!

Buying Cloud Technology Subscriptions

Gordon Mayer — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 03:11:04 GMT

Innovative cloud technologies can do wonders to increase nonprofits’ reach, efficiency, and cost savings - and the list of benefits goes on.

But the benefits come with a price. Planning your approach when signing up for a yearly agreement with a particular cloud technology provider is important to get both the best cost and the most effective solution for your nonprofit.

Even with the growing efforts of some tech start-ups to help shed light on cloud technology pricing, there are situations in which one organization provides similar services but still gets a significantly different price than another. What’s missing?

Sometimes, the missing element is one or more key players in the nonprofit organization looking to add a cloud based solution (some well-known examples: SalesForce,Mailchimp, DocuSign).

Many cloud-based applications target a specific line of business (HR, Procurement, Marketing, Legal etc.) as opposed to just IT. But those directly involved in that business area may lack the time, effort and experience to understand and negotiate critical terms in a cloud technology contract.

For-profits may have a dedicated “Head of Technology Sourcing.” The person in this role is specifically tasked with overseeing such cloud technology contracts/subscriptions, leveraging their experience and relationships with the business, IT and Legal to do so.

In nonprofits, we often see just the person leading that line of business or just the IT contractor left with the responsibility of reviewing and understanding what they are getting into. Neither of these individuals or teams alone can fully align on the importance of the cloud application to the organization overall.

It’s helpful to get your full team at the table, specifically the line of business, Legal and IT with the understanding that each of their inputs will impact both what will be paid, and the overall relationship with the cloud technology provider. You will need everyone's commitment throughout the process.

Here are some additional tips on evaluating cloud-based technology solutions:

Do some research prior to signing. What have your peers paid? Why? What measurable value did they ultimately get? How does the pricing provided compare to what is publicly listed on the cloud provider’s website? Are there additional discounts available for the nonprofit customers?
Seek to understand the cloud technology business model along with common terminology that may show up in your agreements. This includes common acronyms like ACV (Annual Contract Value), TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), SOW (Statement of Work), SLA (Service Level Agreements), MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) and others. Uncover what else is going on behind the scenes that can influence what you will end up paying through conversations with others besides the sales team.
Where necessary, get outside help. While your internal team and the research you’ve done will certainly help equip you for the negotiation, having a partner that has experience in these types of transactions to advise on various topics, will only increase the value you plan to get from your investment while mitigating risks due to missed/overlooked nuances.
Vendors can be an asset to the process. Approach these new contractual relationships in the spirit of transparency and collaboration, and avoid the combative techniques associated with the old “them vs. us” mindset. You will end up with a real partnership based on value and accountability that will ultimately result in the mutual success of your nonprofit and the cloud technology provider.

Planning, research and internal alignment are the biggest challenges to understanding and signing up for cloud technology subscriptions. These are never easy - but again like most other things in life, the effort you’ll put into them can pay off in effectiveness, efficiency, and cost savings.

Kevin Christopher-George of GreenMerits Consulting is tapping into his 20+ years of experience across different areas in technology management to advise nonprofits on how to find, adopt and use technology that will increase their positive impact. His passion is geared towards how organizations can build meaningful, value driven, and mutually beneficial relationships with technology providers.

How to Tell Your Nonprofit's Story with Bar Charts

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 10 May 2022 00:44:01 GMT

by Amelia Kohm, ACN Member

Nonprofits–both large and small–are awash in data. And every one of them faces the challenge of extracting meaning from all that data and communicating it to show their impact. The problem is that the human brain processes data at a lumbering pace. Fortunately, our brains can process well-designed visual information at lightning speed. Using visual elements (like bars, pie slices, and sloping lines) to illustrate our data can make it clear and compelling for our audience.

Nonprofits are most familiar with the humble bar chart. But there are many more visually engaging ways to capture your audience’s attention and use your data to tell a memorable story about the problems you’re addressing and the difference you’re making. Here are four ideas:

Divergent Stacked Bar Chart

You probably know what a divergent stacked bar chart is, even if you don’t call it that. It’s easier to show you than to describe it. So take a look:

As you can see, the divergent stacked bar chart aligns each bar around a common midpoint. That makes it much easier to compare, for example, positive and negative values across categories. Divergent stacked bar charts work best when categories have an intrinsic order. For example, you might use this type of chart to show the following survey responses: Strongly disagree and disagree to the left of the midpoint and agree and strongly agree to the right. Here are directions for making divergent stacked bar charts in Excel and Tableau.

Funnel Chart

Another variation on the bar chart is the funnel chart which helps a reader visualize a process (such as the steps to complete a food service training program) where something (such as the number of participants) decreases at each step. The chart below illustrates the decreasing number of participants at each stage of a food service training program from orientation through employment. We can see at a glance how few make it all the way to a job and at which stages there is the most and least drop off.

A funnel chart can be designed as interactive. This one allows users to set the display to break down the data in the chart above by gender, race and ethnicity, and other characteristics, as shown below.

Check out these easy instructions for making funnel charts in Tableau and Excel.

Combo Chart

Consider the two charts below. Both show the same data: fundraising goals vs. actual funds raised. The one on top uses bars for both categories. The bottom one uses bars for the goals and lines for actual amounts.

Which works better? I vote for the bottom one. It makes comparing values between two different categories easier because it uses not only different colors to distinguish them but different “encodings” (bars and lines). The bottom chart gives us a clear view of when we are exceeding or falling short of our goals in any given month.

Combo charts are good at showing trends as well as deviations in the data that need to be examined such as the significant difference in goal vs. actual during the month of May in the example below.

Combo charts also are great at showing the relationship of two variables that have different units of measurement. In the example below, the bars show the number of participants in an afterschool program by month while the line shows the average temperature, in degrees, during each of those months.

Combo charts also are easy to create in Excel, Tableau, and other data viz applications.

Icon Chart

Another close cousin of the bar chart is the icon chart. Icon charts can work well but should be designed carefully. The icons themselves should not be used instead of bars because this makes it more difficult for viewers to make accurate comparisons. See the first example below showing how many clients live in different types of homes. It’s quite a challenge to determine how many more clients live in suburban homes vs. high rises. That’s because the height of the icons are difficult to assess.

The second example makes it a little easier. But I’d argue that in both examples 1 and 2, the icons make the viewer’s job (comparing lengths) unnecessarily difficult.

The third example, introduces bars back into the bar chart and thus requires minimal viewer effort.

And the fourth further lightens the load by removing the Y-axis, directly labeling the bars, and placing the bars closer together.

You can add icons to bar charts in Excel and Tableau as well as in any graphics program such as Canva, which allows you to first create the bar chart and then add icons from its vast library of free images.

The divergent stacked bar chart, the funnel chart, the combo chart, and the icon chart are all great ways to clarify and engage people in your data. For other ideas on how to visualize your data, please check out the 60-Second Data Tips on my website. While you are there, you can sign up to receive a free 60-Second tip each week.

Amelia Kohm, PhD, is the founder of Data Viz for Nonprofits which helps organizations to quickly grasp their data, improve their work, and show their impact. Data Viz For Nonprofits custom designs interactive data dashboards as well as charts, maps, and graphs for presentations, reports, social media, or websites.

Amelia has more than 25 years of experience studying, funding, and evaluating human services. She earned a certificate in data visualization from the University of Washington and applied her data visualization skills in her research at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, a child policy research center. Prior to Chapin Hall, she worked as a program officer at the Sears Roebuck Foundation and at the Illinois Humanities Council.

Planned Giving – What Are You Scared Of?

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:54:10 GMT

By Susan Kahan, ACN member

I used to be involved in a planned giving program, and I had a colleague from another department come over to my desk every once in a while and jokingly say, did anyone die recently, and did we get any money?

When the answer was yes, I would also say to them, this person that recently passed away cared so much about our work that they wanted us to be successful even when they were no longer around to see it for themselves. That shut him up.

So many fundraisers think planned giving is scary. You’re talking about death. AND taxes. AND trusts. And did I mention death?

But what if you flipped the thinking around? A donor is passionate about your cause. So passionate that they want you to be successful even after they are not alive to see the impact of their generous support. Can anything be more altruistic than that?

Yes, planned giving can provide tax benefits. But most importantly, it is allowing the donor to be remembered generously and positively. Their legacy makes them a hero. As noted planned giving expert Dr. Russell James says, allowing the donor to become the hero in their own story is the best gift we (the fundraisers) can give to the donor.

With this principle in mind, let’s start with the basics – what is a planned gift? It is a charitable donation that is intentionally planned out in advance, that is gifted either during lifetime or after the donor’s passing. So simple!

What else can we do to make planned giving less scary? Let’s look at the most common type of planned gift – the bequest. A bequest is simply when a donor writes into their will, trust, or codicil (a fancy name for addition to the will) that they want to leave (1) a set amount (i.e., $10,000), (2) a percentage (i.e., 2% of the estate or trust), or (3) a percent of the remainder of the estate (i.e., the first $5 million goes to the 3 kids, and then 10% of the remainder goes to a charity). See, not scary?

Let’s go even further, so you know what to say to a donor. If you hear the donor say –

I’m retiring.
I’m selling my business.
I just had my first child or grandchild.
This organization is so meaningful to me.
I’ve been thinking about what I’ve accomplished in my life.

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! This is when you say to your donor –

Thanks so much for sharing this with me. As you think about how you want to be remembered, have you ever thought about including our nonprofit in your estate plans?

-OR-

I’m with you. This organization has also changed my life. Where do you think the needs of this organization will be in 20, 30, or even 50 years from now? Would you consider a way to shape that future?

THEN STOP TALKING! Let them think about it.

So, stop being scared. Stop putting off the conversation with your donor. Give a gift to your donor and let them be a hero. Start the planned giving conversation now and imagine the power those planned gifts will one day have have in furthering your mission.

Susan Kahan is the Founder/Principal of Sapphire Fundraising Specialists, a fundraising strategy consulting business for small to medium-size nonprofits with a focus on major gifts, planned giving, capital campaigns, and solicitation training.

Nonprofits: What is your audience thinking?

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 18:39:05 GMT

By Emily Taylor, ACN Member

When people support your mission, you can make the world a better place. If you want to see a change for better in this world you can’t do it alone, you need collaboration with a variety of stakeholders—be they donors, program participants, or other supporters. This type of complex collaboration requires listening. How often are you intently listening to your constituents? They hold a wealth of information that can help you build momentum for your work.

What do we learn by listening?

When you listen to your people, you can learn what motivates them, how they connect to your mission, and what gaps they have in understanding your work. It gives you context for all that data you’ve collected. Why did someone make that last donation? What competing priorities do they have that affects how they engage with us? How do they decide to participate with our organization? When you know this information, it can help you guide people closer to your organization in a more meaningful way—beyond email automations and TikTok videos.

What are some methods for listening?

Knowing the tools of listening can help prepare you for it—whether you decide to listen yourself or hire a professional. Below are some of the methods I use most that can be tailored to gather quick or more in-depth feedback.

Interviews: This is my favorite method. Have an in-depth conversation with people about your organization. Try to get to the “why” of how they made a decision that affects your organization. A survey can answer how well they liked a program but, in an interview, you have the opportunity to answer why they liked it AND why that matters to them. These can be done occasionally as convenient over a defined period of time or more in-depth with set questions with a strategic population.

Casual Conversations: Similar to interviews, this can be a few questions you ask at the end of another conversation, be it a coffee or program. It is an easy way to build on already having someone’s attention. They can be one-on-one or in a trusted group and is also a great way to build relationships with these stakeholders.

Surveys: Short, informal surveys allow you to capture people’s thoughts more frequently throughout the year, which is especially important during unpredictable times. Surveys are not great at predicting people’s behaviors, but you can gather a sense of what people are currently doing and preferences for new program ideas. Include open-ended questions to listen for perspectives you might not have thought to ask about.

A/B Testing: Not every way of listening needs to be through your ears, you can also observe how people react to two slightly different approaches. For example, you could initiate two fundraising campaigns, each with a different story or visual about your need, with one going to 50% of your audience and the other to the other half. Observe which story or message led more people to make a donation. Over time, you can see which stories, images, or calls to action are more impactful with your audience.

Observing: Similar to testing, observing how people behave in a situation can also tell you about them. Do they seem to be interested in only parts of your program (virtual or in-person)? Are they registering but not attending? These are forms of communication and if you need more information on why they are doing them, it might make sense to follow up with a survey or short interview.

Where do I start?

If you could reach into your audience’s brain, what would you want to know? If you don’t know the answer to this question, take a step back before you start listening and create a goal. For instance, if you want to better understand why someone isn’t engaging more in a program, you’ll want to ask them questions that help you listen for barriers to them attending or learning about it—not about their giving or other engagements.

Whether you go all in on listening to your audience or start slowly, the benefits to listening are great—a better understanding of how your audience views your organization and a clear picture of how to engage them. It lays the foundation for building your strong coalition to make the world a better place.

Emily Taylor is the principal of teenyBIG, which uses Strategic Listening to engage nonprofit audiences. Learn more at www.teenybig.com.

Nonprofits: It’s Time to Re-Energize Your Workplace as Folks Transition Back to the Office

Elizabeth Duffrin — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 01:49:45 GMT

By Gioia Giannotti, ACN Member

Although many have insisted since the pandemic began that “the death of the office” is imminent, some nonprofits embraced the opportunity presented by remote work and empty offices to enhance and re-energize their workspaces. Over the course of these last two years, studies have shown that people want to return to the office — for reasons that are both practical and emotional. Employees cite the desire for a greater sense of social connection — engaging in collaborations and meetings, as well as training and career development opportunities. Some state that a change in scenery and a break from home life are additional reasons for wanting to return.

What appears evident is that a hybrid workstyle and hybrid workspaces may be more of the norm across industries moving forward. Therefore, as folks return to the office, many may be greeted by spaces that may look, feel and function a little differently in order to accommodate this shift. Others may be pleasantly surprised by having access to new amenities intended to enhance their comfort—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

As nonprofits re-define their return-to-work policies, many are also rethinking their physical spaces. While nonprofits typically have limited budgets for remodeling, even small investments can boost productivity, attract and retain employees, appeal to clients, and bolster your mission. Here are few ideas to consider:

Create a Warm, Welcoming Entry. Renovating your entry, such as the façade or reception area, could be a relatively inexpensive way to attract clients and establish your brand identity. For instance, repainting your exterior entrance or recladding it with an inexpensive material can enhance visual appeal. Repainting and recarpeting your reception area can add personality and color. If you need to post legal documentation at the entrance, creating a framed or organized display will reduce a sense of clutter and enhance its attraction. Signage and imagery that reinforces your brand identity can also help staff, clients and guests feel more comfortable.

(r)evolution architecture design for Healthcare Alternative Systems, Chicago

In the past, many nonprofits and businesses have favored open office plans, both as a cost-saving measure and as a way to encourage communication through random encounters that build relationships and spark new ideas. But in recent years, research has pointed to a need for more varied work spaces. Employees have expressed that they want and need a choice of where and how they work, with access to areas that are both open and collaborative, as well as private, heads-down, get-the-work done spaces. A well-thought-out design plan can ensure that space is used flexibly yet efficiently and cost effectively.

In an era of hybrid work, many organizations could also consider supplementing traditional multi-purpose/conference rooms with smaller virtual collaboration spaces (equipped with audio visual capabilities) to allow employees on site to plan or brainstorm with those working from home.

(r)evolution architecture design for Health Communities Foundation, Riverside

Create Rest Space. Staff need designated break areas to decompress. Consider going beyond a kitchenette to provide an area with comfortable furniture that encourages employees to relax and socialize. Doing so can help build relationships among staff that strengthens their connection with each other and your organization.

If possible, create an outdoor break area in addition to an indoor one. Access to the outdoors can refresh and enhance productivity. At a minimum, ensure that your staff has access to natural light in both rest spaces and work spaces. Research shows that natural light energizes people and benefits mental health enormously.

Build Connection through Design. While redesigning your workplace can take time and resources, the potential benefits are great. Thoughtful design both communicates your brand identity and accommodates human needs. It makes workers more productive and attracts clients and employees. It makes people feel welcomed and taken care of, increasing their sense of belonging and commitment to your organization. Especially in the COVID era, people are longing for a sense of connection that good design can help you provide.

Gioia Giannotti, ACN vice president, is also the vice president of business operations and co-founder of (r)evolution architecture, llc. She enjoys collaborating with clients across diverse industries to create unique holistic and inclusive spaces through a methodical pre-design plan development through design and construction administration. Her diverse background includes marketing strategy leadership, business development, and customer experience management for Fortune 500 companies, marketing agencies and non-profits. As a bilingual and bicultural Latina, Gioia brings an equity and belonging lens to her work, community and civic service efforts.

ACN Year in Review 2021

Elizabeth Duffrin — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 17:27:22 GMT

The pandemic may have dragged on in 2021, but we at ACN continued to keep our members connected and supported by embracing virtual opportunities—and grew our organization at a record pace.

2021 Board and Committee Updates

In 2021, we unveiled a new strategic focus as well as related Mission Statement, Statement of Purpose and Core Audience. One of our goals is to make diversity, equity and inclusion a priority at ACN. We are also working on new ways to engage members nationwide, and our board and committees now include members from across the country.

We also welcomed the following new board members:

Gioia Giannotti of (r)evolution architecture

John Bauer of John E. Bauer Consulting, LLC

David Dow of Schooley Mitchell

Aashi Mital of Pivotal Solutions Consulting

Arthur Padilla of StrataG.Works

Read more 2021 board updates.

2021 Committee Highlights

Marketing & Communications Committee

Board Liaison: Lidia Varesco Racoma; Co-Chair: Gordon Meyer

The Marketing & Communications Committee is responsible for ensuring that ACN's brand and messaging is consistent in all outreach and across all channels. In 2021, they:

Refreshed the ACN website—including adding photos that highlight our members’ work.
Launched an Instagram page. You can follow ACN there, in addition to Facebook and LinkedIn.
Implemented a new social media strategy so you will be seeing more consistent ACN content and stories.

