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See Our Representative Clients
By Susan B. Clemow, Managing Partner
In order to have an effective Board, The CEO and the Board must agree on the institution’s priorities and strategic directions. Committees should be structured to reflect the priorities of the organization, and should deal with the critical issues of the Board. Committees allow the Board members to become involved in the work of the organization on a much more personal level. All committees, and Boards for that matter, should deal with the critical issues of the Board.
Staff Responsibilities
Staff members should facilitate the committees so as to give credibility to the volunteers. Board members join with varied expertise, but they may not be well versed in the business of the organization or even in how to be a good Board member. It is up to the staff to put volunteer talents to good use. Communication is key. How staff works with a committee chairperson depends on his/her style. Most Board members are people who like to get things done but because this is not their "regular" job, they may need to be directed and helped to accomplish their tasks.
Staff members have a tendency to get engrossed in the routine of the organization, and tend to neglect the beneficial contact with committee members between meetings. People who staff committees need to be self-starters and organized, so that the meetings accomplish their purpose.
In consultation with the Committee Chair, staff should:
- Develop a clear mission for the committee which is tied to the strategic plan of the organization
- Create goals and objectives that the committee must accomplish
- Write job descriptions for the committee members and the chair of the committee
- Address critical issues which relate to the committee as well as report about ongoing efforts
- Form task forces to get special projects accomplished – using either members of the committee or others from the Board/committee/community
- For the meeting itself, staff should:
- Make suggestions about the content of the committee meeting
- Plan the agenda with the chairperson of the committee
- Maintain a list of committee members with home address, phone, fax, e mail and office information
- Determine the Chairperson's preferred method to receive information
Phone
Letter
Fax
- Be sure staff or a volunteer takes minutes
- Send advance speaking points for the board and committee chairs.
- Make sure that everyone knows where and when the meeting will be and keep attendance
- Be sure that all reading materials and agenda are distributed to the committee at least one week in advance of the meeting and include a posted RSVP card for a more reliable count
- Make sure that refreshments or meals are available if the meetings take place during a mealtime
- Always make sure there are some "next steps" on the agenda
- Send out "Action Steps", so that everyone knows what he or she has to do before the next meeting
- Make sure that every member of the committee takes or receives an assignment
- Follow up with the Chairperson of the committee to be sure they check on the status of tasks.
Have fun with your committees! Staff assistance enables committees to complete their tasks leaving time to deal with the policy and governance issues most needing their attention.
One way or another, your image and reputation cannot be overlooked.
Capital
Campaign Tips - 5 Things to have in place before starting a Capital Campaign
By Marian Moore, Senior Consultant
Making the decision to launch a capital campaign is one of the most significant steps your organization will take. Give yourself and your Board plenty of time to plan and position your non-profit for a successful outcome.
Ask yourself all the questions that a potential funder will want answered:
If you can answer these questions satisfactorily, you are well on your way to launching the campaign. However, in order to do so, you may want to consider conducting a feasibility study, which will survey your constituency for responses to the above questions. Because you want candor from those interviewed, it is well to consider having the study done by someone who is not connected to your organization.
When the feasibility study is complete and you are satisfied that it is appropriate for you to begin planning for a capital campaign you will want to:
The success of a capital campaign rests heavily on careful and comprehensive planning. You must have the enthusiastic support of your Board and constituency with a sense of their ownership of the project. With these things in place and the conviction that the project is important and that you
are the best ones to do it, your campaign is ready to go.
Board Manuals Help Provide a Board of Directors with Structure By Shari Pinsky Adams, Senior Consultant
Too often Clemow Consulting Group hears from executive directors about the ineffectiveness of their board of directors. We hear how board members really don’t do anything except attend monthly board meetings. We hear how the organization just can’t seem to find new board members or the "right" board members. We see frustration on the part of the executive director and the board members.
As leaders of non-profit organizations, it is hard for many of us to relate to the challenges faced by members of our board of directors. Our boards are a collection of lay people with different experiences and areas of expertise who are brought together to provide governance, make policy and set the strategic direction of an organization with whose line of business the director may not be familiar. Many of the people who serve on our boards have never been directors before and may not truly understand what their job as a director is. Others have been directors but are still not sure what their role is.
One of our many jobs as leaders of non-profits is to help our board to become an effective governing body. Providing some structure for our board of directors is a way to set a foundation for an effective board. Good directors need to know what is expected of them, be provided with information to help them do their job and receive feedback on their performance as board members.
