Q: Jennifer, before we talk about consulting, what kind of volunteer work do you?

A: I volunteer as a development consultant for a small children’s theatre organization, and I help a local school with graphics and desktop publishing.  As a mother of two, I see how important it is to give my time not only to my own children’s activities, but to help out all children.  So many families have two working parents or one parent, and I am very blessed to have flexibility in my career.  So many non-profits, schools and children’s organizations used to rely heavily on parents (primarily moms) as their “work force.”  And with the economy, many of those volunteers have gone back to work.  Those that can volunteer, should.

Q: Do you serve on any boards?

A: Not currently, though I have served on the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center’s board of directors, and on the board of my homeowners’ association.

There’s a funny story about how my WDRC board membership came to be:  While working as the assistant to the director of annual giving at Western Washington University, I was approached by the Executive Director of the school’s foundation.  She had gotten a generic, “all call” recruitment letter from the WDRC asking her to serve.  I’m sure that every NPO in the area tried to recruit a person of her caliber.  Anyway, she thought that I’d like to get my feet wet in serving on a board.  I was in my early 30s and was looking to expand my knowledge base.  So, she passed the board request and information form to me.  It was a great learning experience, a great confidence builder, and I made great professional connections while serving on the WDRC.  In fact, at my current job at the Whatcom County Library System, one of my colleagues is a former DRC board partner!

Q: Do you mind sharing what organizations you support with annual donations?

A: Sure!  I support a handful of places: Western Washington University, Sacred Heart Parish, Assumption Catholic School, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Action for Africa, and Lydia Place (a half-way house for displaced women).

One of the most important factors in finding and cultivating donor prospects is, “Do they have a relationship with the mission of the organization or the leadership of the NPO?”  In all cases, this is true for me.  I am an alumnus of WWU and attend Sacred Heart Church.  Those are two key organizations that I have deep involvement and loyalty to. I give to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for two reasons:  First, I had a cousin who died from Leukemia and secondly, I have several friends who participate in the Team In Training program that supports the LLS. We supported Action for Africa because a family we know just adopted three nephews and a niece (four kids!) from Lesotho, and Action for Africa was the NPO that accepted donations on their behalf.  It’s a great, local organization.  As for Lydia Place—that’s another story.  My aunt chose that organization many years ago as a place where she wanted her Christmas gifts to go.  So, I made a small donation in her name.  The stewardship and information I’ve received from Lydia Place has been stellar!  The Executive Director is outstanding, and the mission is critical to the betterment of my community.  Even though I haven’t given a recent gift, I continue to be a part of the Lydia Place family.  I feed “included.”  They do it right!

Q: What kind of consulting work do you do?

A: I like to focus on small NPOs with few resources but strong missions.  Orgs with one to three person staffs with operating budgets of less than $100,000.  I like to help with board training, direct mail, stewardship, writing, collateral creation and production, special events, and prospect identification & cultivation techniques.

Q: What’s a strong mission?  What is it about this size org that most interests you?

A: A strong mission is defined by three factors: One, are you serving a need or niche that is not cared for by another organization (including government agencies)?  Two, by fulfilling that need, is my life and/or my community better because of the NPOs work? When these two factors are met and managed well, there is strength.  And that’s the third factor—there has to be efficient management of the mission.  Merely being a “do-gooder,” while noble, is not sustainable without effective management.

With smaller shops, there is always the “too many hats” syndrome: Typically one to three paid staff, and a handful of committed, untrained, good-hearted board members. Having an outside consultant train board members, pump them up, encourage them and direct them takes the load off the director.  If I can take one or two hats off the director’s head—on an ad hoc basis, it gives the org some breathing room without needing to commit to a full-time staff position.

Q: What do you do best for your nonprofit clients?

A: Because I have often worked as a “one-woman shop”, I understand and sympathize with the DOD who wears multiple hats.  When you’re the data-entry clerk and the major-gift solicitor (and everything in between), it’s easy to get bogged down, overwhelmed or both.  With an empathetic ear, I help streamline and prioritize systems and tasks.  Additionally, I am adept at board training and really get a kick out of alleviating board members’ anxieties about the fund development process.

Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing nonprofits today?