Nonprofit Relations Committee (NPRC)

Board Liaison: Don Raack; Co-Chairs: Paul Cox and Amelia Kohm

NPRC works to widen the nonprofit sector’s awareness of ACN and the resources available to nonprofits by establishing and maintaining partnerships with other nonprofit organizations (e.g., foundations, other associations that serve multiple nonprofits). In 2021 they:

Established a series of ACN member-facilitated webinars with Nonprofit Learning Lab (NLL). Through their website, e-newsletters, and programs, NLL reaches 65,000 nonprofit professionals from all 50 states. This partnership provides a growth opportunity for ACN members looking to share topics/content relevant for the nonprofit community and connect with potential nonprofit clients.
Developed a toolkit that committee members can use to form partnerships as well as a memorandum of understanding template to use in the formalization of partnerships.
Continued our partnerships with Forefront and Nonprofit Learning Lab and began discussion of new partnerships with six other organizations.

Membership Committee

Board Liaison: Jim Javoricic; Co-Chair: David Dow

First and foremost, we have broken our highest membership number on record— including an increase in national members (our membership now represents 15 states).

In 2021, the Membership Committee also launched EMPOWER Groups: members-only forums for similar or complementary groups of professionals to empower each other with a diversity of thinking, knowledge, shared experience, perspective, support, intentional networking, business development, and inspiration.

The first four EMPOWER groups are Administrative Professional Services led by Sam Odishoo of USI Insurance Services, Working Parents led by Megan Angle of Porte Brown, LGBTQ+ led by David Dow of Schooley Mitchell and Grief & Loss led by Lidia Varesco Racoma of Lidia Varesco Design.

"I look forward to the deep-rooted relationships EMPOWER Groups can build." — Fernando Avila, Video Producer, Social Impact Films

ACN Member Anniversaries

Congratulations to our members celebrating anniversaries in 2021. We are grateful for your dedication and participation!

5 years:

Clara Lucia Carrier of Breaking Through Consulting, LLC
Suzanne Griffith of VEGA Partners
Kathryn Scanland of Greystone Global LLC
Jake Cowan
Michael Mayse of Michael Mayse Consulting
Megan Angle of Porte Brown LLC
Genevra Knight of Porte Brown LLC
Jacki Davidoff of Davidoff Mission-Driven Business Strategy
Gordon Mayer of Gordon Mayer Communications
John Bauer of John E. Bauer Consulting, LLC
Lidia Varesco Racoma of Lidia Varesco Design
Kristin Patton of Ensemble Consulting
Alexis Allegra of Allegra Consulting

10 years:

John Davidoff of Davidoff Mission-Driven Business Strategy
Jeff Marcella of Marcella Consulting Corporation

15+ years:

Elizabeth Richter of The Richter Group
Margaret Hennessy of Hennessy Consulting Inc.
Amy Cornell of Cornell Consulting, Inc.
Carol White of CBWhite
Steve Pratapas of Pratapas Associates, LLC
Amy Wishnick of Wishnick & Associates, LLC
Kelly Kleiman of NFP Consulting
Joyce Golbus Poll of J.G. Poll & Associates

"Being a member of ACN has helped me to make meaningful connections, learn from colleagues, and grow as a consultant. Joining was one of the best decisions I made in 2021!" — Allecia Harley of Prevention Advisory Group

We are only as strong as our membership and we are grateful for the support and participation of our members. Here’s to a successful 2022!

From Giving Tuesday to Giving 365

Elizabeth Duffrin — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 17:53:37 GMT

By Michelle McConnico, ACN Member

Giving Tuesday, which follows the post-Thanksgiving shopping madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is a big day for nonprofit fundraising. Was your organization’s Giving Tuesday everything you’d hoped? If not, don’t be glum. Here are a few tips from MuvaShip Marketing to boost giving to your nonprofit all year round:

1. Engage Donors Frequently

Coming out of the woodwork the day after Thanksgiving to ask for money won’t get you far. Have your donors or prospects gotten a holiday card from you lately, a thank you note, an email, anything? It is important that donors feel like they are a part of your mission, connect to your mission, and understand the impact that you are having within your space. Don't pop-up like a whack-a-mole just when you need funds to drive your ideas. Bring potential donors on a journey with you and your organization. Send monthly or quarterly emails about the impact you are having. Schedule a happy birthday email to acknowledge your donors on days that are special for them. Release annual reports that remind donors of the impact that your organization is having. Do this, and you will always be top of mind when a gifting opportunity comes around.

2. Get Social

Social media has become the most useful tool to engage an audience around a cause and to find like-minded individuals to either be a part of your audience or join your band. Invest in the ability to regularly schedule updates on social media about the progress of your efforts and why your cause is important. Share the stories of the lives you are impacting and be authentic with who you are and why your organization matters. Creating connections, even on social media, allows organization to break through the noise and build awareness well in advance of the ask. If your organization is not active on social media, you are cutting off what could be a viable pipeline of engagement and support.

3. Take Advantage of Pre-Tax Season

If there is anything that annoys high rollers more that cold-calling fundraisers, it is taxes. In many cases, taxes are the pain of a high earner’s existence. As a fundraiser you must understand that your organization is here to help. Quarterly or toward the end of the year, even after Giving Tuesday, is great timing to reach out and give donors the last-minute chance to help a cause that they love and possibly enjoy a sizeable tax break.

Donations to charity are tax deductions from income that may be carried forward for up to five years. Each year taxpayers are required to claim the maximum deduction possible in the current year—the deductibility limits are 60% of adjusted gross income for cash and 30% for long-term appreciated securities—but they can then carry forward any unused charitable deductions for up to five more years. That's a major relief and solution for high earners who need to find feel-good tax breaks before the start of the new year. In addition to individual donors, identify and partner with large organizations or corporations who match your mission in some way. These days, corporations want to be good and do good. Make them a partner in working toward a common goal and solving a major problem. This creates longer term sustainability of your fundraising efforts. You have married a big brand and a beautiful cause.

Finally, let's be sure to acknowledge our donors. Not necessarily because they love the bright lights, but because their giving is important. Their giving can inspire others to give and let's donors know that you are a credible and trusted organization that will make the positive use of their funds. Thanking your donors and continuing to engage them in the impact you make is a guaranteed recipe for growth.

Michelle McConnico is founder & CMO of MuvaShip Marketing, which specializes in helping schools, nonprofit, and government entities with their online presence, marketing, and communications strategy.

They’re Not A Frill If You’re Using Them Right: How to Get More Done Using Volunteers

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 17:31:50 GMT

By Kelly Kleiman, ACN Member

Very few nonprofit organizations use volunteers well. There are exceptions, of course, like the outstanding docents of the Chicago Architecture Foundation, who conduct virtually all the foundation’s public programs after rigorous training. But much more common is the attitude typified by the head of a large charity in New York: “I wish someone would get these volunteers off my back!” This is very much like saying “It’s so annoying having to pick up all these $100 bills falling from the sky!” because people who volunteer give more money than people who don’t, and unsurprisingly, most of that money goes to the agencies where they volunteer. Volunteer workers are only a pain in the ass if you’re not using them right.

The key to using volunteers well is the Big MAC: Meaningful Work, Autonomy, and Collegiality.

Meaningful Work

No nonprofit has as its mission “stuff envelopes” or “file,” but those are the kind of tasks we tend to assign to volunteers—and, as you may have noticed, there aren’t nearly as many envelopes to stuff as there used to be! Volunteers, just like staff—even more so—want to do work that contributes directly and obviously to mission. Several things follow from this:

Nonprofits need to have thought in advance of projects—not tasks but projects—that need to be done but for which no one on staff has any time. One of my best experiences as a volunteer began when the executive director responded to my handing her my resume by handing me a list of things the staff was too overwhelmed to manage. I chose the one closest to my skills and in completing the project, solved a problem for the agency and developed such a sense of its value and my ability to contribute that I joined the board.
The most familiar of these projects is “design the website,” which is why the Taproot Foundation is forever assigning volunteer teams to do it. While this requires some caution—you need to be clear about the volunteer’s level of expertise and what staff support they will require—any volunteer who does this successfully will have received a crash course in everything about your agency and, feeling useful, will commit to it with their dollars as well as their time.
The second-most familiar of these projects is organizing a benefit event—the classic activity for the Ladies Who Lunch.
Any executive director who can’t come up with a list of five projects that are always on the back burner (e.g., evaluate the effectiveness of this program! Rework the scheduling for that program! Find out why people are ignoring the other program!) is not thinking hard enough.

Often when I tell nonprofit executives that volunteers require meaningful work their backs go up like exasperated cats: “It’s not my job to bring meaning to their lives!” No, of course not, but that’s not the kind of meaning we mean when we say meaningful. (Department of Redundancy Department!) If the project has value to the agency which can be explained, it has meaning to the volunteer. There won’t always be a perfect match between a volunteer worker’s skills and interests and the tasks available, but in that case acknowledge the mismatch and send the person on their way with a feeling of having been treated thoughtfully and respectfully. And when there is a match, it’s like having an extra employee—but for free!

Which leads me to another common problem in using volunteers: the staff’s resentment of people who are doing for a hobby what they do for a living. It’s essential that staff members understand that they are being supported and not supplanted by volunteers. This is easiest if, once the match of volunteer to project is made, supervision transfers from the volunteer coordinator or executive director to the appropriate staff member. For instance, a volunteer searching for cheaper office space should be referred to the director of operations and one assisting with event planning to the director of fundraising. We know to do this with interns, so it’s not clear to me why it is so seldom done when the cost-free labor comes from experienced adults.

And speaking of supervision:

Autonomy

Your volunteer workers, just like your paid staff, will be happiest when they have a certain amount of latitude in how to complete their projects. What amount is appropriate varies with each volunteer, each project, and each supervisor—but bear in mind that if you assign a volunteer to write a promotional piece and they come back with something suitable, it’s best not to rewrite it so you think it’s perfect. Re-doing their work leads inevitably to frustration and a sense of futility on the part of your volunteer. It’s more important to value someone’s contribution.

In other words, there’s a difference between supervising and micro-managing. Err on the side of choosing smart people, giving them the “what,” and letting them choose the “how.”

Collegiality

People volunteer because they want to exercise their skills, because they want to be of service—and because they want more contact with others than their current life provides. While it’s not always possible to find more than one volunteer for a project, often it will be—and that sense of working in partnership will make your volunteer worker feel more confident in getting the job done, not to mention more likely to do it when there’s someone else concerned with its progress.

If you can’t give a volunteer worker a partner or a team from within the volunteer group—or even if you can!—make sure they are treated as full team members by their supervisors: have them invited to departmental staff meetings; have them included in brainstorming sessions. The more they are included, the more they’ll understand how their project fits into the agency’s goals and plans; and the more they understand that, the harder they’ll work—and the more they’ll donate!

Naturally, inclusion and collegiality are made more difficult if people are working remotely, but it is no more difficult to compensate for that with volunteers than with staff. That’s why God invented Zoom meetings and phone check-ins!

One Last Thought

You may have noticed that I frequently refer to “volunteer workers.” Keep in mind, that’s what they are: people who have come to offer their skills and labor to your organization. Because the word “volunteer” has come to suggest—unfairly!—people with nothing else to do who come and kibbitz at your workplace, some places call them “unpaid consultants” or “unpaid staff.” That may not be necessary (or sufficient), but it is necessary to treat unpaid workers like staff: give them clear expectations, make sure they have the resources they need to accomplish the project with which they’ve been charged, include them in decision-making, and hold them accountable for results.

If you do all that, you’ll get more done using volunteers!

Kelly Kleiman, a lawyer educated at the University of Chicago, has spent more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector. She founded NFP Consulting in 1988 after serving as executive director of the Chicago Children’s Choir and assistant dean of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Through her consulting practice, Kelly helps nonprofits with fundraising, strategic planning, board development and the use of high-skills volunteers. She also advises on issues of charity and philanthropy as The Nonprofiteer, ChicagoNow.com/the-nonprofiteer. Kelly was a founding member of the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits.

It’s Time to Get Serious about Succession Planning

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 19:26:53 GMT

By Shailushi Ritchie, ACN member

Few phrases seem to strike fear into the hearts of nonprofit leaders and board members as much as “succession planning.” It’s not that people don’t understand what it is or why it’s important, only that it’s uncomfortable to plan for someone’s eventual departure—like planning a funeral when someone is alive and well. Although there is a growing understanding of the importance of end-of-life planning, it seems that succession planning in nonprofit organizations hasn’t caught on.

The State of the Sector

Planning for the departure of one leader and the hiring and establishment of a new leader is critical to an organization’s long-term success. Compasspoint’s 2011 report on nonprofit leadership indicates that 67% of CEOs/ED plan to leave their jobs within five years, 10% anticipate leaving within one year, and 7% have already given notice.

Nonprofits also face hiring and retention challenges due to COVID-19. Nonprofits are not exempt from the hiring and retention challenges faced by other employers in what is being called the “Great Resignation.” Forbes reports that 69% of employees, regardless of sector or role, are disengaged from their work and almost half (48%) are actively looking for new work. For decades, nonprofit organizations have developed a culture that prioritizes mission above all else. Coupled with low pay rates, expected overtime hours, and comparatively few benefits, employees in the nonprofit sector are finding ways to push back against working conditions or leaving their roles altogether.

Yet, Boardsource reports only 27% of nonprofit organizations have a succession plan in place.

Why is Succession Planning Important?

Succession planning is important because it creates a space for nonprofit board members and organizational leadership to assess and plan for potential staffing changes in the foreseeable future. It is not only to plan for the departure of an executive director or the board chair but also board and staff leadership at lower levels. When directors and managers of organizational functions and programs leave, their departure can create just as much instability as when an executive leaves.

Succession Planning as a Route to Employee Engagement

Succession planning can also help organizations understand the wants, needs, and issues faced by all staff. This is important for attracting highly-qualified candidates and for retaining staff in their current roles. If leadership doesn’t pay attention, the organization may find itself in the middle of its own “Great Resignation.” To paraphrase Forbes Magazine, preventing a Great Resignation is about preventing a Great Discontent.

Although more than 50% of respondents indicated they would like to hire an internal candidate for a leadership position, Bridgespan reports that internal candidates apply for leadership positions about 30% of the time but are often not hired because of concerns they do not have enough of the right experiences. Organizations can use their succession planning efforts to consider how to develop a pipeline of internal talent and what kinds of training, support, and benefits they can offer to retain current staff in anticipation of future transitions. This also bolsters the organization’s long-term stability; staff are engaged, and the knowledge and expertise of existing leaders does not leave the organization when leadership transitions do occur.

Developing a Succession Plan

Developing a succession plan can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. A basic plan should include the following:

Key responsibilities.
Who will be responsible.
Information about timing and frequency.
Connections to other staff (supervisors and support).
Plan for recruitment and hiring a replacement.

A template from Clarity Transitions, one of Sevah Consulting’s trusted colleagues, is linked here. BoardEffect also has a succession planning checklist on its website, linked here.

Expanding your succession planning beyond leadership is not much harder. It does require time and commitment to create professional development that meets the needs of current staff. MissionBox provides a thoughtful approach for how nonprofits can incorporate professional development into succession planning, including:

Understand the connection between performance reviews and professional development. Clear goals for staff performance can also highlight opportunities for training and new opportunities.
Focus on personality as much as skill. Leadership is as much about personality as it is about skills and expertise. This isn’t to say that an individual’s personality limits their leadership ability, but rather it is an important component of an individual’s fit with a certain job.
Identify opportunities for innovation. Ask yourself if your organization encourages questions or does it encourage people to agree and move along? Are people punished for getting involved in new projects or are they praised for new ideas? Fast Company notes that many Google innovations—including Gmail, Google News, and Google Earth Outreach—resulted from encouraging employees to dedicate working hours to a “passion project.”

Succession planning might not be the most exciting aspect of nonprofit management, but it is rapidly becoming one of the most critical. Given the challenges facing the sector, effective planning for staff transitions can make the difference between an organization that merely survives and one that truly thrives, both today and in the future.

Shailushi Ritchie, founder and CEO of Sevah Consulting in Chicago, helps nonprofit organizations address strategic and operational challenges. As an advocate, writer, and nonprofit professional, she has worked on a range of issues affecting women and girls—including domestic violence, reproductive health, rights, and justice, and media’s impact on girls’ self esteem—and the societal factors that contribute to those issues. Prior to moving back to Chicago in 2016, she ran media and legislative advocacy campaigns at the local and state level in California and was featured in San Francisco Magazine December 2015 “Women in Power” issue.

A Model for Creating a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Board

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 20:47:16 GMT

By Kaycee Bunch, ACN Member

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has always been essential in establishing an effective nonprofit board of directors and is even more relevant now in our ever-changing world. We tend to hear these three words together—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (or DEI)—but what do they really mean?

Diversity is the involvement of people from a range of backgrounds and perspectives, especially those who have been historically marginalized by their racial or ethnic identity, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, disability, or economic status.

Equity in DEI refers to social equity, meaning that all members of a community can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Equity is not to be confused with equality, however. Have you seen this clever illustration of the difference between equality and equity? Equality (on the left) provides equally for everyone. Equity (on the right) flexibly accommodates each person’s need to arrive an equal outcome.

Source: “What Is Social Equity?” Melbourne Social Equity Institute, socialequity.unimelb.edu.au/stories/ what-is-social-equity

Inclusion is the practice of including and accepting people who are different from you, in every possible way, and providing them with equitable access to resources and opportunities.

A diverse board that practices equity and inclusion will greatly benefit your nonprofit. It will allow opportunities to discuss deeply-rooted community issues from multiple perspectives, leading to more creative and informed ways of tackling challenges and pursing goals.

Although many boards strive for DEI, they sometimes fall short in recruiting a truly diverse membership. An excellent model for creating a diverse board can be found in the world of community development.

Some years ago, Future Generations University and Johns Hopkins University conducted a study of large-scale efforts at community change, examining approaches world-wide over the previous century. They identified core principles for successful community change and described them as part of a system they called SEED-SCALE. One of these core principles is the three-way partnership.

Because social change is complex, creating an effective team representing diverse constituencies, proved essential, researchers found. Future Generations University refers to the three groups that must be included in a partnership for social change as the “Bottom-Up,” the “Outside-In,” and the “Top-Down.”

The first group—the Bottom-Up—are the people who will do most of the work or reap most of the benefits (think of your staff and volunteers and those your organization is helping). The second partnership, the Outside-In, are the outsiders that have an interest in transforming the community (think consultants, researchers, people interested in your organization although they may not have direct involvement in it). The third partnership, the Top-Down, are the leaders whose decisions effect the community (think of your leadership, board of directors, high-profile donors).

