As a business coach with both for-profit and nonprofit clients, I often do strategic and business planning and help clients raise funds to improve profits and grow. Some need an experienced CEO/CFO resource as they face financial, strategic and operating challenges. Some need to reorganize to adapt to lower revenue seasons. Some need a pro business plan to raise capital. And some are on great growth trends, and need to organize to handle it! In this environment of (generally) lower revenues, I put my Accounting and MBA background to work. Assessing the financial performance of the organization – and taking realistic, achievable action steps toward financial health - is vital to surviving and thriving. Analyzing the financials of any business – nonprofit and for-profit - is second nature to me, and I often help managers with no financial background or knowledge grasp key financial concepts that will serve to keep their organization viable and on track. Along with my 25+ years of entrepreneurial experience as Founder, CEO & CFO in a wide array of businesses and industries, I fairly recently served as the CEO of a 40 year old nonprofit with three divisions, eight programs, 75 employees and 75 volunteers. We managed through some tough financial times as unexpected funding cuts from one key community granting organization hit us hard – not once, but two years in a row. I led our response with Board, management and employee involvement; and quick strategic planning, action and reorganization. By creating alternate, unconventional revenue streams, we bolstered our revenues while necessarily cutting overhead without impairing the organization’s operations or employee morale.
Brief synopsis:
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 2002-2004 Crisis Intervention Center, Inc., 501(c)(3) Nonprofit; Nashville, TN Twenty four hour crisis and suicide hotline since 1968. Led team of 75 employees and 75 volunteers to manage eight programs with $2.9 million annual budget. Among numerous achievements: Launched the operations of “2-1-1”, the new database and referral service for human services in Middle Tennessee. Raised $250,000 new money through foundations and first-ever successful national fundraising events. Secured country music celebrities George Jones, Diamond Rio, and Terri Clark as national spokespersons for fundraisers. Significantly raised public awareness of the agency. Orchestrated management restructuring necessitated by funding cuts. Reason for leaving: dwindling financial resources necessitated agency merger with another nonprofit. My startup and management experiences serve me enormously well as a consultant. Not all of the ventures that I engaged in – and had high hopes for – achieved optimal outcomes. Many times, the industry experienced unexpected downturns, or management disappointed at critical junctures. Some returned great profit while others did not. With both high highs and low lows – and everything in between - I consider my career rich and deeply rewarding. Now, after all those years of hard work and well-earned wisdom, I offer the leadership and ‘learnings’ that come only through living the challenges. Often, employees, management and/or Board members of my client organizations have felt and expressed resistance to change. It is vitally important to address this and effectively align intents and incentives in order to make optimal progress and realize the desired outcome. I value people, and strive to treat each person with dignity and respect. As a consultant, I engage in active, empathic listening, with employees as well as management. I value diversity and live by that value. I am a team player, both with other consultants and with the organization I serve. My professional network offers resources and individuals - with whom I have a level of trust - that may complement my own strengths and capabilities when organizations have multiple needs. I think conceptually, involve all levels of the organization in the creation of ideas and solutions, and turn the concept into action plans that have employee buy-in and ownership. I help organization focus on results and implement easy steps to create and maintain accountability. As a result of my involvement as a consultant, my clients realize very real returns on their investment, including: - Improved revenue, margins, financial strength and accountability
- Alignment of missions and program execution
- Effective strategies and action plans for solving organizational issues
- Stronger, more effective management team and operation
- More focused and purposeful leadership and Board governance
- Greater community visibility and standing
- Improved teamwork among employees and management, within programs and divisions
Sample Coaching Skills and Competencies – Nonprofit & For-Profit: Honesty, integrity, empathy, & good common sense in all interactions Assessing key financial & operational factors Ex: Financial Statement analysis & forecasts Ex: Cash Flow analysis & forecasts Ex: Revenue boosters & Cost cutting steps Creating accurate, employee-driven financial forecasts & budgets Ex: Engaging employees’ honest input Ex: Incorporating goals & results into performance reviews Turn-Around planning & execution Ex: ‘Turnaround’ planning, including achievable action steps Ex: Incorporating goals & outcomes into employee reviews/compensation Ex: Achieving plan with limited resources in a timely manner, often under pressure Creating Effective Boards – to improve community standing & increase revenue Ex: Creating effective Board expectations, follow-through & management Ex: Creating concise Board goals & action steps – Realistic & achievable Ex: Creating consistent Board accountability Strategic Planning Ex: Strategic assessment (SWOT) & planning sessions - with employee buy-in & ownership Ex: Conducting ‘Strategic Visioning’ sessions & goal setting - with employee buy-in & ownership Donor Development Ex: Coaching for short term and long term funding Ex: Creating an effective ‘Development Plan’ with specific, actionable, achievable steps Writing effective & competitive grant proposals Understanding all facets of an organization Ex: CEO / ED guidance – Identify & prioritize internal problems and actionable solution steps Preparing a company for significant strategic moves Ex: Planning for downsizing & internal cuts Ex: Identifying new market strategies Ex: Developing an achievable plan for execution Contingency planning Ex: Identifying measurable benchmarks Ex: planning alternative strategies & action steps Maintaining a "leading edge" competitive advantage Ex: Researching accurate ‘Competitor Analyses’ Ex: Creating a realistic ‘Differentiation Strategy’ Writing business plans that attract reputable investors / donors Ex: Writing or revising a professional quality business plan Ex: Incorporating business planning techniques into grant applications & donor proposals Marketing & sales planning that produce revenue growth Ex: Creating or revising a marketing plan to produce actionable results Ex: Donor development planning, Event and for-profit programs & products Ex: Creating BLOGS and newsletters that capture interest Ex: Creating effective written marketing materials Ex: Incorporating website into all materials Internet marketing & search engine optimization (SEO) Ex: Attracting internet traffic & donors through a search engine ‘optimized’ website Sales and customer service excellence & leadership Ex: Teaching employees to ‘sell’ the organization - even if they ‘hate’ sales Ex: Teaching the CEO/ED to manage for service excellence Employee excellence through effective hiring & management Ex: How to interview in order to find the best quality employees – the first time Ex: How to manage employees to achieve measurable results Listening, team building and empowering Ex: Coaching the CEO/ED to create employee motivation & strong feelings of ownership Public speaking training Ex: Coaching CEO/ED to speak to groups in order to educate, increase donor base & funding |