A: There are a number of things: Boards that fear making “the ask.”  Organizations that concentrate too heavily on the bottom line instead of building meaningful, lasting relationships with individuals.  Orgs that “jump over dollars to save dimes” – operating from a place of scarcity rather than from a grateful, mission-based center.  Orgs that fail to hone their unique message so that the donor ultimately says, “My life and my community are better off – and cannot do without – the service that this organization provides.  I must help!”

Q: I notice none of these challenges sound like the “bad economy” mantra that still echoes throughout parts of the nonprofit sector.  What can nonprofits do to surmount those challenges?

A: Nonprofits should be very clear on their mission and their message.  Very clear.  All nonprofits must educate their staff and their board to communicate their mission effectively.  Orgs should also train their boards from the get-go about relationship-based development.

Q: Would you have a success story to share?

A: Absolutely.  In 1997 Western Washington University was in the middle of a 3-year capital campaign, I was the Assistant Annual Fund Director.  Pretty low on the totem pole.  The capital campaign was divided into five initiatives: Unrestricted, Scholarships, Technology, Athletics and International.  The first four were doing great–the communication pieces were tight, the need was “sellable” and money was pouring in.  But the last one, International, was tanking.  The case statement was vague and it didn’t have any “teeth” to it.  I think they only put a $100,000 goal to the whole initiative, and it was failing.

I had developed a relationship with an elderly lady at her 50th Class Reunion.  (I had planned the event.)  Helen and I just “clicked,” and I later learned that she was my dad’s 5th grade teacher!

Anyway, I remembered that Helen never married, lived in a very ritzy high-rise in Bellevue, WA and had traveled all over the world.  On my own, I decided to stretch my development wings, and asked permission to make a major-gift ask for the capital campaign.  (This was not normally in my job description.)  I got clearance to send Helen a proposal and made a meeting with her.

To make a long story short, she said yes to a $25,000 endowment for students who were travelling abroad for a semester of schooling.  She even made arrangements in her estate plans to make sure her pledge would be paid in full should she die before paying it off. Scholarship grants continue to this day in Helen’s name, and the International Initiative made its goal, thanks to Helen’s gift.

This was my first “major gift” ask.  The process was interesting, educational, and heartwarming.  It feels good to know that Helen’s love of travel lives on.  Students are directly benefitting years and years later from her generosity. Being a part of that process is why I do what I do.

Nonprofit Snapshot goals have always included:

1) To help nonprofits quickly and inexpensively gauge their management excellence.  The Snapshot highlights areas of excellence along with areas which may require some personalized, professional attention. This is sometimes done as a precursor to more in-depth consulting pursuits. Nonprofits find that getting an objective “five mile view” is a valuable thing when validating in-depth prioritizing and planning.

2) To help nonprofits find the right consulting help to do the “deep dig” in any identified area of need.  Nonprofit Snapshot clients can use the Consultant’s Corner to find consultants and freelancers by location, keyword or area of focus. Consultants may optionally choose to make incentives available to any organization who starts with a Nonprofit Snapshot.

More and more research illustrates how the nonprofit sector is essential to the fabric of our communities, our civic identity, and our economic well-being. Nonprofits need the help of skilled professionals to improve their efficacy, planning, and leadership. Register as a consultant, and use the Consultant’s Corner so organizations can find you as their partner in the quest for management excellence and future planning.

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My intent here is not to offend.  My intent is to preserve. But be forewarned (and please forgive me), I’m going to be plain-spoken and forthright.  If you want coddling, you’ll have to find it someplace else.

Since I’ve become somewhat entrenched in the nonprofit sector, it seems I am frequently asked for advice on starting a nonprofit.  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, my first response is: “Don’t.”

I do not mean to sound flippant.  It takes remarkable people with truly noble hearts to make the world a better place.  I want to honor that.  Believe me when I tell you I want you to find fulfillment.  I hope to help you find real traction for your passions.  In fact, my own company, The Nonprofit Snapshot, would benefit from having more nonprofits with whom to work.  So in addition to possibly raining on your parade, I am potentially hurting my own business when I say “don’t.”  But no mistake, I do mean to say: “Do not start a nonprofit.”