Because all three of these groups of people have knowledge that should inform the direction of your organization, it is vital they all have representation on your board. Strategic planning and other decision-making are typically undertaken by the Top-Down with their bird’s-eye view, perhaps with input from the Outside-In. Rarely is the lived experience of the Bottom-Up invited in.

Including the Bottom-Up on your board of directors, particularly those from marginalized groups your nonprofit serves, can present challenges It may require extra effort to create equitable opportunities for everyone to participate, such as additional training or even arranging for their transportation to your meeting. It may include actively soliciting their ideas and then listening to a critique of services you’ve worked hard to provide. It may even feel uncomfortable handing power to someone who you feel is less prepared to lead than you are.

But the payoff to practicing DEI is great. It can lead to more holistic and informed approaches. It can empower those who have been long excluded from wielding power. And as research has demonstrated, practicing DEI is essential for achieving your nonprofit’s vision for meaningful, large-scale, lasting change.

For additional information on this topic, see National Council of Nonprofits, DEI Tools and Resources National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) Diversity & Inclusion Self-Assessment.

Kaycee Bunch, M.A, is the owner of Kaycee Bunch Consulting, which specializes in Community Development. Kaycee has worked with over 20 nonprofit organizations both nationally and internationally, focusing on strategic planning, program development, and fund development.

ACN Welcomes New Board Members, Looks to Tackle Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in FY22

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:37:19 GMT

By Liz Duffrin, ACN Member

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a top priority for the ACN Board of Directors as it begins its new term.

ACN has great potential to boost its membership by appealing to a more diverse group of consultants, said new board president Shailushi Ritchie, founder and CEO of Sevah Consulting.

Currently, most ACN members are white (86%) and reside in Chicago. While experienced in their respective fields, members typically have been in the consulting business for fewer than eight years. “What can we do to engage more people,” Ritchie asked, “people of different racial and ethnic groups, experienced consultants and people who don’t live in Chicago?”

The board has ideas. To engage members nationwide, remote programming will continue post-pandemic, even as in-person workshops and happy hours resume. For experienced consultants, programming that “talks about how to move your business to the next level,” could be a draw, she said. The board also anticipates organizing and supporting self-directed affinity groups, such as for members who are on the West Coast or LGBTQ or people of color. These groups may focus on free-form networking or take a more formal approach, such as by inviting in speakers, she explained. “We want each group to meet the needs of its members.”

The board is looking forward to pursuing many other goals, as well, as it rolls out the strategic plan it adopted at the end of FY21, said Ritchie. “I personally am excited about the fantastic group of board members we have and how much energy and drive there is to tackle some of our big challenges.”

ACN welcomes its newest board members:

Gioia Giannotti, ACN vice president, is a new business developer and marketer who co-founded (r)evolution architecture. in 2012 with her husband, Christopher Frye. She serves as vice president of business development for the full-service architecture and interior design studio. Gioia enjoys collaborating with clients across diverse industries to create unique spaces, from master planning through post-construction. Her diverse background includes marketing strategy leadership, business development, and customer experience management for Fortune 500 companies. As a bilingual and bicultural Latina, she brings an equity and belonging lens to her work and volunteer efforts.

John Bauer, is principal and senior strategist at John E. Bauer Consulting, LLC, based near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Formerly a school administrator, he earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and served as a school principal and as chief academic officer of Wisconsin Lutheran College for 22 years. Before launching his consulting practice, he was the merger integration project manager, chief operations officer, and eventually President and CEO of Bethesda Lutheran Communities, a national service provider for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His consulting practice includes executive coaching, strategic planning, organizational development, and interim executive leadership.

David Dow, based in Bloomington, Illinois, is strategic partner at Schooley Mitchell, North America's largest cost-reduction consultancy, His clients include YWCAs across the USA, small and large regional and national nonprofits, educational institutions, and for-profit businesses. In March of 2021, along with his partner Jim Neeley, David was given the Norene G. Ball award for community service by YWCA McLean County.

For more than 20 years, David served as managing director of Wisecracker Design. His expertise includes new business development, business expansion, sales, marketing, design, development, sourcing, production, and logistics.

Aashi Mital, CEO of Pivotal Solutions Consulting, is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She focuses on problem solving, sustainability solutions, organizational health, executive coaching, professional development and global connectivity. She is a published author on interdisciplinary topics including geopolitical patterns, executive leadership, business and engineering economics, worldwide sustainability, human productivity and historical perspectives. She participates in speaking engagements around the world in her areas of expertise, which also include best nonprofit standards and practices. Prior to launching her consultancy, she was director of the nonprofit wing of J.C. Baker and Associates – The Business Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, a consultancy that works with clients on organizational development and sustainability.

Arthur Padilla, is senior managing partner of StrataG.Works, and based in Federal Way, Washington. His services to nonprofits include diversity, equity, and inclusion planning, strategic planning, leadership coaching, and program design and evaluation. He has done extensive work in anti-racist and anti-oppression programming across the United States. A recent project included a three-year initiative with the YWCA USA as lead evaluator for a trauma-informed leadership project for high school girls of color. Prior to becoming a consultant, he earned an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and served as a nonprofit executive director for organizations serving people with AIDS and LGBTQ youth.

See the full listing of FY21-22 Board of Directors here.

ACN 2021 Annual Meeting Recap

Ed Graziano — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 22:30:40 GMT

Thank you to all that attended our 32nd Annual Meeting (and our second virtual meeting) on Friday, June 18. We were thrilled to see members, board members and committee volunteers, sponsors, speakers as well as nonprofits in attendance.

One of our key updates was the news that we have broken our highest membership number on record, including an increase in national members (our membership now represents 15 states).

We thanked our outgoing board and committee members for their service: board members Suzanne Griffith, Emily Taylor and Randy Ford, as well as outgoing committee chairs, Michael Mayse (Programming) and Laura Weinman (Membership).

We also announced retaining board members Jim Javorcic and Shailushi Ritchie as well as new board members, John Bauer, Arthur Padilla, David Dow, Aashi Mital and Gioia Giannotti. See the full ACN board here.

Shailushi Ritchie, who led the Strategic Planning Task Force, unveiled ACN’s new strategic focus as well as our related Mission Statement, Statement of Purpose and Core Audience.

Kelly Short of Campbell & Company shared eye-opening data and discussed how we can shift to a more community-centered fundraising model that brings racial equity to fundraising, and how we as consultants can use our power to break the systems and processes in place.

Next we heard inspiring insights from our panelists: Hilary Dale of BDO FMA discussed how they helped nonprofits apply for PPP loans, resulting in over $1 billion in loans. Talla Mountjoy of Talla Mountjoy Consulting talked about how she started consulting for a better quality of life and to follow her passion. Arthur Padilla of StrataG.Works talked about how he initiated coaching cohorts to help people dismantle racism and become allies.

Our featured speaker Monique Jones, CEO of our partner Forefront kicked off her talk by sharing the five personal values that lead her work: optimism, integrity, equity, fidelity and humor. She talked about how organizations and philanthropy are being reimagined and how consultants can be a part of this. She suggests to diversify what you’re able to offer, take care of yourself, and set boundaries for what you can/cannot do.

Thank you for joining us—here’s to a great year!

The meeting replay is available for ACN members here.

Want to Up Your Content Game? The 4 Most Important Questions to Ask Now

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:36:07 GMT

By Chris Vaughn, ACN Member

The online content your nonprofit creates tells a story. It highlights the importance of your work and accomplishments. Done well, it can further your mission by attracting new members and inspiring constituents to action.

Now that the pandemic has moved so much of our lives online, your nonprofit’s content strategy is more important than ever. And your audience expects more than ever: a static website, monthly newsletter, and occasional Facebook post are not enough..

Sequence Consulting recently conducted a survey of national and Chicago-area associations to find out how the pandemic had changed their members’ expectations for online content. What we found almost certainly applies to most nonprofits, regardless of size and mission: the demand for timely and useful information is increasing and will likely remain high in a post-pandemic world. To decide if your nonprofit needs to level up its content strategy, ask yourself the following four questions:

1. Do you publish new content often?

If not, you need to! In the past year, organizations that prided themselves on highly-produced, in-depth publications learned that this content style no longer worked for their members.

Todd Unger, chief experience officer of the American Medical Association, said that members were now asking for more frequent contact, and cared less about the production value of content than its timeliness. “‘We want to see you more and hear from you more,’” members told the AMA.

All nonprofits should make new online content a priority, but the frequency depends on your goals. If your mission. like the AMA’s, includes being an up-to-date source of relevant news, then you should publish new content daily. Advocacy organizations which aim to inspire members to immediate action on important issues should produce content daily, even if just through a social media post or a tweet. Even the smallest nonprofits shouldn’t neglect to communicate weekly if they want to be remembered. Fortunately, frequent communication has never been easier, and you no longer need to spend time and resources on perfectly polished content—members and contributors prefer content that meets their immediate needs.

2. Are you taking full advantage of technology?

Thanks to the unprecedented use of web conferencing platforms like Zoom, you now have the opportunity to secure higher-caliber speakers for digital events. Speakers and members can attend from anywhere, providing opportunities that would be impossible with in-person events. Whether virtual or in-person, there is significant value in live events. Margaret Mueller, CEO of the Executives Club of Chicago, finds that having high-quality speakers interact with members live allows “the connection to become more raw and real.”

These events don’t need to be elaborate to be effective. One of the hallmarks of The Executives’ Club’s new content strategy is Coffee and Connect, where members can log on at the same time a few mornings a week to get advice from an expert in residence about the issues their business is currently facing.

Ask yourself what information would be most engaging to your constituents, and what experts they would most like to hear from. Find a way to deliver that information to them quickly, in a live format.

3. Are you publishing your events as content?

When the pandemic hit, many nonprofits had to quickly abandon traditional event formats and go digital with their conferences, trainings, and fundraising events. One benefit: any online event, large or small, can be recorded and repackaged as content. Quick highlights from a longer video can be excerpted and shared via social media, email, and your website. Key points can be summarized in a blog post or a great quote shared with a tweet. The recorded event itself can be made available online. By taking your event content, repackaging it, and distributing it online to those who couldn’t attend live, you can provide significant value. Again, video doesn’t need to be highly produced to be engaging and effective.

4. Are you highlighting constituent stories?

Ultimately, people want to be part of organizations making a difference in the world. Members of professional associations want to read stories about colleagues who have excelled while simultaneously making an impact. Supporters of any nonprofit would value hearing from staff and those they impact talk about challenges and victories.

Some highly successful associations have already adopted this approach. The AMA publishes a short-form digital magazine that focuses on members who are moving medicine forward. Some of the American Bar Association’s most popular content consists of members telling stories about other members. The Executive’s Club of Chicago shares members’ stories online through short video segments.

There are many ways to incorporate personal stories into your online content strategy. Find the strategies that work best for your nonprofit. When you do, you will see engagement, membership, and revenue grow.

Chris Vaughn, PhD, is the chief strategy officer at Sequence Consulting, which has helped associations and nonprofits of all sizes grow their audience and revenue through innovative strategy and marketing since 2001. His clients include AMA, AARP, United Way, Make-a-Wish, American Lung Association, and the Jewish United Fund, and many others. For more information on how top associations are using lessons learned during the pandemic to transform their content strategy, download Sequence Consulting’s report here.

Strategic Visioning: The Time to Think Big Is Now

Elizabeth Duffrin — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:21:56 GMT

By Amy Schiffman, ACN Member

Last month, I sat screen to screen (on my sixth Zoom of the day) with my Evolve Giving Group colleagues, talking about how many of our nonprofit clients feel “stuck.” That feeling is the result of a pandemic that has forced them to rethink their plans and strategies and yet, at the same time, made it difficult to plan. We thought hard about how to help nonprofits think differently about possibilities and opportunities, and developed a process we call visioning.

Visioning is more creative and comprehensive than a revision to your vision statement. It is the precursor to every strategic plan, feasibility study, and every large-scale campaign. It enables organizations and groups to agree on compelling goals, breakthrough strategies, and aligned action.

An organization’s strategic vision—which is summarized in its vision statement—is an overarching set of goals, without the roadmap to get there (that comes later). It tells stakeholders, staff, and donors “where we’re going” and “what we hope to achieve.” Nonprofits with clear strategic visions are the ones that inspire donors, unify stakeholders, and raise substantial amounts of money.

Here are 4 signs it’s time to engage in strategic visioning:

Your work looks wildly different than it did 1.5 years ago.
You’re questioning whether a particular project or set of programs really fits into your organization’s bigger picture.
Making decisions about how to move forward has become increasingly difficult for staff and board members.
The constant change and shifting gears over the past year has left your team feeling burnt out, misaligned, and confused—and you’re not sure how to get back on track.

If you relate to one or more of these statements, it’s likely you’re ready to define your strategic vision. I suggest you start with an exercise that engages a small group of stakeholders who are ready and willing to think “big” about your organization’s future. This exercise helps jump start the visioning process and stimulate brainstorming:

Setup

The group forms two concentric circles facing each other. One third of the group joins the inner circle and the remaining two-thirds join the outer circle. The group then forms trios with one person from the center circle and two people from the outer circle.

Activity

Each person in the trio has two minutes to complete the sentence “It is (choose a date in the future - like June 15, 2023) and it has been a great year…” This person should speak as if it is currently that date and share organizational accomplishments, current programs or operations, challenges, and achievements. After six minutes, each person in the trio will have had their turn and the inner circle can rotate so that each person joins a new trio and the group completes three rounds.

Debrief

At the end of the activity, spend some time debriefing with your final group and assign a note taker. I suggest asking questions such as:

How did your vision change with each round?
What did you hear from others that inspired or excited you?
Did you hear any consistency or alignment around future hopes and goals?

The ideas that come out of this exercise can form the foundation of an organizational vision. If you are interested in learning more about strategic visioning, please reach out, and if you try this exercise with your team, let me know how it goes!

Amy Schiffman is president and CEO of Evolve Giving Group. She and her rock star team can be found at www.evolvegivinggroup.com so feel free to reach out with comments or questions.

Busting the Myth of Donor Fatigue

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 03 May 2021 02:41:10 GMT

by Janet Cobb, ACN Member

If I had a nickel for every time a client voiced concern about not wanting to cause “donor fatigue,” I’d be very rich!

Many nonprofits are afraid of communicating with their donors “too often.” They don’t want donors to get tired of hearing from them, to unsubscribe, or to stop giving. They don’t want to “bother” or “nag” them. But the idea of “donor fatigue” is a myth.

Why is it a myth?

Think about it. Take a moment to think about an activity or event you enjoy or a cause you care about. Do you look forward to hearing about it or do you dread it?

What emails, texts, and phone calls do you look forward to? Who are they from? What are they about?

I love to read small business and nonprofit origin stories. I enjoy learning about new ideas for solving big problems around racism, homelessness, food security, disease, domestic violence—the list goes on. I appreciate information on writing, gardening, home repairs, and cooking. I am passionate about many things. And when I’m interested in something – I love to be inspired. I enjoy learning more about what others are doing and how to improve or enjoy it in new ways. I want to know what’s going on with the social causes I care about.

For some people it’s sports, politics, religion. We have entire television, radio, podcast, YouTube, print news, and every other imaginable channel to stay connected to the things we care about.

Why would the causes we support through our philanthropic gifts be any different? We don’t give because we don’t care – we give because we do care.

So, really, the problem isn’t how often we communicate with donors but what we say – or don’t say – to them.

How do we bust the myth?

Remember you’re engaging in a conversation with people who care about what you care about.

You’re not producing monologues or soliloquies. You’re carrying on a conversation. A conversation takes at least two – to speak and to listen. Ask yourself – “How can I offer a benefit to the audience? How can I serve my community through this communication?”

Don’t always talk about yourself (i.e., your organization and programs).

Share content about the CAUSE with links to news articles or other people or organization’s efforts and success. Have you recently read a book or listened to a podcast that educated, informed, or inspired you that you can share? Can you ask questions to discover what inspires a donor’s gift? Can you ask questions to better understand the talent, energy, and resources that your community brings to the table?

Use conversational language not business, formal language.

Write as if you are writing a letter to your best friend or family member. Don’t use industry jargon. Keep your sentences simple. Be honest and authentic. Show vulnerability when appropriate. Don’t act like you have it all figured out if you don’t. We may each play a different role, but we’re all in this together trying to create a better world – write from that perspective.

Communicate with purpose.

Have a reason to invade my inbox. Do you have something new to say? Decide if your communication will inform, educate, inspire, thank, or ask for a donation. Don’t send mixed messages. Have a specific, clear call to action.

Know your audience.

Donors, non-donors, lapsed donors, volunteers – many levels of engagement exist within your community. You don’t want to send the same communication to everyone. Are you trying to acquire, convert, re-engage, retain, or upgrade a donor? Will you send via postal mail or email, post on social media, or record on video? Which channel does the donor or prospect prefer? What program area does the donor gravitate towards? Use all the information you have about your audience to communicate so that they feel like you understand them.

Remember, no one wants to be one of a million – they want to feel like they are one in a million. We all know we’re not the only person in the room, but it sure feels good when someone makes us feel like we are.

If you are creating and sending a variety of communications to donors that will help them feel more engaged and connected to the mission and vision of your organization, you can never communicate too much.

Janet Cobb is a national speaker and author of Promised Land: The 10 Commandments for Nonprofit Strategy, Communications, and Fundraising. As a consultant and coach, she has guided more than 300 early-stage, small and mid-size nonprofits to create strategic plans, communication plans, and 12-month fundraising roadmaps.

Seven Ways Accounts Payable Automation Can Save your Nonprofit Time and Money

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:49:32 GMT

By Matthew Kirkpatrick, ACN Member

While the economic outlook is brightening this spring, the recovery has yet to arrive. Your nonprofit is likely searching for more ways to lower costs and reduce workloads.

One easy way to save time and money is to stop using traditional paper checks to pay suppliers. Here are seven ways that switching to electronic payments will benefit your nonprofit:

Improved efficiency: a single payment file upload initiates payment to all suppliers. This eliminates the need to log in to multiple banking systems, and the cost of paper, postage, printing, and mailing paper checks.

Streamlined reconciliation: integrating an electronic payments system with the general ledger in your accounting platform significantly reduces the time required to verify that payments have cleared.

Fewer errors: uploading a single payment file eliminates costly error-prone manual processes. As a result, staff won’t need to waste hours uncovering and resolving a single payment error.

Easy integration: electronic payments can be seamlessly integrated with any accounting platform without requiring significant changes to existing accounts payable workflow processes.

