| Working with Nonprofit Agencies | Assisting Foundations |
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Strategic and Adaptive Planning
Strategic planning is a fundamental management tool that enables organizations to align themselves around a set of goals, develop a road map to achieve these goals, and stay focused. GCA tailors and modifies your strategic planning work around the needs and culture of each organization. Generally, we work with you to: articulate the major strategic questions you face and use those to gather information on the market in which you operate; analyze your organization’s competitive position within the external environment and translate your broadest aims into a road map with specific, measurable milestones to assess your progress along the way. We explain the process and benefits of an uncomplicated but sensible plan, and guide the board and staff through each of the phases until the plan is fully implemented.
Board Development
We work with clients to clarify the board’s role and engage your members. We also help develop an appropriate and effective working relationship between the board and executive management. GCA provides the following services: designing and facilitating board self-assessment processes to maximize engagement and efficiency of the board; determining desired qualities in potential new members, and developing a board recruitment plan; designing roles and responsibilities for the board and drafting job descriptions for committees and board members; and guide the board in formalizing oversight of the executive director and annual performance evaluation.
Conflict Resolution
As a trained mediator, Gail Goodman provides a full range of conflict resolution services. A strong proponent of alternative dispute resolution, Ms. Goodman works with boards and Executive Directors to resolve contentious issues as a non-judgemental, non-directive third party. She works with organizations to resolve interpersonal or interdepartmental conflict that hinders productivity and undermines performance and facilitates constructive discussions to relieve tension among the staff or board. As an independent third party, Ms. Goodman helps you: mediate disagreements within your organization; manage relations between your organization and the communities you serve; prevent staff or board turnover as a result of unresolved conflict; and, coaches and trains executive staff and board chairs on conflict resolution methods.
Meeting Facilitation
GCA staff guides discussions, clarifies issues, keeps participants on focus, controls tension levels through a guided conversation that ultimately achieves the goals of the meeting. Each event is creatively designed to keep attendees fully engaged and productive.
Proposal Writing
GCA prepares grant proposals and trains staff to write coherent and logical proposals. We explain how to tailor proposals for particular funders or donors. GCA also works with executive staff to develop a realistic funding strategy.
Strategic Solutions
We help organizations make strategic decisions that are more limited in scope than those addressed in a full strategic planning process. Examples of our services include advising organizations on: replicating or expanding existing programs, balancing donor priorities with your mission and your assessment of the context and assessing program relevance in light of changing needs and reorienting organization programs as necessary.
Grantmaking
GCA guides philanthropists through the entire grantmaking process, deciding on a strategic grantmaking plan, creating guidelines, reviewing proposals, making site visits, instituting and monitoring evaluations and managing essential due diligence functions. We also present capacity building workshops for grantees and plan and organize educational seminars and conferences.