Blue Feather Consulting provides services for a wide variety of organizations, but we know that nonprofit organizations have unique needs that require specialized attention. We have no "one-size-fits-all" solutions. Instead, we personalize our services based on where the client is starting and where they want to go.
Take a closer look at some of the experiences that created the foundation for our consulting services—and visit the Our Services page for more information on how we can help your organization.
A nonprofit that focuses on supporting individuals who have been impacted by mental health challenges reached out to the consultants at Blue Feather to explore the possibility of guiding her staff and Board members through a strategic plan refresh and update. The organization had experienced significant growth over the past several years by adding programming, conducting new outreach activities, and hiring additional staff. They had recently hired a Development Director to help build a strong fundraising program to support their growing service platform.
The nonprofit knew this was the optimal time to update the plan – particularly because their previous three-year plan had run its course. They were eager to build on their successes and generate outcomes in the areas they weren't able to address in their previous plan.
First, Blue Feather gathered background documentation from the nonprofit, including previous plans, employee surveys, and feedback from their clients. We then conducted the first compression planning session with members of the Board to explore the current and future states of the organization. We prioritized key areas of focus and determined timing for these priorities. The initial report was reviewed with the staff who was asked to develop action items and measurable results with the help of the facilitator. The Board reviewed (and approved) the final strategic plan within four months of the kickoff to the project.
A mid-size health care nonprofit was experiencing rapid growth as it acquired a few organizations within two years. The organization's CEO wanted to improve how the new leadership team was working together and turned to Blue Feather's leadership coaching experts to help.
The first step was to have a leadership coach facilitate a retreat for the organization’s leadership team. The objectives of the session were to identify complementary strengths and challenges of the leadership team, to develop common leadership vision and values, and to strengthen relationships among the leaders. After this workshop, all leaders participated in 360˚ assessments that examined their Emotional Intelligence skills. Certain leaders were also selected for six months of individual coaching where they met one-on-one with a Blue Feather coach to explore the elements of Ideal Self, develop learning maps, and examine immunity to change issues.
The team continues to work on their leadership skills through additional retreats and structured communication processes. The most recent workshop focused on articulating individual and team goals that aligned with business priorities.
A nonprofit in the National Capital Region runs weekend clinics and other special events throughout the season to introduce sailing and advance the racing skills of a specifically identified group. The organization was in strong financial health and was meeting its most basic mission. However, the organization wanted to expand its operations to serve the growing needs of the community, as well as bring its mission to other communities. In order to accomplish these long-range goals, the nonprofit needed to strengthen its organizational structure, acquire additional resources, and secure additional funding streams.
Blue Feather consultants knew that the organization would need help in:
The organization is currently interviewing potential Board members and implementing changes that will improve Board and organizational efficiency.
After 22 years of service, the Executive Director of a $5 million nonprofit organization with 50 employees announced his intention to retire. The Board of Directors determined that it wanted to conduct a national search for his replacement and appointed the Search Committee to begin preparations. A consultant with Blue Feather led that committee and provided support with:
The Search Committee ended up selecting a highly-qualified candidate who brought a significant amount of experiences that were noticeably different than the current Executive Director. The preparation work completed with the Search Committee was instrumental in keeping an open mind about the process and the wide variety of candidates. The new Executive Director has been with the organization for over a year and continues to bring new ideas and new connections to the nonprofit and its community.
A quasi-government nonprofit organization hired an experienced HR leader who had been working on creating a more structured process for discussions about job performance and staff development. As the organization began implementing the new process, it became clear that the organization's leaders needed additional support in helping team members set effective goals, having valuable ongoing discussions about performance and development, and creating accountability.
Blue Feather developed training content that was designed to specifically meet the needs of the nonprofit organization. It included materials that used the newly developed performance management tool and process. We created the following materials for the workshops:
Our consultants conducted six workshops that focused on goal setting and conversations about performance expectations at the beginning of the performance plan cycle. We also conducted another six workshops near the end of the cycle to prepare managers in determining performance ratings and discussing year-end performance with employees. One of the keys to success in this initiative was teaching HR team members at the nonprofit to conduct these trainings so the organization could prepare new leaders or do refresher courses with internal resources.
Contact us with questions, or to discuss our services, we'll be happy to engage in a dialogue about how we can help your nonprofit organization.