Better cash management: electronic payments provide greater control over the timing of payments to suppliers. This opens the door to more early-payment discount opportunities.

Fewer supplier inquiries: with electronic payments, suppliers have 24/7 access to the status of their payments, as well as their payment history. This visibility helps suppliers better manage their cash without the need to call or e-mail overburdened frontline payables staff.

More time to focus on the mission: few things waste as much staff time as printing, signing, stuffing, mailing, and reconciling check payments to suppliers. Paying suppliers electronically frees staff from the drudgery of manual check processing, allowing them to focus more of their time on higher value, mission-driven activities.

Matthew Kirkpatrick is vice president of business development at Paymerang, located in Richmond, Virginia, which provides accounts payable automation to nonprofits nationwide. A former nonprofit director and program leader, he values Paymerang for its diversity and commitment to helping nonprofits become more efficient so that they are able to better focus on their mission. Click here to learn more about the benefits of electronic payment.

Your Nonprofit Leadership Style: The Game

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 23:18:39 GMT

By ACN Members Mindy Faber and Margaret Conway

Leadership isn’t only for those with “director” or “manager” in their titles. We all serve as leaders on problems that require our particular skills, expertise, or creativity. Leadership skills often come into play as we collaborate with colleagues or partner organizations, mentor new colleagues, or serve our organization’s constituents.

We at Convergence Design Lab created a deck of cards called Leader Hats that we use with clients as a playful way to think about how leadership style can impact their organization and the work that they do. Each card features a particular “hat” representing a positive style or approach to leading, facilitating, or mentoring. The cards can be used as a quick icebreaker at a meeting, as a more structured game, or as a discussion and reflection tool.

Are you the Coach pushing everyone to reach their full-potential, the TED-talker inspiring others with your deep insights, or more a Therapist, serving as a one-on-one reflection guide? And which style best fits each of your colleagues? Take a look at the cards below or the full downloadable deck here, which can be printed and cut to make your own deck.

Choose the hat that you wear the most when leading or mentoring. Why does it fit you so well? Choose another hat that you don’t often wear. How might you try it on?
Identify cards that you think your colleagues demonstrate the most often. Share with them why you think they wear it well!
Pick a random card and challenge yourself to think of a way to apply that style to your work.

The possibilities for using these cards are endless. Spread them out on a table to prompt discussion. Identify more leadership styles and add them to the deck. Play our favorite game and have each person chose the style they think defines each colleague best, write it on a Post-it note, and stick it on that person's back. Now guess what style most colleagues picked for you!

In workshops, we find these cards get people talking within seconds about themselves and sharing stories about each other’s personal strengths. So often we admire our colleagues secretly but don’t take time to openly appreciate them or consider how we might adopt their most successful practices. How did a colleague whose leadership style you’d like to emulate come to adopt that approach? Who influenced their style? How did they develop it?

Using these cards can give nonprofit directors a chance (in a playful, risk-free context) to reflect openly on their leadership and new strengths they’d like to develop. Modeling a “growth mindset” about leadership—the belief that one’s ability as a leader is not a fixed trait but rather a skill that can grow with effort—is a powerful example for others. It gives permission to everyone in your organization to take on a learning disposition: “I have things I want to work on. I can learn from others. I don’t have to be the expert on everything.”

Mindy Faber and Margaret Conway are co-founders of Convergence Design Lab, which helps nonprofits design learning experiences—including professional workshops and e-learning—engage in strategic planning, and evaluate programs. Mindy is a seasoned media educator, nonprofit leader, artist, evaluator, and advocate with expertise in connected learning, youth media, civic education, and digital literacy. Margaret is an arts educator with a theoretical background in connected learning, curriculum design, evaluation, professional development, and participatory media. Contact them if you’d like to schedule a free Leader Hats workshop for your nonprofit.

Avoid a Cyber Attack with These Tips

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 20:24:18 GMT

By ACN member Gregory Perrine

The number of cyber attacks has risen dramatically since the pandemic began. Remote workers, unaware of threats to digital security, have inadvertently cost their employers millions. While businesses are the most frequent targets, nonprofits are also at risk. Consider all of the sensitive data your organization stores or accesses electronically, including payroll information, that might be attractive to cyber thieves. Below are a few simple practices that can significantly lower your risk.

Establish a Password Management Plan

Most of us know that we ought to be creating long, strong, unique passwords for our online accounts and updating them frequently. But let’s be honest, we are all guilty of using the same passwords for multiple accounts, and for far longer than we should.

To keep your data safe, send out reminders to your employees every three months to change the password they use to log on to your network. But recommend that they make it easier by using a free password manager such as LastPass. Password managers store hard-to-remember passwords securely and have built-in generators to create ones that are hard for the bad guys to guess.

Prevent Social Engineering Attacks

Most of us are aware that scammers “phish” for personal information with emails that appear to be from companies like Chase Bank, PayPal, and Amazon, or a friend or business associate. But as scammers come up with increasingly ingenious ploys, it’s easy to get caught off guard. We have a few tips to ensure you are catching common phishing scams:

Look at the actual email address, and not the display name. Oftentimes, a scammer can spoof an executive’s name based on what is publicly available online.
Check the tone and grammar of the email and ask yourself, “Does this sound like something the sender would say?”
If there is hyper-linked text, copy the link address and paste it into a new browser window to ensure it is linked to the correct URL.

Make sure your nonprofit has a system in place to alert employees immediately regarding any phishing scam that lands in their email inboxes. This can be done via email, Slack, Teams, or Hangouts and should include a screenshot (not the forwarded message) of the scam.

Secure Home Networks

With so many employees logging into your network from home, ensuring the security of their home networks is vital to preventing an attack. Ask that everyone logging into your network remotely change the default password on their WiFi router, if they have not already. You can always contact your internet provider to see if it can offer any additional firewall protection for your network, or invest in an external firewall if your organization is handling sensitive data.

Consider a Virtual Private Network

A Virtual Private Network—commonly known as a VPN— encrypts all of your internet communications so that hackers are unable to spy on your activities or gain access to your data. Some VPNs can even block unwanted ads, pop-ups, malicious websites, and viruses. While VPNs will slightly slow your internet speed, the tradeoff in security is well-worth it. My company, eGuide Tech Allies, has compiled a list of specifications to look for in a VPN and three low-cost providers that we recommend to our nonprofit clients.

While following the simple steps above can’t guarantee that your network will never be hacked, they will make it far less likely.

Gregory Perrine is chief executive intern at eGuide Tech Allies, a company that provides digital marketing, technology support, and business development to nonprofits. Perrine has over a decade of experience in providing technology solutions, workflow automations, event planning, and logistics support for emerging nonprofits. He specializes in working with organizations to streamline their operational systems and identify and implement technological solutions that help them become more efficient and effective.

ACN Year in Review 2020

Lidia Varesco Racoma — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 16:14:38 GMT

This was a challenging year for everyone, including membership organizations like ours. But despite the challenges, we found new ways to keep our members connected and supported by embracing the new virtual world.

COVID-19 Response

As in-person events were being canceled in March 2020, we launched an initiative to support our members virtually. We implemented weekly member resource emails, free flash webinars, networking opportunities in our private Facebook group, as well as virtual speed networking events.

We had record-high attendance at our flash webinars and our happy hour speed networking events were a hit.

2020 Board and Committee Changes

In our Annual Meeting in May 2020 (our first virtual event), we announced changes to our board and committee structure, including the implementation of Board Liaisons and co-chairs for each committee.

We also welcomed three new board members, Brad Ball, Don Raack and Shailushi Ritchie.

2020 Committee Highlights

Marketing & Communications Committee

Board Liaison: Lidia Varesco Racoma; Co-Chairs: Aashi Mital & Annisa Wanat

We launched a National Volunteer Week social media campaign in May, sharing stories from our current volunteers (getting our highest engagement, to boot).
We continued to remain active on Facebook and LinkedIn (make sure to follow us!) and bumped up activity in our private member communities on Google Groups and Facebook.
We shared monthly guest blog posts by members.
We are in the process of revamping the ACN website in both structure and content to make it more user-friendly, both for our members as well as nonprofits seeking consultants.

Nonprofit Relations Committee (NPRC)

Board Liaison: Emily Taylor; Co-Chairs: Aashi Mital & Annisa Wanat

We further established our relationship with Forefront through our series of Ask a Consultant panels on COVID-relevant topics, getting ACN members exposed to Chicagoland nonprofits.
We created a Find a Speaker section on our website to direct our nonprofit partners to ACN consultants when they are looking to share relevant knowledge with their nonprofit members.
We revised our RFP process to make it easier for nonprofits to fill out and gather more robust information for consultants to respond to.

Membership Committee

Board Liaison: Jim Javoricic; Co-Chairs: Fran Caan & Laura Weinman

We implemented virtual New Member Orientations on the first Wednesday of each month.
We sent emails welcoming new members and encouraging networking among members.
Our current membership is at a record high.
Membership has diversified by geography and membership type, including out-of-state memberships representing Colorado, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, Kansas and California.

Programming Committee

All of our programming went virtual as of March 2020, we embraced virtual formats and saw some of our highest attendance ever.
We held a successful virtual speed networking happy hour for members in June and decided to open up the format to non-members as well.

ACN Member Stories from 2020

We are thrilled to share stories from our members about how ACN supported them this year.

We are only as strong as our membership and we are grateful to work with such a dedicated group of nonprofit consultants.

******
For the first half of 2020 I was a member of the Governance Committee and, later in the year, part of a working group to update the Conflict of Interest policy. As a past president, I know the importance of committee work and the mutual benefit—for members and ACN—derived from the experience. Committee work is a wonderful way to get to know colleagues and share expertise.

I was also delighted to have the opportunity to participate in Ask a Consultant. It was meaningful to be able to share expertise with nonprofits and colleagues as we all were learning how to navigate during a pandemic.

– Amy Wishnick, Wishnick & Associates, LLC

******

As a board member, I have been able to take on new challenges that add skills to my business, such as better understanding the hard skills of governance and the soft skills of building a team. This year also brought big changes for me as I tried to manage my business while having a kid at home. Connecting and having conversations with ACN members in similar situations helped me think through how to retool my work to fit my capacity and still make a meaningful impact with my clients.

– Emily Taylor, teeny big

******

ACN has been great for me as I just started my consulting practice. There was no comparable organization in NYC and I have found ACN welcoming, supportive, comprehensive and a great way to meet new people!

– Kim Vaccari

******

Participating in the ACN Board of Directors and Marketing & Communications Committee has helped me stay connected with nonprofit colleagues as well as fellow parents navigating remote learning. This year, I also got two new speaking opportunities and several new client projects thanks to ACN referrals.

– Lidia Varesco Racoma, Lidia Varesco Design

Thank you for your support of ACN in 2020—here's to a healthy and successful 2021!

Crucial Steps for Managing Your Team Remotely

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 22:00:42 GMT

By ACN member Mary Anzilotti

COVID-19 has changed the way we work. With most nonprofit employees now working from home, managing and motivating them to function well as a team is more crucial than ever. When a team works well together, the organization wins. When an organization wins, so do their clients, employees and the community at large.

“Crucial” is an interesting way to think about leading a team. Let’s take a close look at how to motivate and manage your team in a CRUCIAL way.

C- Communication. Communication needs to be clear, concise and consistent. This is especially true when working remotely or during times of crisis.

R- Relationships. Build relationships by reaching out to employees individually and as a team. Ask how they’re doing, and show a genuine interest in their personal lives.

U- Understanding. Help employees understand what is expected and why. Ensure that all stakeholders understand your organization’s immediate, short-term and long-term goals.

C- Celebration. Celebrate successes, celebrate birthdays, celebrate anniversaries and celebrate creativity. Just be sure to celebrate!

I- Intentionality. Wake up each day and think about how you can be better and how to make your team better. Small, positive, actionable items every day make a huge difference over time. Be intentional for you and your team.

A- Accountability. Hold yourself, your employees and your team accountable. Giving clear guidance on what is expected, and why it is expected will lead to a motivated team. No need to micromanage, just give guidance, and trust. Provide corrective feedback when needed.

L- Listening. Solicit feedback from employees on how to improve the organization and your team. Listen with an open mind as even seemingly impractical ideas can serve as a springboard for new thinking. Let your team know that you’ve heard them, and then act on the best ideas.

Here are a few examples of how we manage in a CRUCIAL way at Stanton Blackwell. We have a video meeting every Monday morning to help shift from the weekend to the work week. We use this meeting to build relationships by briefly talking about our weekend and then communicating our company’s priorities for the week. To stay accountable to our priorities, we schedule short meetings throughout the week to peer review our work. A fixed calendar deadline to screen share work helps us to be more intentional and focused on our deliverables.

If you are struggling as a leader in this new operating environment, don’t be too hard on yourself. Motivating your team remotely can feel overwhelming at times, but using these CRUCIAL tips will help make it manageable.

Mary Anzilotti, principle at Stanton Blackwell, has nearly 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector with a proven record as an executive for strategy and operations. Her areas of expertise include leading strategic planning, managing organizational change, and driving quality and cost effectiveness.

The Governance Committee: Why You Need One (That Works)

Elizabeth Duffrin — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 22:01:27 GMT

By Amy Schiffman, ACN Member

Are you growing a little tired of statements prefaced by words like “In these uncertain times …?” Me too. But it’s a little hard to avoid these days. So, I’ll just come right out and say it: the world is in a state of upheaval, so if your board of directors is not firing on all cylinders, your nonprofit is in deep (or at least deepish) trouble.

Let's focus on how you get to a professionalized, focused, strategic board – one that concerns itself with capacity building and is able to help the organization withstand troubling times. As a fundraiser, you might think I’d be most concerned with your resource development committee, but you would be wrong. As a consultant who has spent over 25 years working with nonprofits to build sustainable futures, I believe that your board development committee (aka committee on trustees/nominating/by-laws/governance) is the single greatest asset on your board – no contest. And it’s the key to a great fundraising program, because if the governance committee is not doing its job, it’s likely nothing else is working.

What do I mean by “not doing its job?” If the governance committee is either a) not meeting, b) not well managed or c) has no idea what it’s there to do, it’s not far-fetched to assume that your standing board committees aren’t in great shape, either. Why? Well, let’s review the governance committee role and function and then revisit that question.

It is the job of the governance committee to promote, maintain, and ensure the health and well-being of the board of directors. This work generally focuses on four to five major areas. They include:

1. Helping to ensure board members know what their job is – this includes standing board committees:

Regularly update the board member role description and train board members on what is expected of them.
Ensure that all standing board committees have updated charters or role descriptions, annual goals and work plans. Provide training on an annual basis to all standing board committee chairs so they know how to do their job. Don’t assume they do.
Assist the board in periodically updating and clarifying the primary areas of focus for the board and help shape the board’s agenda for the next 12 – 24 months, based on a current strategic plan.

2. Ensuring a healthy board member pipeline and a diverse representation of voices:

Regularly examine board composition and develop an “ideal candidate profile.” Current board members should be aware of the characteristics, attributes, skill sets, network, demographics and access to resources available on, and missing from, the board. Once you identify the skill gaps, you know who you’re looking for.
Develop and “work” the board candidate pipeline to ensure that new volunteers are introduced to board and committee work, and promising board candidates are cultivated and educated.
Manage the board nomination and election process and create and manage an onboarding program that includes a board manual for new members.
Ensure that term limits are enforced and assess individual board members’ interest in continuing on the board. Help board members assess their board and committee work and identify ways in which they can help the organization reach its goals. This includes helping board members choose a role on a standing board committee.

3. Helping to educate, professionalize and build team spirit:

Provide a mentor for new board members.
Ensure board members receive ongoing professional development and training on topics such as fundraising, financial literacy, donor cultivation, policy updates and sector-specific information.
Bring the work of the organization to board meetings via “mission moments” and regular opportunities to hear from clients, students, department chairs, clinicians, alumni, etc.
Provide regular board retreat and team building opportunities.

4. Setting goals and evaluating the board’s effectiveness

The board should self-assess on an annual basis, both as a team and as individuals. If you’re not setting goals and taking the time to determine whether or not you’ve reached them, how will you evaluate success? How will you identify challenges and opportunities for growth?

Ensure the board is working from a current strategic plan. If there isn’t one, work the executive committee to develop a strategic planning task force. The work of your standing board committees should be guided by the goals established in your strategic plan. No plan = no roadmap + no vision to share with donors and key stakeholders.
Review periodically the board’s by-laws as well as practices and policies around confidentiality, conflict of interest, term limits, fundraising expectations, etc.

5. Ensuring healthy leadership succession

To ensure strategic board leadership succession planning, track current board roles and forge a path for promising future leaders. This process should outline the ideal steps to be taken toward executive committee and board chairmanship engagement.
Create a nominating subcommittee process that drives the nomination of new board members, the election of board members to leadership positions and the formalization of renewed terms. Track terms and term limits, ensuring that the board is continually focused on the development of diverse new leadership.

So now back to our question. Why is this committee so critical? If the governance committee is doing its job, then the rest of the board is engaged in meaningful committee work, board members are focused on capacity building, and the board is provided with the training and resources they need to do their jobs well. If the governance committee is either dysfunctional or inoperative – well – I’m guessing you know what happens. If that feels a little too familiar, let’s give your board development committee the role description I’ve outlined above. It’s a start. J

Amy Schiffman is president and CEO of Evolve Giving Group. She and her rock star team can be found at www.evolvegivinggroup.com so feel free to reach out with comments or questions.

Hosting Live Virtual Events: Lessons Learned

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 18:53:06 GMT

By: Allison Wong, ACN member

Six months into the pandemic, it’s clear that meeting in person isn’t an option for fundraising. Planning and executing a virtual fundraising event can seem like a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be. With proper research, planning and partnerships, your virtual event can be wildly successful.

At Forever Ready Productions, we specialize in telling mission-focused stories for nonprofits. Here are the five most important things we’ve learned from live streaming virtual events since the pandemic began:

1. DECIDE ON A CONTENT THEME. I’ve seen many events that don’t have a clear direction and that usually leads to things feeling out of place and disjointed. If you decide on a theme for the evening, you’ll have a guide for selecting the right content. Pick something that will compliment your message and help you accomplish your goals, all while keeping viewers engaged and entertained. For example, we helped the Center for Enriched Living host a “Virtual Chefs’ Night” which included a live cooking demonstration from a chef.

2. PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE. Once you have a theme, date, and time, let people know it’s happening. It seems obvious, but I think people forget this is important. Mail invitations, send emails to all of your supporters, post on all of your social media platforms and more. When we worked with the Center for Enriched Living to live stream their Virtual Chefs’ Night, the staff did an amazing job of texting reminders to their supporters leading up to and on the day of the event. That resulted in nearly 1,000 viewers across two platforms!

3. KEEP THINGS ACTIVE. I know you have a lot of important information to communicate to your audience, but try to strike a balance between talking and doing. You could have live music, a live interview or a giveaway, and all could be done safely. Even having two hosts can help liven things up!

4. HAVE HEART. This is probably the most important advice I could give. Featuring heartfelt, authentic videos will take your event to the next level. You need to show your audience why they should support your work. Working closely with the Center for Independence, we created four videos that played throughout a virtual event, each featuring a parent sharing their own authentic story. Executive Director Patricia Herbst said it was critical in helping them raise nearly $80,000.

5. DON’T FORGET THE ASK. In a virtual event, make sure you’re explicitly asking people to donate, just like you would during an in-room pledge. Let them know what their money will do. You should also frequently remind people where and how they can donate throughout the broadcast. Showing reminders on screen is even better.

By following these tips and working with a strong team, you’ll be able to plan an entertaining, impactful and memorable event. Happy planning!

Allison Wong is a client manager and video producer for Forever Ready Productions. Allison joined the Forever Ready team in January of this year after working as a broadcast journalist. She’s enjoyed sharing her passion for storytelling with her nonprofit clients and bringing their missions to life through video.

The Chat Window: Your Virtual Gala’s X-Factor

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 01:01:10 GMT

By Alex McDonald

A great feature of virtual galas is that donors can join from anywhere with just a single click. The flip side is that donors can also leave with a single click.

In this post, I’ll show you how to leverage the chat window to keep donors engaged for the duration of your virtual gala.

Why Do You Need a Lively Chat Window?

Regardless of how entertaining and inspiring your virtual gala’s broadcast is, donors will miss the interactivity of your in-person gala. The chat window fills the need for interactivity by allowing donors to engage with your organization and with each other.

Furthermore, a lively chat window communicates to all attendees that your organization has broad support from a passionate donor base. Donors want to be part of success stories.

Finally, social media streaming platforms, like Facebook Live, use engagements (comments, likes and reactions), to determine whether to suggest your live stream to a broader audience. Lots of comments means more people see your live stream.

3 Simple Ways to Encourage Comments

Fortunately, mixing things up in the chat window isn’t difficult - it just takes a little forethought.

“Salt” the Chat Window

Ever notice how there is always money in the tip jar at your local coffee shop? Baristas add their own money to show that tipping is the normal thing for customers to do.

This is called “salting the tip jar.”

Similarly, you should “salt” the comment window by arranging for some volunteers and especially dear donors to kick off your event with a flood of comments.

The comments can be simple notes like “So excited to be here!” or “I like the host’s outfit.” If streaming to Facebook Live, commenters can share a Facebook Live Reaction (e.g., like, love, laugh) as well.

Other donors will want to get in on the action and submit their comments.

Dedicate a Representative to Responding

In addition to salting the comment window, you’ll want a gala representative to respond to donors’ comments and acknowledge generous donations.

This role is especially necessary if your gala is prerecorded and the hosts can’t acknowledge attendees on air.

Your representative should be quick witted and well known to donors. Not only will donors submit more comments, they’ll stick around to see the reply.

Incorporate the Chat Window into the Live Presentation

Online attendees love when the live hosts acknowledge their comments. Here are some simple ways to facilitate this interaction:

Ask a trivia question about your organization and give a prize to the first correct response.
Encourage viewers to submit funny phrases which hosts try to work into their monologue.
Solicit questions for an organizational leader to answer in your broadcast.

Obviously, time these games as to not compete with your Fund-a-Need or live auction.

If donors wanted purely scripted entertainment, they could log in to Netflix. The chat window gives your event an X-factor so you can entertain guests while communicating your mission.

Brainstorm with your committee how to apply the above strategies to cultivate a lively chat window for your virtual gala.

Alex McDonald, director of customer experience at TravelPledge, connects nonprofits with auction items posted by generous businesses. He also shares his extensive marketing experience by developing educational content for organizers of benefit events.

Fundraising Fundamentals during COVID-19

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 19:43:40 GMT

By Don Raack, ACN Member

If you are like most nonprofits, 2020 was a year of great aspirations. Funding patterns were trending upward, bolstered by low unemployment and higher disposable income. You were ready to add that new program, hire that new manager, expand that facility . . .

. . . and then March came . . . and then . . . whoa.

In a matter of a couple of weeks, many nonprofits went from strong service and growth to a fight for their very survival. Many have been left wondering what to do when it seems like there is nothing to do.

The answer is to pour 100% of your organization’s energy into an agile and transparent fundraising strategy. Sustainer donors are the backbone of your organization’s operations, and they are the priority. Your mission has been built upon their loyal generosity, and now is the time to engage them with a new sense of urgency and purpose.

The most effective, immediate action you can take is to focus on the fundamentals of donor relationship management:

1. Engage – Get into your donor data. Get on the phone with the top 10% of your donors. Recognize their past contributions, thank them in a special way and remind them of why they have supported you to date. Then move to the next 10%, as 80% of your funding likely comes from the top 20% of your donors.

2. Ask – Have your message organized in three simple statements answering these three questions: “Why us? Why now? Why you?” Re-establish the importance of your work, communicate the immediate challenges and needs, and remind them of why their specific support has been so critical before and especially now..

3. Recognize – Over-communicate the impact of the donor’s gift. Update them continuously and thank them personally for their continuing support.

Whether your funding comes from individuals, major donors, or private or corporate foundations, there is funding out there for you to obtain. Prioritize your existing sustainers, endeavor to create new sustainers, over-communicate and make them feel good about your mission and its future. The re-start is coming sooner than you think, so get your sustainers thinking about you!

Don Raack is managing director of AltruNext, a consultancy specializing in fund development strategy and execution. He is an expert in business and operations management for nonprofit organizations.

ACN Announces Our Board of Directors for FY21

Lidia Varesco Racoma — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 13:49:36 GMT

At our 31st annual meeting on June 16, 2020, we announced the election of three new ACN board members.

FY21 New ACN Board Members

Brad Ball is Vice President of Big Buzz Idea Group where he serves as Executive Director to the land economics society Lambda Alpha International Ely Chapter and is the project lead for two major events the company coordinates, Ribfest Chicago and Chicago Hot Dog Fest. He enjoys strategic planning and thinking and has extensive experience managing organization finances from both an executive and program level.

Don Raack oversees brand awareness and all business operations as Managing Director of AltruNext, a consultancy specializing in fund development strategy and execution. As a former user of consulting services, he has the perspective of one who would benefit from ACN's services. As a provider of various consulting services over the past 12 years, he also has the perspective of how best to engage the community served as well as listen to the issues faced and outcomes desired.

Shailushi Ritchie is founder & CEO of Sevah Consulting and has spent her entire professional career working for nonprofit organizations, developing deep bench strength in the areas that make nonprofits unique. She brings a systems approach to all of her work and tries to find elegant solutions to problems. She believes in service, learning, and service learning. She asks questions to uncover unspoken or even unacknowledged issues that could cause problems and collaborates with all the key stakeholders to come up with solutions. She also brings both her connections with agencies across the state and the country and her unique perspective as a woman of color.

Welcome to the ACN Board, Brad, Don and Shailushi!

Current board members Jill Misra, Elizabeth Richter and Lidia Varesco Racoma are returning for another term.

See the full list of ACN Board of Directors.

Virtual Events: Could you? Would you? Should you?

Elizabeth Duffrin — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:30:03 GMT

By Stacy Harker, ACN Member

In these socially-distanced times, many nonprofits are debating whether to move a planned in-person event online. Before you take the leap, consider these questions.

Could you?

One of the first questions your team needs to ask is COULD WE put on a virtual event? Are you able to pivot from an annual in-person event to a meaningful virtual experience? As you and your organization pose this question, there are several logistical considerations that you need to evaluate:

Do you have the necessary technology?
Can you present your mission and impact visually?
Do you have the staff/team/volunteer capability?
Is there a budget?
Can you repurpose content from your in-person event?
Is your event sponsor flexible about moving online?

Do you have access to experts who can help you with the logistics of moving online?

Would you?

If you think you CAN, the next question is would postponing your in-person event would do more harm than good compared to pivoting to a virtual event? Before making a decision, here are some vital questions to ask your team:

Does this event fit in with your overall plan for the year?
Can you whip up the strategy, timeline and back-up plans in time?
Do you have a host or emcee?
What will your actual programming be?
Can you still share the impact of your work?
Do you have tech support for attendees?

Should you?

Let’s say that yes, you WOULD change course and that you COULD logistically pull it off, you really need to ask yourself SHOULD your organization do this? Whether or not you have the capabilities, all this boils down to is whether or not it is fiscally responsible and within the scope of your organization’s mission to conduct a virtual event. These questions are not just about your “return on investment” but also your “return on energy” since this most likely means going where your organization has probably not been before:

Does leadership champion the transition?
Is your constituency likely to attend a virtual event?
Will you be able to dedicate appropriate marketing support?
Have you built in enough time to test your presentation and technology with your team, and test, test…and test again?
Can you build and manage a good virtual events team?
Can you be SUCCESSFUL?

The biggest question you need to ask for your organization in the current climate is can you be successful? What do you define as success? Is it hitting revenue targets? Is it adding more donors? What definable goals can you use to benchmark your event as a success? Have your organization’s goals been adjusted to reflect this unprecedented time? Are you providing the next best avenue for connecting with your donors if this is your main event of the year? Asking your organization all of these questions will put you on the right path to determine whether or not you could, would and should take your event into the virtual realm.

Stacy Harker, an associate at KEES, provides interim staffing services to nonprofits going through the executive search process. Stacy has more than 19 years of nonprofit experience in education, performing arts, media, consulting, interim staffing and executive search.

2020 Annual Meeting Recap

Ed Graziano — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:38:45 GMT

We were thrilled to see so many of our members at ACN's first-ever virtual annual member meeting on June 16, 2020.

After realizing we couldn’t hold our in-person meeting, our committees quickly pivoted our 31st annual meeting to an online format that featured association updates, as well as Q&A and networking opportunities.

ACN board president Jill Misra kicked off the meeting with a State of the Association—including the following record-setting stats and notable differences from the last fiscal year:

2019’s 30th Anniversary Celebration & Annual Meeting drew a record-high number of attendees
Current membership is at a record high—and includes a 7% increase from this time last year
Membership has diversified by geography and membership type, including out-of-state memberships representing Wisconsin, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Kansas and California
3 of our in-person events sold out
44 of our members volunteer on the board of directors or committees

Next up were committee reports, an overview of key accomplishments in the past year and and plans for FY21 from our Finance, Governance, Marketing & Communications, Membership, Nonprofit Relations, Programming and Strategic Planning Committees.

After that, we announced and welcomed our new board members, Brad Ball, Don Raack and Shailushi Ritchie. (Stay tuned for a post to learn more about them and their roles on the board).

The meeting wrapped up with a Q&A session to answer members’ current questions and concerns about the association, as well as small group networking in breakout rooms

Though of course we prefer to be together in-person, we are pleased that we could bring our community together virtually. We look forward to making ACN even more beneficial for members and nonprofits in the coming year!

ACN MEMBERS: If you missed the meeting and would like to review the slides or watch the recorded meeting, click on the Member page of the website, then click on the Governance and Strategic Plan link. If you are not already logged in, you will need to do so using your email and ACN member password. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Executive Director Tricia Fusilero at ExecDirector@ACNConsult.org.

Fundraising in Times of Crisis

Elizabeth Duffrin — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 17:08:36 GMT

By Edie Canter, ACN Member

Should we fundraise now?” “Can we fundraise now?” “How should we fundraise now?”

These questions have been top-of-mind for nonprofit leaders during the COVID crisis. Fortunately, the answers may be simpler than you think. And what we learn at this time can inform fundraising practices in the future.

**Yes, you should fundraise during crisis**

Does your organization need philanthropic dollars now or in the next several years? If the answer is “yes,” then you must fundraise.

Some express discomfort about asking for money if their organizations are not on the front lines of crisis response. I urge you to put that discomfort to the side.

Remind yourself of this: your mission was relevant before the crisis and it will be relevant after the crisis. Indeed, your work – even adapted for COVID – is relevant right now. If you believe in your mission, you owe it to your organization to fundraise. It is as simple as that.

**Yes, you can fundraise during crisis**

You can raise money as long as there are supporters who believe in your work, are generous, and have the capacity to give. Let’s see how these three elements play out now.

First, you can assume that supporters who believed in your mission pre-COVID still feel warmly toward your work. If you take care of the fundraising fundamentals, they will continue to care.

Second, during crisis, people look for ways to be helpful. While some may not be able to give now, others are increasing their gifts. Supporters want to support, however they can.

Third, while our country faces unprecedented economic anxiety, many people have maintained employment and wealth. As of this writing, stock market performance continues to be high, with stock prices significantly above the lows of the Great Recession. And even during the Great Recession, philanthropy continued, albeit at lower amounts.

Let’s be realistic – you may not raise as much money as you planned for this year. But the requisite elements are present: supporters, generosity, and wealth. You can fundraise.

Remember the fundamentals

During crisis, key fundraising principles still apply.

Build relationships: This is a great time to connect one-on-one with top supporters via phone or video calls. Ask how people are doing, share how you’re coping, update supporters on your important work, and thank them.

Engage donors: Keep your supporters engaged with regular and authentic emails or newsletters (nice infographics and videos are a bonus, but not necessary). Consider offering a virtual opportunity for supporters to connect with your work – perhaps a 30-minute “get to know the staff” webinar or a panel discussion.

Tell your story well: Provide personal narratives and stories that demonstrate your organization’s impact – and remind donors of the importance of their gifts.

Special considerations during COVID

Sensitivity to the times: Be thoughtful in your “asks.” If you do not know how individuals have been affected by the crisis, couch your request in compassion. “We know these are difficult times. If your situation allows, we hope you can continue your important support.”

Special events fundraising: In lieu of in-person events, virtual events have exploded, with success we could not have imagined a few months ago. These events are proving amenable to familiar revenue-generators such as sponsorships, paddle raises, tickets, raffles, and auctions. Here is a small sampling of creative formats:

Live events featuring pre-recorded speeches and performances or using breakout rooms to facilitate networking and dialogue.
Multi-day events with daily panel discussions.
“No-event” fundraisers – usually online campaigns over several days.
Events marketed as happy hours, pajama parties, living-room activism, and more.

When planned and managed well, special events raise money, build community, engage supporters, celebrate success, and elevate constituent voices. During the COVID crisis, we can achieve all these goals with virtual events.

Take the COVID crisis as an opportunity to deepen donor cultivation, hone storytelling, and explore creative fundraising. All will pay off in the post-crisis world.

Edie Canter, president of Canter Strategies, provides nonprofits with expert consulting in development assessment, planning and execution; strategic planning; interim leadership; Board/organizational management; and persuasive writing. She brings to the table over 35 years of experience as an executive director, director of development and communications, board member, and advocate.

April Educational Event: How to Run Your Nonprofit like a For-Profit

Ed Graziano — Wed, 13 May 2020 13:55:45 GMT

by Annisa Wanat, ACN member

“There are super sexy exciting things to think about running a nonprofit, I know no one wants to talk finance, but you have to,” began Megan Angle for ACN’s April Educational Program, “How to Run Your Nonprofit like a For-Profit.” In ACN’s first virtual educational program, Megan, a CPA with Porte Brown, provided useful tips for nonprofits on solid financial management policies and procedures that will impress donors and strengthen your organization.

1. Key Financial Policies

From an auditor’s perspective, there are four key policies to have in place to demonstrate to your team that your nonprofit is committed to staying financially healthy. First, conflict of interest policy requires any staff and board members to disclose any potential conflict of interest with vendors or suppliers - and remove themselves from the decision-making process involving those parties. Although federal law prohibits retaliation against employees who shine the light on misdeeds, a written whistleblower policy demonstrates your organization’s commitment to transparency. A compensation policy that ideally uses an external source to be sure your salary scale is in-line with other similar nonprofits in your region can streamline the negotiation process with new employees. And finally, a document retention policy will help your entire team understand the importance of organizing files.

2. Zero-Based Budgeting

Instead of building your annual budget based on the previous year’s spending, consider planning your expenses from the ground up. This method of budget development requires you to justify all your costs at the beginning of the period. Megan recommends creating a budget this way every year, but if you find it too arduous, every other year would be reasonable. The idea is to be sure you reflect on your plans and to be sure you are doing what is needed, rather than just continuing to operate “the way it has always been done.”

3. Operations, Capital, and Cash-Flow Budgets

A financial sound nonprofit will separate its budget plans by category, as well as be sure that anticipated revenues, especially if they vary seasonally, can cover your expenses on a month-by-month basis. A cash-flow budget will help you navigate ebbs and flows in funding, for example, when there is a global pandemic that interrupts the economy.

4. Budget to Actual Comparisons

“Don’t put together a budget and never use it,” stressed Megan. Periodically reviewing your budgets to see if your plans have come in on target can help you understand relationships and patterns for future planning. Also, consider picking a couple of key metrics, such as working capital, savings indicator, and debt ratio and analyze the financial strength of your organization over time.

5. Hierarchy of Emergency Liquidity Planning (HELP)

Understand the HELP so that you can plan for disruptions in your cash-flow. To lay the groundwork for stability, be sure to maintain a savings account with minimal withdrawal fees and keep at least 30-days of expenses in it that will not be touched until an emergency. Second, before you need it, establish a line of credit for another 30 days of expenses. It will be harder to get the loan if you wait until you need it. Be sure to have a plan for what your liquidity should be before you can tap into the savings account or access the line of credit.

Megan not only stressed the importance of these five financial management policies and procedures but provided suggestions for how smaller organizations could implement them. If your organization is not ready to hire a full-time financial person, consider outsourcing this to a CPA. Or recruit a board member who has these skills to build up the policies and train staff on implementation.

At the end of the presentation, Megan fielded questions from attendees. The full webinar is available on the Porte Brown site.

Life After COVID-19: Re-Imagining the Possibilities

Kelli Moore — Mon, 11 May 2020 18:22:28 GMT

By: Melissa Lagowski

You might feel like you will never break free from Zoom calls and virtual meetings right now, but we will reach the other side of this “shelter in place” soon. However, the world as we knew it will never be the same. Have you started thinking about what this means for you and your business?

