In this third and final installment, I want to talk about what a nonprofit can do to address those points of readiness. Keep in mind that any good consultant will come in and evaluate your organization on some level or another before they prepare a proposal. In other words, be weary of consultants who don't ask a lot of questions about your organization!
But, a lack of readiness certainly does not mean we cannot help. Often, it simply means you need us even more than you think you did. Some of my favorite success stories focus on taking an organization for a very low state to a high state of readiness. In the end, we were extremely successful with our grant proposals--but trust me, it didn't come without considerable up front effort to get organized.
In response to the six points of readiness listed in the previous installment, here are some things you can do along the way to keep your organization at a level of readiness. Tackling these six items will no doubt make working with consultants easier and more effective--and sometimes cheaper!
1) Budget: Do I even need to address this one? Every organization should operate on a budget, period. And, ideally it should be broken out by program (fund accounting) but that is a whole'nother subject.
2) Keep a record of your thoughts, plans and current projects/programs--and keep it organized so when a consultant requests the most recent copy of your strategic plan, you can email it over instead of calling the board president to round up a coffee-stained paper copy (it's happened).
3) We all know relationships are tough. but work to keep them open and honest and make sure a consultant is aware of any rocky relationships or tense situations that may affect their work. A board and staff working against each other, or an executive director and staff working against each other prevents progress.
4) A limited grant history does not mean you should rule out getting a grant in the future. It just means grant seeking may be a bit tougher and may require "proving yourself" a little more than other organizations. Make sure you deliver the programs and services you promised in a grant proposal--if it is looking like you won't be able to (which happens, you won't be the first), contact the foundation immediately. Burned bridges with funders can take years and sometimes changes in leadership to rebuild.
5) Newsflash: the executive director cannot do it all. And, be aware that just because you hire a consultant doesn't mean you won't have to do any work. A consultant needs a single-point of contact for each project. This person should be someone who is available, involved in as many aspects of the program and or organization as possible and capable of meeting deadlines. It is less about the title of the contact and more about their availability and desire to see the project succeed and move forward.
6) Not planning ahead can cost you--big time. Assign a staff person to watch for grant opportunities and keep a spreadsheet with foundations organized by due date. Set internal deadlines that are as much as a week ahead of the funders. I had a client that used to shoot for two weeks ahead of the deadline. While it drove me crazy sometimes, they were right. Seemed like we always ran in to some snag at the last minute and having the extra time really helped keep the stress level down, which in turn keeps the error rate way down.
That does it for this series. What's next for the blog? I have no idea. We will see what unfolds in the next few weeks--seems like real life experiences provide plenty of material for blogging. Stay tuned!
p.s. email us at info@parmeleeconsulting.com if you have a topic you would like to see discussed on either the blog or in the newsletter.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
How Much Do You Charge Part II
In the last entry, I said it depends but saved disclosing the depends on what part for this entry. So what does it depend on? While Parmelee Consulting Group, Inc. certainly has a consistent range of fees for certain services, there are many factors that determine if an organization is on the high end or the low end of the range for each particular service.
What are some of those factors? It is what we would refer to as your "level of readiness." Think Jeff Foxworthy here--he is famous for his act, "You know you're a redneck when..." And there ends my knowledge of Jeff Foxworthy.
You know your organization lacks readiness when:
1) We request a copy of your budget and you say, "We don't have one." This has happened, really, it has--and more than once!
2) We ask for any information already written or collected about your existing, planned or proposed project and you have none.
3) In our initial meeting to learn more about your organization, you disclose a significant rift between board and staff or executive director and program managers or your agency and collaborators.
4) You have had very limited funding success in the past due to either lack of effort, inability to perform or deliver on grants as promised, lack of relationships or awareness in the community or even being a new organization.
5) An overworked under-supported executive director will serve as the contact person. This has also happened more than once.
6) When establishing the time line with a client, they sheepishly smile and disclose we have less than the needed amount of time to complete a quality project.
A lack of readiness certainly does not mean we cannot help. We still can! However, first steps will focus on achieving a level of readiness
But, there are things you can do along the way to help keep your organization at a level of readiness that will make working with consultants a whole heck of a lot easier--and sometimes cheaper. What are those things? Of course...that is Part III of the series. Check back soon for more.
What are some of those factors? It is what we would refer to as your "level of readiness." Think Jeff Foxworthy here--he is famous for his act, "You know you're a redneck when..." And there ends my knowledge of Jeff Foxworthy.
You know your organization lacks readiness when:
1) We request a copy of your budget and you say, "We don't have one." This has happened, really, it has--and more than once!
2) We ask for any information already written or collected about your existing, planned or proposed project and you have none.
3) In our initial meeting to learn more about your organization, you disclose a significant rift between board and staff or executive director and program managers or your agency and collaborators.
4) You have had very limited funding success in the past due to either lack of effort, inability to perform or deliver on grants as promised, lack of relationships or awareness in the community or even being a new organization.
5) An overworked under-supported executive director will serve as the contact person. This has also happened more than once.
6) When establishing the time line with a client, they sheepishly smile and disclose we have less than the needed amount of time to complete a quality project.
A lack of readiness certainly does not mean we cannot help. We still can! However, first steps will focus on achieving a level of readiness
But, there are things you can do along the way to help keep your organization at a level of readiness that will make working with consultants a whole heck of a lot easier--and sometimes cheaper. What are those things? Of course...that is Part III of the series. Check back soon for more.
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