Resources for Community-based Nonprofits, Nonprofit Consultants Network

A packed room at Third Sector New England, 89 South Street, 2nd Floor, for a 9 a.m. meeting. Congenial networking group that’s not afraid to toss around some tough concepts in this economy.

nonprofitconsultantsnetwork.org/events

Monthly
Membership Meeting: Member Sam  Frank will facilitate a panel
discussion among representatives of capacity-building resource
organizations: Boston Capacity Tank (Ellen Bass), Management Consulting
Services (Stephen Rockwell), NCN (Jane Bowers), TDC (Gordon Gottlieb),
and Third Sector New England (Heather Harker). Among the topics to be
addressed:  capacity  (size, leadership, resources), sustainability
(emerging challenges,  identifying critical issues), and assessing
outcomes. First time visitors welcome.

Ellen Bass BCT
Two issues: staff turnover impact quality of services to youth
Stronger supervisions, more coaching, salary, greater access to higher ed
Exec level: the job is just too hard

Jane Bowers: nonprofit consultants network
What are we as a resource? Formal and informal info
What’s happening among comm.-based nonprofits and their funders?
Particular need to help members in an economy like this

Agencies developing strategies to cope w reduced funding
Consultants developing strategies to keep their businesses alive

Gordon Gottlieb, TDC
Nonprofit consulting firm
Focus on strategic planning as part of business planning:
What needs to be done
What trends are
Not duplicating service
Informed by financial reality

Long-term
Pushing organizations to be more forthcoming and clarifying what they’re doing and why, justify with hard facts, explore what the evolving needs of the community is.
Prove that the organization can meet those needs
Prove that organization can sustain those goals

Try to push back at funders: stop funding projects and start funding organizations, drives nonprofits to engage in “crazy” projects

Heather Harker, TSNE
Business partnership program: financial capacity building, diff type of financial planning, looking at not just percentage of cuts but timing and coordination

Uptick in requests for partnerships: being driven by economic realities
Grants capacity program
Space-sharing
HR requests boosted b/c layoffs
Training program in April about restructuring and layoffs
Training: fund-raising in these economic times

Vet and retain pool of subcontractors
Able to make difficult decisions
Realign to core competencies
Look at mergers when they make sense

Steve Rockwell, MCS
Focus not just on web 2.0 tech but exploring new model for how work relies less on networking and more on
Offer a different model for network

Network development plan: network of 12 organizations who collectively work on refugee issues, same issues with diff populations. No longer making individual efforts, collective annual event and appeal makes it more effective.

As things get much worse, people need to grasp that organizational survival isn’t the most important. If we’re “in it to win it” for mission work, have to think how does the mission get served, not my organization.

Funders look at how the organization’s body of work attends to issues.

Foundations have built up their assets tax free over the last 30 years, now is not the time to cut back spending. On the other hand, nonprofits need to take a hard look at their contributions and how they compare to other organizations.