Some people are passive and have a wait and see attitude while hoping for a return to normal, but times like this are for preparation and innovating. If you actively invest the time now to plan out what you want to achieve on the other side of COVID-19, you are far more likely to succeed. It would be to your advantage to use this time to begin planning for a future that has already been altered.

At some point, you probably grumbled and mumbled under your breath about a project you didn’t like. Or you wished you could stop offering a certain service or working with specific type of client. This is your chance to re-imagine the possibilities. The market is forcing you to consider a redesign anyway, so this is the time to approach your future with a blank slate.

Reconnect with Your Why

When was the last time that you thought about your “why?” Take a moment to think about why you do what you do: Why do you serve the nonprofit arena? Why does your work matter? To you? To your clients? Reconnecting with your why helps re-ignite your passion for your own personal mission, so start by identifying your why and confirming that it is still the same as it was three months ago.

Evaluate Your Work and Your Desires

Businesses were forced to make unexpected and immediate changes over the past couple of months. As an example, some of us may have already been set up to work from home (with little change other than the increase in virtual meetings), while others had everything turned upside-down. Regardless, the adjustment happened so quickly that most people haven’t really had the chance to think about the new normal and analyze the entirety of its effects.

So now is the time to make a list of the pros and cons of your life before COVID-19 and your life after COVID-19. You may have some surprising findings. For example, while I miss meeting with people in person, I love the short commute times of these virtual meetings, which means I can be home for dinner every night with my family. As you work to “reset” your life, personally and/or professionally, feel free to select the best of both worlds to plan for your future as you think about what comes next. You now have the ability to adjust your services, your roles, your processes, etc., as you move forward, so don’t miss this opportunity that could make your work and your life more balanced or more meaningful.

Innovate for Growth

“Crisis is the mother of invention.” We have heard it before, but today is proof that it still rings true. Opportunity truly exists when we realize that it is not just our roles that have drastically changed, but our clients and potential clients have had to adjust their needs and processes, as well. What monumental shifts have they been forced to take? Why not use this time to connect with your clients and other nonprofit organizations and ask them? What is their current pain? What is their greatest need? Is there something that you could offer them to help?

Look for the gaps in your industry and any gaps in your services. After such a large disruption (that is still evolving), this is an ideal time to identify what is missing for your industry and/or clients. Is this an adjustment that you make? Is the need something you could offer? Crisis is a time to identify how you might make shifts in your work to better serve your clients. You may uncover something you never thought of before that could increase your relevance (and revenues) in the future.

Re-establish the Vision

Now that you have taken inventory of what was working and what was not, it is time to re-establish your overall vision. Again, this is the time to hit the reset button to design what life after COVID-19 will look like. Write about it in detail. What services will you offer? Who will you serve? How will you make them feel? What do you want to be known for? Why will your clients need you? How will you improve the nonprofit world? How will that make you feel? What lessons have you learned that you want to apply, and how will your life be different as a result? What will you offer that you hadn’t before? What will you discontinue offering because it no longer serves you?

You get to keep doing what has served you well and put changes into place to improve the parts of your work that have not been serving you well. Personally, I have identified many things in our company that need to be simplified. I have also identified services that we no longer want to offer, and we are creating some new ways to assist nonprofit organizations in need. This pivot is reinvigorating our team and increasing our excitement about the future of the company.

Today offers the biggest opportunity of your life to hit the reset button, so do the work now to create intention for your future. It will provide the clarity you need to move forward when we are able to proceed with our lives again.

Promote Yourself

Finally, prepare to promote your services. It may be human nature to shrink when we are afraid or uncertain, but now is not the time to play small. To overcome the effects of the coronavirus on your business, you need to be ready to announce what you are offering and why it matters. Plan now for how you can promote yourself and any service adjustments you are making for the future. It is important to share the news to show that you support those who will benefit from what you are offering, so plan accordingly for how you will do this for the greatest effect. Do you need to make tweaks to your website about new services? Share an announcement? Post the news on social media? Have a bold plan ready so that you can quickly move as the shelter in place mandate is lifted.

And if the quick adjustments of mid-March have taught us anything, they have shown us to be scrappy. The rollout of new services or service adjustments don’t need to be perfectly packaged, and often, a desire for perfection results in paralysis. We have all learned that you can create something and continue adjusting the offerings or the packages as you go. After all, we were all fumbling with Zoom and virtual technology in the beginning, but now people have learned how to change their virtual backgrounds and use the system far more effectively with time and experience. So, there is no need to aim for perfection here; just aim to get the information out to those who need it, knowing that you can continue to improve it in the future.

In Conclusion

We may be living through the only time in our history when we can hit a reset button on life, so don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Invest the time to really analyze your company and your purpose so you can properly position yourself for greater success and satisfaction after the new normal of COVID-19 sets in. Even the slightest adjustment may provide huge benefit to you and your clients.

Melissa is CEO/Founder/Queen Bee of Big Buzz Idea Group. Big Buzz provides operational support for nonprofits and associations in the areas of administration, communication, event-planning, bookkeeping and database management.

Thank you to our volunteers!

Ed Graziano — Wed, 06 May 2020 17:20:45 GMT

In honor of National Volunteer Week (April 19-25), we would like to share our gratitude for the contributions of our board of directors and committee volunteers, who work behind-the-scenes to help our members grow their businesses and better serve the nonprofit sector.

Hear why our members volunteer with ACN and how it has positively impacted them.

Belinda Li of CiTTA Partnership

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
Almost 6 years, currently serving on the Programming Committee.

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
To bring educational and networking opportunities to fellow nonprofit consultants, helping us all develop professionally and connecting with like-minded individuals.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
Being involved with ACN, in general, has helped me develop new partnerships with other consultants—resulting in opportunities to work with fellow ACN members on client projects. And being a volunteer for ACN helps raise my and my company's profiles, among consultants as well as nonprofit leaders who attend our events.

Jill Misra of Impact Solutions

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
4 years, current ACN President and serving as the co-chair of the strategic planning task force

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
The strategic planning task force is a focused opportunity to support the future direction of ACN. I was interested in this work as it aligns with my practice areas and also affords opportunity to learn from like-minded peers.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
Volunteer work for ACN offers exposure to colleagues that I otherwise may not encounter. It challenges my thinking while allowing me to contribute in an area where I feel comfortable.

Donald Raack of AltruNext

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
Almost 1 year, currently serving on the Nonprofit Relations Committee.

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
I felt a desire to serve the community of my chosen vocation.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
I volunteer for purposes I believe in. I volunteer for activities that fuel my passion. I volunteer not for the benefit of me, but for the benefit of others; when others benefit, I in turn benefit. Without some positive impact for someone else, I would find volunteering to be empty.

Jim Stoynoff of Synthesis Solutions, LLC

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
Almost 5 months.

Why did you choose to be a volunteer?
It is an opportunity to assist non-profit organizations that are especially vulnerable in this challenging time, and to work with other folks who also share a commitment to do our best in this regard.

How has volunteering impacted your career or business?
It has provided many opportunities to help non-profits of all sizes to successfully fulfill their mission and thrive, and at the end of the day it feels great!

Emily Taylor of teenyBIG

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
1 year, currently serving as VP of Nonprofit Relations.

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
It is a great way to understand the various skills consultants have to offer and begin to collaborate with others in the field.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
I've been able to run several speaking events for nonprofits and am learning more about aspects of the social sector I was less familiar with.

Lidia Varesco Racoma of Lidia Varesco Design

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
3-1/2 years, currently serving as VP of Marketing & Communications.

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
I originally joined the Marketing Committee to meet fellow members and become more involved in ACN. After serving on the committee, I decided to join the board of directors so that I could help bring more awareness and engagement to ACN.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
The largest benefit of being an ACN volunteer has been connecting with fellow consultants who have complementary businesses and collaborating on projects. Since I work with association clients, the experience of being “on the other side” of association life has also been very valuable. Also, since I work mainly solo, being on the ACN board of directors and managing a committee has helped me grow and develop my leadership skills (shoutout to my awesome Marketing Committee, by the way!)

Annisa Wanat of amw solutions

How long have you been volunteering with ACN?
Approximately 5 years, currently on the Marketing Committee

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
I thought working with the marketing committee would be a great way to network and hone my skills.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
Volunteering with the committee has exposed me to the different ways other consultants approach marketing which I have been useful clients. Also, I have developed stronger relationships with other ACN members.

Tiffany Williams of TJ Marie Consulting and Givly Inc. has been volunteering on the Nonprofit Relations Committee.

Why did you choose to be an ACN volunteer?
I'm passionate about strengthening nonprofits and offering services that help support their missions and expand their impact. Volunteering is my way of sharing and connecting with other consultants and nonprofit leaders.

How has volunteering with ACN impacted your career or business?
Volunteering has helped me better understand and provide services that speak directly to the needs of the nonprofits we serve.

Thank you to all of your volunteers—we appreciate you and your service to ACN!

ACN Members: Are you looking to share your time and talents? Learn more about volunteering with ACN.

How To Squeeze MUCH More Information from Surveys

Kelli Moore — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 19:54:56 GMT

by Amelia Kohm

Each of us has a number of tools we use regularly in our consulting practices. A well-worn item in many of our toolboxes is the survey. Whether we are doing strategic planning, marketing, organizational development, or evaluation, we often need information best gathered through a survey of current or potential clients, participants, audience members, board members, staff, etc.

It’s easy enough to create a survey on Survey Monkey or the like. It's harder to get an adequate number of responses. And even when you do, the respondents might not fairly represent the larger group you want to know about. But let’s say you get past these hurdles. There’s still a major hurdle ahead of you: extracting meaning from your data.

Surveys include different types of questions. Perhaps the most common one is the Likert scale question which asks respondents to indicate how much they agree or disagree with a particular statement using a five to seven point scale.

Many consultants and organizations will assign numerical values to response options (5 for strongly agree, 4 for agree, 3 for neutral, 2 for disagree, and 1 for strongly disagree) and then compute averages across respondents. But there is so much more information in those numbers than averages can tell you, including:

The extremes: Averages can’t tell you what were the lowest or highest ratings on any given statement.

What most respondents said: Let’s say an average response is 3. This number doesn’t tell you if most people responded with a 3 or if half responded with a 5 and half responded with a 1. More broadly, averages can’t tell you how spread out the data is. Are there similar numbers of responses at each point in the scale or do they bunch up around certain values?

What subgroups think and feel: Even though the overall average might be high, the average might be low for some subgroups within your group of respondents. Perhaps respondents from a certain neighborhood, for example, had very different opinions than the group overall.

You can extract and show this type of information using data visualization tools like Tableau. Compare this simple list of averages of responses to several survey questions . . .

. . . to the chart below which shows the range of responses to each survey statement, the proportion of responses for each rating, and the overall average across survey statements (the gray vertical line) in addition to the averages which appear in the gray circles.

Moreover, the interactive version allows you to “drill down” into the data and see if whole group results hold for subgroups.

If you are going to go to the trouble of conducting a survey, make sure to squeeze all of the information you can from the data you collect.

________________________

Amelia Kohm, PhD, is the founder of Data Viz for Nonprofits and has more than 20 years of experience studying, funding, and evaluating human services. Data Viz for Nonprofits (nonprofitviz.com) delivers high-quality, low-cost visualizations that help organizations to quickly grasp their data, improve their work, and show their impact.

Assessing Your Team and Infrastructure During This Unprecedented Time

Kelli Moore — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 15:14:09 GMT

by Heather Eddy

Assessing your team and infrastructure is an item leaders often have on the “to do” list, but likely keeps getting pushed to the bottom.

NOW is the perfect opportunity to tackle the task.

When we look back on the COVID-19 situation, bold leaders will have used the lessons learned during this time to strengthen their organizations and teams. Here are some things you can review to prepare for short- and long-term operational needs when things do return to normal. (And they will return to normal.)

Annual goals and targets. What will they look like at 100% / 75% / 50%?
Budgeted numbers (projected and actual). Determine which fixed costs are a must and which soft costs can be deferred, reduced, or eliminated.
Job descriptions. When were they last updated? Do they clearly outline performance objectives and expectations?
Policies and procedures. Are they current? Do they accurately reflect how your team operates?
Members of your team. Who brings exceptional skill? Who is the most versatile? Who always jumps in, and who regularly objects? Who has evolved with the job, and who has steered the job to fit them?

With this data fresh in mind, outline your ideal team structure for January 2021. Look at the ideal pre-COVID-19, the “leanest” option now, and what falls in between. Defining these frameworks will help in the coming months.

During both the Dotcom bubble burst (late 90s) and the economic downturn during the Great Recession (2007-2009), we learned that crisis-timed decisions need to be made with short-, medium-, and long-term impact in mind.

The good news is – we also learned that things do eventually come back. Who you have on your team when that happens will make all the difference. Here are some recommendations when making hard decisions:

Culture still eats strategy - even in tough times, and perhaps especially in tough times. Make sure people are adding to a common, valued, shared, and vibrant culture.
Strategy does matter. Without it, your team may accomplish a multitude of tasks, but may not reach bigger goals.
Longevity carries weight, but last in/first out may not meet your business needs. Staff with less tenure on your team may fill the most current/important need(s) – isn’t that why you hired them?
The 80/20 rule. A manager often spends 80% of their time with the underperformers and only 20% of their time with top performers. Who takes up most of your time, and is that time channeled productively and efficiently? If you could achieve more time balance, what outcomes could you accomplish?
Ensure your team brings a blend of styles and strengths. KEES uses the DiSC profile for team building. Even if a team member isn’t your favorite personally, that does not mean they are not a valuable asset to the team.

These challenging times will demand your creative leadership. If you keep your mission and purpose top of mind, knowing that things will rebuild and ultimately thrive again, then short team pain may lead to long term gain.

_____________

Heather co-founded KEES in 2013 after serving for 17 years in multiple executive leadership roles with The Alford Group/Alford Group Executive Search. KEES partners specifically with nonprofits to provide an array of executive search, leadership development, interim staffing and HR consulting services.

Donor Engagement: When Face to Face Isn’t Possible

Kelli Moore — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 16:24:34 GMT

By Laura Weinman

If you are a Major Gift Officer or other “relationship manager,” you are likely craving human interaction while simultaneously re-imagining years of best practices teaching that face-to-face is always the best way to engage your most generous donors.

During times of uncertainty, most major donors will want to hear from you – to know you care about their well-being and to update them on what your organization is doing differently (and what remains unchanged!) during this time of disruption. Reaching out by email or phone is fine (don’t stop doing it) – and suggesting that you meet by video conference might be welcomed. While some donors might not be familiar with Skype, Zoom, or other platforms, many regularly interact with children, grandchildren or friends on their phone through FaceTime or other means. They may even be interested in having a view of your home office or some parts of your life that you don’t usually share. (We’re all in this together.) For a laugh, check out this BBC interview from a home office that goes awry.

Everyone loves an authentic interaction and during times of stress, letting down your personal guard and interacting as a person rather than an employee can go a long way in building trust and bonds with your major donors.

However, video chat isn’t for everyone…so what are some other options?

Ask your CEO, Board Chair, or someone in direct service at your nonprofit to record a short video and share it widely on social media and email it to donors. Something as simple as a 15 second iPhone video is easy to share.
Many people look for ways to be helpful and productive during times of stress and uncertainty. Other than giving, ask for specific things they can do. Can they call another donor to thank them? Can they reach out to isolated clients (ensuring you clear any confidentiality issues) to offer a friendly voice? Can they direct people to your good work through their social media?
Simply making a phone call to say thank you for your support this year can go a long way in keeping your organization top of mind at a later date. If you can encourage your board and committee members to make these calls, you’re cultivating them too!
Consult experts for help with organization-specific cultivation plans or interim support if you need some additional experts on board temporarily to reach all of your donors.

Laura has 20+ years of Association/Nonprofit leadership experience. Her expertise focuses on development, staff recruitment, staff management, career coaching, grant writing, major gifts, planned giving, prospect research, strategic development planning, event management, sponsorship, volunteer management, and annual fundraising. She has been with KEES since 2012.

Maintaining Good Mental Health While Working Remotely

Kelli Moore — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:10:09 GMT

by Michelle Hunter

Working at home can cause stress and anxiety, even under normal conditions. This new world of remote working due to COVID-19, however, is a different ballgame—and one with its own unique set of mental health challenges.

With the unfolding health crisis, many of us likely have more worries on our plates than usual. As members of the nonprofit community, we are deeply concerned about the pandemic’s impact on the populations we serve and our organizations’ ability to function and survive. We also may be feeling anxious about our own health and financial security, or about working remotely while trying to care for children and loved ones.

In times like these, it’s more important than ever to take steps to protect our mental well-being. You’ve likely heard the airplane metaphor about putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs. The same message applies here: you’ll be in a much better position to make a positive difference for those around you if your fundamental needs are met.

Here are a few tips for taking care of your mental health while working remotely during this unusual time.

Stay connected. To combat feelings of isolation, check in regularly with colleagues, friends and family through calling, texting, e-mailing or video chatting.
Schedule down time. Try to set clear boundaries between work and leisure time. Dedicate at least an hour a day to activities that help you unwind, such as reading, exercising, taking a walk, making a meal, or watching a TV show.
Look for the bright spots. We did not ask for this crisis, but since it’s here, let’s discover what we can learn from it. Every day there are new, profound examples of our colleagues and clients fighting with all their might to keep our work and sector afloat. We should acknowledge the many acts of good we see and glean as many insights as we can—both for our mental hygiene and so the nonprofit sector can emerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient than ever.

There is much we are still learning about how to cope with this new and still-evolving reality. While we don’t have all the answers, one thing is certain: if each of us is to deliver on our mission and purpose, we must make our mental well-being a top priority.

___________

Michelle Hunter is a freelance writer and consultant who connects storytelling to strategy. She helps nonprofits find and tell their stories in ways that reach their audiences and support their mission, vision and goals.

Tips for Working Remotely

Kelli Moore — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:13:44 GMT

by David Steven Rappoport

I’m as horrified as everyone else about the COVID-19 situation, but I’m not worried about how it’s going to impact my ability to work with clients. This is because I primarily work remotely as a matter of choice. I don’t like the wear and tear of travel, and my clients don’t like the increased cost that travel adds to a project. I completed a project in Los Angeles last week and am working on one in New York state this week, without visiting either place.