Clemow Consulting Group has worked with several non-profits to help them create Board Manuals. These board manuals set forth a structure for the Board of Directors and generally include:
- The roles and expectations of a board member
- Job description for board members and board leadership
- A committee structure
- A process to identify prospective board members
- Ways to recruit and orient new board members
- Ways in which your organization can provide training to help board members to become more effective at their job
- A process to evaluate annually the board’s performance
Each board manual is tailored to the individual organization and is developed with the input of the current board of directors and staff members. For information on creating a board manual for your organization, contact us at (860) 286-9396.
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CCG Takes A Role in Connecticut Rebirth
The Waterfront Center in Washington, D.C. called Riverfront Recapture's effort to reunite the Connecticut River with the community as "one of the most heroic waterfront projects in the United States."
After decades of decline, the Connecticut River is once again clean and beautiful and increasingly accessible thanks to the efforts of Riverfront Recapture. The linking of a restored Olmstead Park and two new parks on the east and west sides of the River, and an expanding venue of entertainment, recreation and programs, has helped ensure that the Connecticut River is "everyone’s river". A \$4.4 million capital campaign now underway is adding even more beauty and permanence to the Riverfront area.
"We used Clemow Consulting Group in some very important ways," said Joe Marfuggi, President and CEO of Riverfront Recapture. "We recognized a need to reorganize and restructure if we were to grow as a Board and organization.’ We began by writing a five-year plan. That involved a very intensive process for figuring out critical steps along the way. Clemow Consulting helped us focus on what we needed to do to take on new and additional responsibilities. It was a grueling but terrific process."
"Our new five-year plan enabled us to move forward," Marfuggi continued. "Among other things, it put us in a position to win a \$1 million grant. We used the plan as the basis for our application. At the same time, Clemow Consulting helped us conduct a regional search for a Director of Development, to further help us implement our fundraising plans."
All of this intense planning moved the organization to a point where they knew they needed to raise some "serious private dollars" for a couple of projects. According to Marfuggi, "These capital projects were needed to expand and keep up with demand. We wanted to fund a new boathouse for our rowing programs, build a stage canopy, light a historic bridge and more -- really a whole menu of projects. Clemow Consulting Group helped us to articulate our case, as well as to identify individuals, corporations and foundations who might be prospects. Using confidential interviews, they conducted a feasibility study to gauge the level of public support for our efforts. Feedback was critical. For example, we discovered that a couple of projects important to us, were not well understood by the key community and business leaders interviewed. The Clemow report helped us shape our capital projects campaign.
"Now, we have retained Clemow Consulting to organize our campaign and work with the campaign committees. The results of this team effort are evident. We are about three-quarters of the way to our goal and I am very optimistic," he said.
If you would like Clemow Consulting Group to prepare a proposal to meet your non-profit organization challenges, call us today at 860-286-9396.
CCG Spotlight |
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Marian Moore |
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The most rewarding aspect of working with non-profits for Marian is when she sees, "the germ of an idea come to fruition." And there is no question: Marian's work has borne much fruit through her 20 years as a professional development officer. "Whether I am volunteering myself, or guiding clients, I find it exciting to see an organization's dreams realized."
During her 20-year development career, Marian has navigated the tough seas of capital campaigns, stepped through the startup of many development offices, and managed many projects in between. Her leadership spans education, social service and environmental efforts.
"My favorite initiatives have been those where an organization's volunteers go after their cause with optimism and a ‘can do attitude.’ There is nothing more rewarding in development work than standing shoulder to shoulder with enthusiastic and cooperative volunteers and staff," she said.
While her hands-on experience is extensive, Marian's strengths lie with annual giving programs, capital campaigns, grant writing, individual major gifts, and corporate fundraising. Annual giving with an emphasis on corporate gifts was her focus with the Nature Conservancy. She served as capital campaign coordinator for The Greater Hartford Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center, and The Open Hearth.
She has consulted with East Granby Public Library on their \$2.4 million capital campaign and Charter Oak State College on their \$750,000 endowment campaign. She has recently participated in feasibility studies for CCG clients such as Riverfront Recapture, Connecticut Institute for the Blind, and United Way of North Central Massachusetts. She has also recently completed a development assessment and plan for the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.
A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Marian has volunteered in capital campaigns for her alma mater and local church.
Client Comments |
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Client Comments:
The following are Gregory Ryan’s comments regarding CCG’s Grant Writing Workshop held in December 1999 – facilitated by Felicity Harley and Martha Newman.
"This workshop fit our needs perfectly, in that it was only 3 hours long and limited to a small group of people. Felicity was able to get right to the point by asking each participant group to draft a grant concept then helped us flesh out the program and fiscal components. We actually had something useful to work on by the end of the workshop and benefited from listening to the plans of others. Having examples of contemporary forms, contacts and funding sources in our handouts made for a well rounded and worth while experience. The expertise of Felicity and Martha Newman was invaluable to the experience.’
Gregory Ryan, LCSW, CPP
Director, CT Assets Network
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