Very rarely does an individual have a solid understanding of what it means to start and run a nonprofit.  I’ve met people who think that nonprofit boards get paid.  (They don’t.) I’ve met people who don’t know that board members can get personally sued for the actions of their organization.  (They can.)  I’ve met people who wanted to start a nonprofit that would ensure their own family members had jobs.  (What?)  I’ve met people who were nicely grounded in their knowledge and research.  (Hooray!)

No matter who you are, I think EVERYONE should do a few specific things before starting a nonprofit.  These steps will help you take the time to properly think and feel the whole thing out, before creating a headache for yourself and potentially hurting the very people you want to serve.  Try these things to figure out if your nonprofit ideas are in that one-percent of workable, sustainable notions:

Forget the name and the logo.  Before you even go there, articulate your business plan to the nth degree.  In addition to all the usual stuff in a business plan, yours should include a “competitor analysis.”  Who does stuff similar to you?  How are they different?  How much do they spend every year, and where does that money come from?  Be sure your target population isn’t already being served (even in some small way).  You should be able to verifiably illustrate your niche or your methodology is unique.  If someone is doing something even vaguely similar, please consider joining them as a collaborator instead of a competitor.  For example, if you want to serve disadvantaged teen moms with art therapy, and someone else in town is serving the same population by helping them get their GEDs…

As you articulate your business plan to the nth degree, try to include a fundraising feasibility study.  It doesn’t have to be a comprehensive study, but it helps to have some data on how the world will look upon your idea.  Will they give you a smile?  Or will they give you a check?  What does sustainable funding look like?  The IRS will want to know you can publicly fund your endeavor.  Can your funding stream be sufficiently diversified?  You do know that the pool of available funds for all nonprofits continues to get smaller, right?

Here’s my most important suggestion: While you’re documenting this business plan, serve at least two years (or a full term) on an established nonprofit board of directors—especially one that does something similar to your idea.  Solid research for your business plan will take time.  Being part of a board might facilitate that.  Why two years?  Take one year to get accustomed to the culture of the organization and learn everything there is to learn: the financials, reporting requirements, current strategies, relationships between board and staff, relationships between the organization and its stakeholders…  During your second year, ramp-up your passion and activity with that organization.  Become an officer.  Be a stellar one.  (BTW, I do highly recommend board-training series like the United Way VIP program.)

I suggest doing the board-thing for self-discovery and general nonprofit education.  What do you learn about yourself and your ideas during this time?  What makes for good leadership?  Were others receptive to your ideas?  Did you learn that you’re a good fundraiser?  A networker?  An organizer?  Do you understand what a board member does vs. what an executive director does?  Maybe you had some fun planning a silent auction but don’t really want to form an entire organization?  (There’s nothing wrong with that, but it helps to know it in advance.)

As your business plan comes together, include some information on who will be your startup board.  Board members accept fiduciary responsibility for the organization.  Your startup board is critical to your organization’s success.  How much money will they contribute to the cause?  What else do they bring to the table?  Are they your friends?  Are they randomly selected from “Who’s Who…?”  How are they attached to your cause?  Are you on the board or are you the Executive Director?  I’m sure by now you’re aware there is a dearth of funding for existing nonprofits.  Did you also know that current research on nonprofits indicates there is also a dearth of competent nonprofit leadership serving on boards across the sector?

So unless you have a unique niche idea with some real power and planning behind it, please consider collaborating with an established entity, perhaps as a board member, or perhaps as a program volunteer.  You might even find a way to bring your ideas to fruition with their help.  What board wouldn’t welcome you with open arms if you go to them saying, “Here’s why I’m passionate about this cause.  What can I do to help?  And by the way, have you thought about doing this new thing?”

Sit down with NPS and and Georgia River Network’s Victor Johnson as he reads River Tires and delivers a cautionary tale about river crossings.

Brand new nonprofits will probably not benefit from the Nonprofit Snapshot. The Nonprofit Snapshot makes the assumption that the nonprofit organization has grown past Startup Phase, and has at least one paid staff-person.

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The Nonprofit Snapshot demonstrates value to donors, showing a nonprofit’s continual effort to adopt and maintain good management practices.

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