My practice primarily focuses on researching and writing complex, high-dollar grant proposals. This work requires organization, clear communication, and a capacity for research and analysis, but it usually does not necessitate in-person interaction. I used to think it did, but years of working with clients on the phone and internet has changed my mind.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned working remotely:• Organize the project for virtual work. I have a launch call for all projects which I ask key participants to attend. I present and review an outline of the project requirements, create a GANTT chart detailing the project timeline, and detail all roles and responsibilities. Clear expectations are key.
Remember that, whether virtual or real-time, consulting is still a trust business. The work I do is fairly wonky. Client trust is built on a perception of experience and competence, not on personal charm – or lack of it. I find that projecting an organized and knowledgeable persona from a distance builds that trust as effectively as being in the room.
Establish a primary contact person. I find it is best to talk to one key person on-site as much as possible and let them talk to everyone else. This reduces confusion. Be careful about side conversations.
Be comfortable with your technology. I’m an old-fashioned nerd. Simplicity is sometimes better than complexity. I use MS Office products and have the full version of PDF so I can manipulate PDF documents. I don't use Google Docs because for some, its structure may add to confusion on projects, with many participants making changes. Different systems work well for different consultants and organizations. Find the technology that works well for you and your clients.
Hand-holding can be done virtually. Sometimes clients require extra personal attention for one reason or another, and for that, a phone call works just as well as being there.

Ultimately, some projects still benefit from in-person interaction. For example, a few years ago, I was hired by a philanthropic organization to help a group of stakeholders create a proposal to the state government to address a major restructuring. I arrived on site with an organizational development professional, and we spent several days with the participants, creating a system redesign. The work was complicated and layered with anger and anxiety. Could the process have been done online? Possibly, but it would have been more difficult. Very large and complex projects with many elements and participants also benefit from being in person, which helps to who does what and who knows what.

*******

David Steven Rappoport Consulting, LLC works nationally with non-profits; city, county, state, and tribal government agencies; philanthropies; and businesses. The practice primarily focuses on: (1) the development of proposals to public and private funders – often complex and high-dollar; (2) related opportunity research; and (3) related facilitation, research, planning and analysis.

Collaboration Corner: Melissa Lagowski and Lidia Varesco Racoma

Kelli Moore — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 21:34:34 GMT

by Liz Duffrin

Melissa Lagowski, founder and CEO of Big Buzz Idea Group, was surprised at the invitation to be a guest blogger for ACN not long after attending her first meeting. One consultant she met later read the blog posts on her website and recommended her to the ACN marketing committee.

“I would never have thought to submit my articles to ACN for sharing,” said Lagowski, whose group provides nonprofits with day-to-day operational support and event planning. “The way the ACN the marketing team kept inviting me to share content was meaningful for me. I felt the organization was doing something to support me, and I needed to be part of the community.”

Lidia Varesco Racoma, a member of the marketing committee and now its chair, was thrilled not only with Lagowski’s blog posts but with the chance to reconnect with her. Years earlier they’d consulted on the same project but had fallen out of touch.

Once ACN reunited them, Lagowski soon found a need for Racoma’s talents. The Chicago chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners needed to rethink its communications plan. Lagowski, the chapter’s executive director, recommended Racoma, a graphic designer and marketing and branding strategist and founder of Lidia Varesco Design, for the job: “I knew she had a fresh perspective and a process that would be extremely useful.”

Racoma analyzed the characteristics of the association’s members and divided them into three types—new entrepreneurs, small but established ones, and those grossing $1 million or more each year. For each type of member, Racoma created a profile in a graphic format that was fictional but representative of the group and included a name, avatar, background, pain points, and values.

Those profiles helped the association better tailor its programming and messaging to the needs of its different audiences, said Lagowski. “It became instrumental in our planning and gave us a solid foundation for marketing that the organization didn’t have previously.”

Now the two are working on an RFP for a large communications project with ACN member Kelli Moore, principal at Ando Advisors. While Big Buzz Idea Group could have assumed a larger share of the project, Lagowski believes that the diversity of talent that Racoma and Moore bring will make their RFP more competitive and ultimately “give the nonprofit a higher return on its investment.”

Both said they’re eager to find more ACN collaborators. “I’ve always been seeking partners so that I can participate in larger RFPs or projects,” said Racoma, who joined ACN in 2016. Through her work on the marketing committee, and by serving on the ACN board as vice president of marketing and communications, she’s become familiar with the work of consultants who are potential partners and also colleagues she can refer to clients in good faith. “So ACN has been really awesome in that sense,” she said. “Lately, I’ve been referring people like crazy.”

Racoma and Lagowski advocate building relationships through ACN events and volunteer opportunities as a way to grow your business. “We are all serving the same target market and the fact that we all do different things lends itself to collaboration,” said Lagowski. “And the opportunity to form collaborations is incredible. It helps you build your bench so that you can bring a whole team, a whole solution to a client.”

Demystifying Impact Evaluation—Measuring the Good that We Do

Ed Graziano — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 18:26:07 GMT

By Liz Duffrin, ACN member

Presenter Monica Kaiser leads a collaborative activity with participants

The only person nonprofits find more intimidating than an evaluator is an auditor, quipped ACN member and evaluation expert Monica Kaiser of Kaiser Group Inc.

But at the ACN quarterly meeting in February, Kaiser made the evaluation process seem not only clearer and less intimidating but even fun. During the morning workshop, she led a packed room of nonprofit professionals and consultants through a series of simulation games to better understand what impact is, how a nonprofit can best demonstrate its impact to funders, and how to determine which type of impact evaluation best serves a nonprofit’s needs.

Here are a few tips from her workshop on making impact evaluation more successful:

1. Create an impact statement.

“So what do we mean when we say impact?” Kaiser asked the group. “The definition we’re going to walk around with today is, ‘the condition we would like our society or our community to be in because of our work.’”

A good impact statement, she explained, is measurable, grounded in research, and ambitious enough that your organization can’t claim having achieved it alone. A health services nonprofit, for instance might aim to “eliminate disparities in incidences of chronic diseases,” she said.

Kaiser also explained what an impact statement is not: It’s not a statistic, such as a percentage increase in a physical fitness score. It’s not a program objective, such as “revise health education curriculum.” It’s also not your nonprofit’s vision, such as “helping all people achieve health across their lifespan.”

“Unlike a vision, impact has to be stated in a way that could potentially be measured,” she explained. “A vision is our hearts on parade. A vision is a beautiful poetic piece of writing. You can find a clue in your vision. But a vision is not an impact statement.”

2. Create a logic model.

Every organization needs a “logic model” or “theory of change” to explain how its day-to-day work will ultimately lead to impact, Kaiser said. These models can vary in format, but they all serve to organize an agency’s thinking about its work, about the data it collects for funders, and about how it communicates its success.

Without a logic model, grant writers are often left to come up with indicators on the fly, she said, and an organization ends up with a laundry list of items to measure “because every grant has a different list based on who wrote it.”

In thinking about a logic model, a simple analogy Kaiser uses is throwing rocks in a pond, which leads to a splash, ripples and ultimately to impact or “The New Pond.”

Throwing rocks into the pond represents a nonprofit’s services. “The majority of agencies measure their outputs and put them on their websites as if they were outcomes,” Kaiser noted. “’We serve 50,000 people’ is not an outcome, but it is a measure of your reach which is absolutely critical to eventually being able to talk about your impact.”

The initial splash is short-term outcomes for participants.

The first ripples are intermediate outcomes that stem from many short-term changes.

Outer ripples are long-term outcomes for participants or changes that participants make in others, such as educators raising student achievement.

The New Pond is the impact that a nonprofit believes will result from its sustained efforts and outcomes.

(Click here to see one logic model template Kaiser uses. The arrows in the template “are the key in a good logic model,” she noted. “They hide the research that says, if you do this, then this happens. You don’t get to invent those connections, you need to make them using research.”)

3. Understand the difference between outcomes and indicators.

One of the trickier parts of creating a logic model is making the distinction between outcomes and indicators, said Kaiser. Indicators are specific measurements, such as the percentage of students who increase their score on the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. Indicators do not belong in a logic model, she insisted. “You are going to have too many and something is going to change and you’re not going to want that indicator anymore, but you’ve publicly committed to it.” One nonprofit that used scores on the Presidential Physical Fitness Test as an outcome, for example, was forced to change its message when that test was replaced by another, she said. Meanwhile, its real outcome, “improving children’s physical fitness” hadn’t changed.During the ACN workshop, participants worked in small groups to begin creating a logic model by writing an impact statement based on a sample vision along with program activities that would lead to the desired impact. Next, each got a baggie with outcomes and indicators on slips of paper and tried to accurately sort them.

Kaiser said that the process of creating a logic model is even more important than having one. “I can walk into an agency, meet with them for two days, and hand them a logic model. That brings no value to that organization whatsoever,” she said. “When that happens, it’s literally just a piece of paper and nobody is going to look at it again.”

The process of creating a logic model, on the other hand, builds buy-in from participants and a shared understanding of what the agency aims to measurably achieve, she said. “The value is in the conversations.”

(For a list of Kaiser’s suggested evaluation terms, including more detail on outcomes and indicators, click here.)

4. Choose an evaluation method that best meets your needs.

A logic model lays the groundwork for an efficient data collection and evaluation plan. Once the logic model is complete, she said, an evaluation expert inside or outside the agency should assist in coming up with indicators and a plan for measuring the desired outcomes.

Kaiser thinks of evaluation as a stepladder, with agencies climbing further up the ladder to more complex evaluation methods depending on their needs and resources.

The bottom rungs of the ladder include tracking the number of people an agency serves and evaluating their satisfaction with those services. These measurements “are critical to being successful in evaluation,” she said. “If you don’t do this well, you can’t climb the ladder.”

Further up the ladder is measuring benefits to clients. These can be measured qualitatively, based on interviews and surveys. At a higher rung, they can be measured based on standardized, validated instruments, she said. “This is a very solid step to be on, and most agencies really only need to be here.”

At the top of the ladder are more expensive and time-consuming options. These include comparing outcomes between clients and similar unserved groups. At the very top of the ladder is an evaluation where participants are randomly assigned to receive services or not—the “gold standard” of evaluation.

At the end of the workshop, groups of participants pretended to be nonprofits of varying sizes and were each assigned a strategic plan goal and asked to choose the best evaluation method based on their needs and resources.

After the workshop, Kaiser mentioned that she covered as much ground in 90 minutes as she usually does in two four-hour sessions. But ACN participants were enthusiastic and unfazed. “The most common comment I heard at the end,” she said, was ‘My brain hurts, but in a good way.’”

Tackling Volunteer Recruitment: Four Easy Steps to Committee Pipeline Development

Kelli Moore — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 17:05:39 GMT

By Amy Schiffman, Principal and Co-Founder, Giving Tree Associates

For nonprofits, the new year tends to bring new resolutions. And I know that, as a former director of development, good committee recruitment and engagement was always one of mine. Easier dreamed than achieved? Maybe. But as we get deeper into the first quarter of the year, now is the time to think about our volunteer committee structures and determine if we have a) the right people; b) enough people; and c) a clear understanding of what it is the committee is tasked with achieving. So, once you have defined your standing board committee structure and determined which committees are appropriate for non-board members, what’s left is a question of recruitment, i.e., “how do I get the right people to serve?”

Let’s identify the four steps that will help you answer that question…

1) Develop the committee role description, also known as a committee charge or charter. The committee charter outlines the committee’s role and briefly reviews the areas under the committee’s domain. For example, a marketing committee charter might include responsibilities such as the development of an annual communications plan, an editorial calendar, campaign messaging and a public relations strategy. Decide in advance what this committee will do. This will make the recruitment of committee members easier because people are a lot more willing to volunteer if they know exactly what’s involved and you’ll have a better sense of your needs.

2) Create an ideal candidate profile. Once you have your charter developed and a strong sense of what you need from your committee, create a document that outlines the skill sets, talents, characteristics and traits of the ideal committee member. Share this profile with current committee members, board members and staff so that they are able to brainstorm with you about possible candidates.

3) Go out and recruit. I’ve worked with nonprofits that post volunteer opportunities on LinkedIn or Facebook (not a bad idea) and then sit back and wait for candidates to come to them. Recruitment does not typically work this way. When I’m seeking new board or committee members, I share the ideal candidate profile with my network. I then ask those I feel are particularly well networked to sit with me for lunch or coffee and brainstorm about candidate possibilities. I create a candidate tracker in Google Docs that I share with fellow committee members and update the team on my progress. Finally, I meet with those who are referred to me and share the committee charter.

4) Ask correctly. I have caught myself physically cringing upon overhearing a conversation during which a volunteer is begged, coerced or misled regarding committee or board membership. The manner in which you ask and the picture you create for your committee candidate is crucial to the process. I like to give a candidate a very concrete understanding of what is involved with the role, present the opportunity as an honor (not a chore) and finally, ask in a way that allows them to understand exactly why I want them.

Please feel free to reach out with questions about committee recruitment at www.givingtreeassociates.com – we are always happy to share resources. I hope these four steps allow you a more productive, positive path toward volunteer recruitment and engagement.

About Amy: With more than 25 years in nonprofit development, Amy partners with organizations to develop effective fundraising campaigns, build strong leadership teams and empower them with tools to visualize and achieve mission impact. Since co-founding Giving Tree Associates in 2008, Amy has helped clients raise tens of millions of dollars through individual major gifts, foundation and corporate funding. Based in Chicago, Amy is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and is a frequent presenter at local and national conferences, including gatherings offered by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Forefront, Association of Consultants to Nonprofits, JCC Association of America, and Prizmah’s National Endowment & Legacy Institute. She is an adjunct faculty member at The University of Southern California (USC)/Hebrew Union College’s nonprofit management program and lives in Chicago with her husband and two children.

ACN and Forefront: A partnership that empowers nonprofits

Ed Graziano — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 15:03:18 GMT

ACN has a partnership with Forefront, Illinois’ statewide association that represents grantmakers and nonprofits, as well as their advisors and allies.

Forefront is a wealth of resources for both early stage and established nonprofits, with opportunities such as an onsite Library housing an extensive physical collection of books and journals on nonprofit topics (plus a newly-added database of ebooks for remote access).

They can conduct searches of foundation directory online, provide grants/grantee lists and run wealth profiles and reports. They also provide templates and samples for nonprofit topics such as board policies. And both members and non-members can book a research appointment with one of their consultants.

Members can take advantage of job posting opportunities, including salary/benefits research as well as in-person and online professional development on best practices, grantmaking, leadership, fundraising, developing talent, board engagement and evaluation. They also offer an ICAT capacity assessment survey tool (free yearly for members).

ACN hosts joint events with Forefront and we also have a special membership category for Forefront members.

We are grateful to Forefront for helping us to empower the local nonprofit community.

3 New Year’s Resolutions That Will Grow Your Nonprofit’s Revenue

Kelli Moore — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 14:50:07 GMT

by Sherry Quam Taylor

I don’t want to sound harsh, but most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick. The daily demands of life and our natural resistance to change - well, they get the better of us and we don’t get the results we were hoping for.Are you approaching your nonprofit growth plan like a New Year’s resolution?

Without a plan, your nonprofit’s revenue growth isn’t that different from New Year’s resolutions. To raise more money and secure larger donations, you need a growth mindset and a plan to get the results that got you so excited in the first place.

Resolution #1 Become Proactive

It’s easy to get stuck being reactive in nonprofit. But there comes a time when a leader has to make a conscious decision to press pause and put a proactive plan in place that will grow the organization and its funding.

Is it time to pause for planning? Have you truly established your organization’s financial need—one that would actually propel growth? Do your top donors know your true need and their crucial role in your organization year after year? Do they understand your funding structure? Are you presenting your financials to donors on a regular basis?

Push into these activities and lean into investment-level conversations with your donors this year. Then you’ll see investment-level results.

Resolution #2 Become Aware of the “Competition”

Nonprofits don’t usually think of themselves as “competitive,” but right now, there are dozens of other nonprofits in America with similar missions to yours. You are competing for donor dollars. So, what makes someone give to you over another organization?

You must set yourself apart by providing a satisfying donor experience and conveying your uniqueness. Donors want to give to an organization that serves their interests. Serve your donors! Focus on what their investment in the mission can do through your organization.

Resolution #3 Become Disciplined

Most growth initiatives fail when they’re not given the time they need to succeed. Implementing development systems doesn’t happen by magic--you have to take the time to do it, over and over. Simply put, development is discipline.

Take another look at your budget. Your income goals should direct how to spend your time. For example, a typical organization should hope that 50-75% of their revenue is coming in from their Top 30 individual gifts. With this, your revenue-generating staff should spend a comparable amount (50-75% in this example) of their time on this activity.

This is where I see nonprofits get stuck - spending too much time on activities that yield small dollars. Watch that you're not spending a disproportionate amount of time on things that don’t generate significant revenue.

Make A Resolution...With A Plan

What about you? Dreading the thought of climbing that fundraising hill again? Wondering where you’ll find new donors in 2020? You’re not as bad at fundraising as you may think. Perhaps you’ve never had to do it in your previous career . . . or you've never been taught how to do it.

Start here with my HOW TO: Find Major-Donors in 2020 Guide. You’ve got this!

About Sherry Quam Taylor

Sherry teaches nonprofit leaders how to pivot from spending only time on low-dollar activities to investment-level opportunities. The leaders she works with are experts in their field, but when it comes to individual fundraising, they’ve simply never been trained how to do it, so it feels frustrating. She helps them learn how to solicit in a way that involves less dread and gets results. She does this through her private coaching and 90-day fundraising accelerator. Website: www.QuamTaylor.com

11 Tips for Creating and Sustaining Member Engagement

Kelli Moore — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 13:54:15 GMT

Membership organizations, like associations, have special challenges.These organizations need to appeal to a variety of member types, each with their own needs, wants and aspirations. This calls for a strategy!

The key to a successful member engagement strategy is relevance to prospective, new and current members. This is where segmentation – tailored approaches and messaging -- comes in.

RECRUITING

Make a great first impression.

1. Develop a brand that is well-respected in your industry.

Your brand is your best recruiting tool. More than a logo and tagline, it represents all the experiences with your organization. It needs to communicate your value, mission and vision. Developing a compelling and durable brand requires research, strategy and planning.

2. Know (don’t assume) your target market.

Who are your association’s main prospects? What business problems do they have? What benefits do they seek? Understanding the answers will help you communicate your value.

3. Produce effective membership materials.

Do they “speak” your prospects’ language? Are they clearly written with consistent messaging, and do they look professionally designed? Do they show your interest in your prospects’ development.

4. Consider different levels of membership.

Having a strategy with a scaled fee and benefits (basic, premium, etc.) can allow you to capture more prospects and generate more income from membership.

ONBOARDING

Generate excitement around the benefits of membership and new relationships.

5. Create an onboarding communications plan.

Make your new members feel welcome by telling them what to do first and where to go for help. With marketing automation, it’s easy to create a sequence of emails to send automatically based on join date.

6. Plan a new member orientation session.

An orientation session will give new members the “lay of the land” so they can take advantage of benefits right away while meeting other new (and current) members.

7. Host events to introduce new members to current members.

Networking events, such as “Happy Hours,” create perfect opportunities to connect new members and veterans to each other in fun or unique venues.

Download our e-book for the final 4 tips on BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS with members … and more on member engagement!

by Brenda Berman, McKenna Design Group

About McKenna Design Group

Founded in 2002, McKenna Design Group specializes in helping trade and professional associations and social impact organizations fulfill their missions through effective branding, marketing and technology solutions. McKenna Design Group: We Are Future Shapers.

Celebrating Longtime ACN Members

Ed Graziano — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 20:49:31 GMT

ACN Founding Member Kelly Kleiman

In this our 30th anniversary year, we are grateful for our longtime members—some who have been with us since the very beginning, when ACN was just a handful of people that met casually in a lakefront park.

Much has changed in ACN over the years, including our name and the size of our group. One thing that has stayed consistent is the focus of our membership: 51% of ACN members have been a paid consultant for 6+ years and 91% have worked in the nonprofit sector for 6+ years (2019 ACN Member Engagement Survey).

ACN Founding Members

Kelly Kleiman, NFP Consulting

“When we started ACN we were still trying to get nonprofits and funders to understand that consultants to nonprofits weren’t just the recently unemployed. I hoped it would grow and help its members grow their practices, but I never envisioned the magnitude of the growth. Referrals from my ACN colleagues, exposure in the online directory and RFPs have all been essential in my sustaining a healthy consulting practice for 30 years.”

Kelly Kleiman
Principal, NFP Consulting, ACN Founding Member

ACN Members of 15+ Years

Elizabeth Richter, The Richter Group – BOARD MEMBER
Margaret Hennessy, Hennessy Consulting Inc.
Amy Cornell, Cornell Consulting, Inc.
Carol White, CBWhite – MEMBER ENGAGEMENT TEAM
Steve Pratapas, Pratapas Associates, LLC
Amy Wishnick, Wishnick & Associates, LLC - COMMITTEE MEMBER
Joyce Golbus Poll, J.G. Poll & Associates – COMMITTEE MEMBER

My initial ACN membership coincided with my launch into independent proposal writing. Fast forward fifteen years and I am still involved. Why? ACN’s member network continues to be a rich source of referrals. Nonprofit executives find me on the ACN website. There is access to RFPs and strong educational programs. ACN and my consultancy practice—they go hand in hand.

Joyce Golbus Poll
J.G. Poll & Associates

ACN Members of 10-14 Years

Wendy Siegel, Millennia Consulting, L.L.C.
Gail Straus, GKS Consulting, LLC – COMMITTEE MEMBER
Jan Stempel, Stempel Consulting
Mary Morten, Morten Group, LLC
Laura McAlpine, McAlpine Consulting for Growth, LLC

ACN Members of 5-9 Years

Amy Schiffman, Giving Tree Associates, Inc.
Roger (Whit) Shepard, RWS Consulting, Inc.
John Davidoff, Davidoff Mission-Driven Business Strategy
Jeff Marcella, Marcella Consulting Corporation
Meghann Beer, Meghann Beer Nonprofit Consulting
Debra Natenshon, DBN & Associates
Annisa Wanat – COMMITTEE MEMBER
Theresa G. Lipo, Nonprofit and Philanthropy Advising

I joined ACN after being invited to one of their events by a colleague. I had been feeling somewhat isolated in my practice and knew it was time to start networking and connecting with others in the field. I found the community of dedicated professionals I had been looking for and started to volunteer on committees, ultimately serving on the board for three years. Through ACN, I've had the opportunity to gain exposure to clients, learn new business skills, and grow my network, which has had a powerful impact on me personally and professionally. I'm still grateful for that initial invitation to an ACN event!

Theresa G. Lipo
Philanthropy and Development Consultant

Rena Henderson Mason, Bold Agenda
Jonathan Eisler, Perspectives Ltd. – BOARD MEMBER
Belinda Li, Citta Partnership – COMMITTEE MEMBER
Barb Vicory, Wg2 Consulting & Management
Joseph Villinski, Xseed Fundraising Solutions

Thank you to our longtime members for being advocates for ACN, as well as your dedication to mission-based work in Chicago and beyond.

Show your ACN pride

ACN Members: Download ACN member badges for your website or email signature. Longtime members: we have special badges just for you!

Enrich the Nonprofit Board Member Experience

Ed Graziano — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 20:06:35 GMT

By Amy Wishnick, ACN Member
Principal, Wishnick & Associates

The cold open works for Saturday Night Live, not so much for a nonprofit board meeting. Isn’t it respectful of board members’ time to launch directly into the business at hand? Even though it may seem that way, I’m not so sure.

Nonprofit boards are fueled by many things. Most notably, of course, is an individual director’s connection to the mission. And, effective, thriving nonprofit organizations are led by board members who are committed partners in their leadership and governance roles. To be successful in this endeavor, board members need to trust each other. And, to build trust, they need to know each other.

My observations, based on attending hundreds of board meetings as a consultant and a board member, suggest that board members tend to arrive ‘just in time’ for board meetings that go straight to business. The push to be efficient may diminish board members’ connection to their board buddies and impact their chance to enjoy the camaraderie of the board room. It bypasses acknowledging that everyone is back together to lead the organization.

So, let’s imagine ways to foster trust, collegiality, and a companionable atmosphere:

Have a meal together, whether supplied by the nonprofit or BYO, if a board meeting takes place over a mealtime. (Don’t get me started about the perils of ‘hangry’ board members.)
Begin the meeting with a true welcome statement, rather than jumping directly into the agenda.
Go around the table so each board member can share something personal that happened since the last meeting related to the organization or in general.

Ensuring ways to build rapport increases the opportunity to get to know one’s colleagues. It boosts the satisfaction and geniality that can so enrich the board experience. With the sense of friendliness that accompanies teamwork – and a board is a team – nonprofits reduce the risk of alienating some directors. Board members are less likely to put distance between themselves and the organization when board meetings are framed as welcoming and open, and the members know their colleagues.

Next time you attend a nonprofit board meeting, take a moment to evaluate the feeling and flow. Make your voice heard and suggest changes to support an atmosphere that fosters connection, which is in everyone’s best interest, board member and nonprofit.

For more ideas to make board meetings engaging and effective, please check out these other blog posts:

http://wishnickandassociates.com/category/nonprofit-board-of-directors/

Amy Wishnick, Principal of Wishnick & Associates since 2004, loves consulting with nonprofits. She works nationally with clients on strategic planning, executive leadership transition management, board development and governance, different types of assessments, meeting and retreat facilitation, and more. She is a past president of the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits and serves on the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management’s selection committee for the Alford-Axelson Awards for Managerial Excellence.

ACN supports nonprofits on #GivingTuesday

Ed Graziano — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:54:31 GMT

ACN supports local nonprofits!

We know many of our members work with groups that are participating in #GivingTuesday on Dec. 3, 2019 and leading up to this year's giving day we are highlighting campaigns from local and national nonprofits that work with our members.

ACN Members: To feature your client's #GivingTuesday campaign, please share a tweet/Facebook post via this Google form (you must be a current ACN member to participate).

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter where we will be curating a list of #GivingTuesday campaigns to support this year.

Collaboration Corner: Ellen Shepard & Donna Larkin Lake

Ed Graziano — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 16:02:29 GMT

Spotlight on ACN Partnerships
By Liz Duffrin, ACN member

ACN members Donna Lake and Ellen Shepard collaborated on a strategic planning and communications project for a food pantry.

Donna Larkin Lake, a communications strategist, didn’t know a single ACN member when she arrived at the annual meeting in June 2018. But over the breakfast buffet, she had a “wonderful conversation” with Ellen Shepard, CEO of Community Allies, who works with community and economic development groups. They exchanged cards.

Several months later, Shepard contacted her with a project that was a perfect fit for both. Shepard would lead strategic planning for a food pantry, while Lake, former communications director for Northern Illinois Food Bank and Greater Chicago Food Depository, would craft messaging for the plan, and train the board of directors to carry out a communications strategy.

“I show up at the ACN meeting not knowing anyone, and a few months later end up having this fabulous partnership that benefitted my business and my learning,” said Lake, president of Larkin Lake Strategic Communications.

Shepard was also surprised at their fortuitous meeting, acknowledging that she is “not a natural networker, so I tend to go to these events and think, ‘I met people but nothing came of it.’ But this partnership was a reminder to me that the seeds you sow could bear fruit later—someone you meet today may be someone you can call on down the road.”

The two consultants still didn’t know each other well when they began working together in the fall of 2018. “The contract was in my name, so there was a little fear: how confident can I be turning stuff over to Donna?” Shepard recalled. “But I felt comfortable quickly.”

The collaboration turned out to be even more successful than either had anticipated. Lake offered to take notes in two planning sessions but also lent her expertise to the discussion. “She knew some questions to ask and what might be missing,” Shepard said. “Having another consultant in the room who knew the food pantry world was great for me.”

Between sessions, Shepard said she often relied on Lake as a thought partner. “‘Let me say this out loud and see if it makes sense.’ And we talked through it in detail. What I was able to provide the client was much stronger with Donna’s input.”

Including Lake in planning sessions also turned out to be critical to the later success of the communication effort. “Ellen could have completed the strategic plan with the board and handed me the report and asked me to craft messages from that,” said Lake, “but I wouldn’t have understood firsthand the passion that was coming from the board and why the particular strategies they wanted to move forward with were important to the organization.”

In the meetings, Lake said that she also learned from watching Shepard lead the group so skillfully—keeping the pace and focus while drawing out the quieter members and pausing to let ideas percolate. “Having been a spokesperson for nonprofits, I sometimes feel the need to fill the silence. Watching Ellen in action has made me a better listener, which will help me serve my clients better.”

Their advice to other consultants: “There are a lot of talented people in Chicago—get out and get to know them,” said Lake. “There are people out there who can help you, but it’s about networking to establish those relationships.”

Collaboration “made both of our businesses stronger,” she added, “and helped us serve our clients better. I think that together, we’re stronger.”

Do you know your social enterprise ABCs?

Ed Graziano — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:55:22 GMT

At our popular recent program, Understanding Social Enterprise: Models, Funding and Legal Structures, the consultant and nonprofit attendees had lots of questions—many of them being: What the heck do all those acronyms stand for?

Our expert moderator and panelists Suzanne Griffith (Vega Partners), Belinda Li (Citta Partnership), Erica Spangler Raz (Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights), and Bradley Summers (Wells Fargo) used their varied background in legal, fiscal and management to make sense of the social enterprise ABCs.

B Corp: B Corporation (or B Lab)
B Corporation certification is a private certification issued to for-profit companies by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization with offices in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a partnership in Latin America with Sistema B. To be granted and to preserve certification, companies must receive a minimum score on an online assessment for "social and environmental performance," satisfy the requirement that the company integrate B Lab commitments to stakeholders into company governing documents, and pay an annual fee ranging from $500 to $50,000, depending on annual sales. (Wikipedia)

CFA: Chartered Financial Analyst
A chartered financial analyst (CFA) is a globally-recognized professional designation given by the CFA Institute, (formerly the AIMR (Association for Investment Management and Research)), that measures and certifies the competence and integrity of financial analysts. Candidates are required to pass three levels of exams covering areas, such as accounting, economics, ethics, money management, and security analysis. (Investopedia)

CPWA: Chartered Private Wealth Advisor
Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®) is an advanced professional certification for advisors who serve high-net-worth clients. It's designed for seasoned professionals who seek the latest, most advanced knowledge and techniques to address the sophisticated needs of clients with a minimum net worth of $5 million. (Investments and Wealth Institute - CPWA)

CRPC: Certified Retirement Plan Counselor
Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) is a professional financial planning designation awarded by the College for Financial Planning. Individuals may earn the CRPC designation by completing a study program and passing a final multiple-choice examination. Successful applicants earn the right to use the CRPC designation with their names for two years, which can improve job opportunities, professional reputation and pay. Every two years, CRPC professionals must complete 16 hours of continuing education and pay a small fee to continue using the designation. (Investopedia)

L3C: Low-Profit Limited Liability Company
A low-profit limited liability company (L3C) is a legal form of business entity in the United States that was created to bridge the gap between non-profit and for-profit investing by providing a structure that facilitates investments in socially beneficial, for-profit ventures by simplifying compliance with Internal Revenue Service rules for program-related investments, a type of investment that private foundations are allowed to make. (Wikipedia)

PRI: Program Related Investment
Program-related investments are those in which:
1. The primary purpose is to accomplish one or more of the foundation's exempt purposes,
2. Production of income or appreciation of property is not a significant purpose, and
3. Influencing legislation or taking part in political campaigns on behalf of candidates is not a purpose. (IRS.gov)

UBIT: Unrelated Business Income Tax
Even though an organization is recognized as tax exempt, it still may be liable for tax on its unrelated business income. For most organizations, unrelated business income is income from a trade or business, regularly carried on, that is not substantially related to the charitable, educational, or other purpose that is the basis of the organization's exemption. An exempt organization that has $1,000 or more of gross income from an unrelated business must file Form 990-T. An organization must pay estimated tax if it expects its tax for the year to be $500 or more. (IRS.gov)

Did we miss anything? Let us know and we’ll update our list.

Want to learn more about implementing a social enterprise in your organization? Find an expert in our member directory or reach out to our Executive Director to connect with one of our social enterprise member experts: execdirector@acnconsult.org.

Top Ten Church, Charity, and School Illinois Property Tax Exemption Mistakes

Ed Graziano — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 15:11:05 GMT

By: William A. Price
www.growthlaw.com

Don’t apply for property tax relief before you get your federal exemption letter. You have the burden of proof of exemption, and though the IRS “Good Housekeeping Seal Of Approval” is not enough to prove state qualification, it is a required part of the application packet.
Don’t apply if your zoning or building code compliance is wrong. Local taxing bodies get notice of property tax exemption requests, and if your site is not correctly zoned, you may have local use prohibitions, not just property taxes to pay.
Don’t apply if your organizational entity is not in good standing. Religious or charitable not for profit corporations have to file incorporation papers and annual reports with the Secretary of State. Religious corporations have to file with local county clerks. Proof of current filing status is part of the required property tax application package.
Don’t apply if your other taxes are not paid. Local and state sales tax, federal and state income tax withholding authorities, and other local tax registrars will be informed of any property tax exemption request, and they will get unpaid tax penalties and collections if you are not in compliance, whether or not they also contact the property tax exemption section of the Illinois Department of Revenue or the local assessment appeals boards that rule on your exemption application.
Don’t apply as a charity or religious use property if you cannot prove your use is “exclusively” charitable or religious. The county boards of review, Department of Revenue and reviewing courts all require evidence of free services to all those in need, not just nonprofit operations that do not return profits to individual owners.
Don’t apply as a school if your services are part-time and do not completely avoid the need for public education for children served by your school.
Charitable or religious (or other exempt owner type) title to the property is required, not just a leasehold. You can work with an owner to subdivide and purchase a property on note and mortgage terms that give it back if you don’t make payments, but the ownership has to be free and clear in the exempt entity, not held for profit, or the exemption does not apply.
Make sure you have proof of exempt use for every room and floor and part of a property. Anything less can result in exemption for less than 100% of property tax bills.
Don’t forget the parking lots: these may be exempt if adjacent to and maintained for the benefit of adjacent parcels with exclusively religious or charitable exemptions.

Collaboration Corner: Meghann Beer & Debra Natenshon

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 18:09:52 GMT

Spotlight on ACN Partnerships

by Liz Duffrin, ACN Member

Meghann Beer, who once helped launch and lead a community development nonprofit working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, joined ACN in 2012. She had just moved to Chicago from Bloomington, Indiana, where she consulted for nonprofits and taught nonprofit management at Indiana University.

Debra Natenshon joined ACN in 2013. At the time, she was the CEO of a national nonprofit consulting group but wanted to transition to consulting in Chicago.

When fellow consultant Carol White introduced Meghann and Debra at an ACN event several years ago, their connection was almost immediate.

The two found they had complementary skill sets, and even better, “We liked each other right away,” says Debra. “That’s an important ingredient in knowing you’d like to work together.”

Their chance to collaborate finally came in 2017 when a board member of a large educational service vendor approached Debra with a major project: “The client wanted a strategic plan but embedded in the plan, they needed a fundraising assessment,” she says. “I didn’t have that specific expertise, but I thought of Meghann immediately.”

At many points during the year-long endeavor that followed, each of them remarked that she would never have taken on the project without the other.

Besides having a partner to share the workload, Meghann says, they valued each other’s varied experience and skills. “We were able to grapple with challenges and think through the process in order to make valuable recommendations to the client.”

The client’s challenges involved businesses processes, board governance, strategy implementation and personalities, Debra recalls. “If you’re an independent consultant with a complex project, you’re often working in an echo chamber. It was really important with this project to have each other as thought partners.”

By the end of the project, the client’s strategic planning task force was pleased with how far they had come and impressed with the clarity of the plan and fundraising assessment.

The two offered advice to other consultants looking for partnerships:

Get to know your potential partner, says Debra. “Make sure you trust the person and have an understanding of the skills they bring.”
Decide in advance who is taking the lead on which part of the work. “You want the experience to be seamless for the client,” Debra explains, “so it needs to be clear for the consultants.”
Build in time for reflection and collaboration in addition to time spent with the client or on a deliverable, Meghann advises. “That time was critical for our thought process.”

Debra names the chance to meet potential collaborators one the biggest benefits of an ACN membership. “It’s marvelous to meet other consultants with complementary skill sets. There’s no shortage of work in Chicago,” she observes, “but the work is often more complex than one person can do alone.”

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