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Nonprofit Consulting Review
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About Nonprofit Consulting Review™
Few endeavors are so rewarding as consulting to nonprofit organizations and institutions. Yet the reality is that consulting, especially in the beginning, is especially challenging. Original articles contributed to Nonprofit Consulting Review are written by nonprofit-sector consultants for their colleagues who either consult, or are seriously considering making the leap. Topics cover a broad range of challenges, such as billing, ethics, marketing, running one's consulting office, and much more.
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The Mystery in the Online Procurement of Nonprofit Consultants
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
by David Kassel
Many nonprofits need help with strategic planning and other managerial functions; and there are many management consultants out there willing to help them. Yet, nonprofits rarely seem to post online advertisements for management consultants – or consultants of any type, for that matter. At the same time, there are many websites available on which nonprofits post advertisements for full-time jobs in their organizations.
Why is there a difference in the way nonprofits select full-time staff and consultants; and is this a potential problem? I examine this mystery in this article and end with three recommendations intended to standardize the selection process for both consultants and full-time staff, and thereby improve the quality of the work that gets done.
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Best Kept Secret: CharityChannel
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
by Norman Olshansky
It seems strange to me that one of the best resources for nonprofit leaders and professionals, has such a low profile...
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Professional Development Through Peer Engagement
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
by Norman Olshansky
True professionals are always looking for ways to improve their practice, to be more effective and to keep abreast of new trends which could affect their work. Nonprofit professional work can often be lonely, with few opportunities to exchange ideas with others who have similar backgrounds and responsibilities. While there are many online networks and professional associations, they are usually accessed from a “distance” and opportunities to attend conferences and seminars, for face to face exchanges are often limited due to distance and cost.
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Consultant-Facilitated Multi-Organization Collaboration
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
by Norman Olshansky
Multi-organization collaborations can be very successful, especially when planned and initiated with a well-thought-out and executed process led by an experienced professional.
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Consulting vs. Full-time Employment, Pros and Cons
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
by Stacey E. Abate
After successfully consulting for five years I was suddenly confronted with an unexpected downturn.... I panicked.
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Approaches to Tribal Grant Writing and Project Planning
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
by Carrie Rothburd and Alisha Drabek, with Jane Hexter
The grant consultant has the unique opportunity to work with a client whose worldview has been marginalized for the last 200 to 500 years. This article shares the experience of an Alaska Native organizer and a non-Native grant consultant who have collaborated with several tribal groups to develop successful programs.
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Charities and Trade Exchanges: How Consultants and Nonprofits Can Benefit from Bartering (Part 2)
Friday, March 19, 2004
by Kevin D. Feldman
Where I live, The Norfolk Foundation is the largest of the community foundations serving the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The Foundation established a matching gift program called "Arts Match" that provides a 1 to 2 match on cash donations made to eight area arts organizations. It just so happens that these 8 nonprofits are also members of the local trade exchange, The Barter Authority.
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Charities and Trade Exchanges: How Consultants and Nonprofits Can Benefit from Bartering (Part 1)
Friday, February 27, 2004
by Kevin D. Feldman
In this issue we will cover:
- The Modern-Day Barter/Trade Exchange Organization
- Bartering Non-Cash Gifts
- Key Benefits of Bartering for the Consultant
- Key Benefits of Bartering for the Nonprofit
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Business Plans (Part 2) - Products and Pricing
Friday, December 12, 2003
by Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
In our last article we talked briefly about how to determine what products you want offer as a consultant. This article will examine product selection in more detail as well as discuss pricing your services.
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Free Stuff - If There Really Is Such A Thing - For Those Thinking About Consulting
Friday, November 21, 2003
by Patricia A. Smith
When environmentalist Barry Commoner coined the phrase There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (TANSTAAFL), it was a reference to one of his four laws of ecology, briefly that in nature's equation both sides of the scale must balance-- for every gain there is a cost. Why is this a lead-in to an article about "free stuff" for new consultants? Well, because while the majority of the information and assistance is free, there is still a cost of time and energy involved.
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Getting the Job Done Even When Your Client is Seriously Dysfunctional
Tuesday, November 4, 2003
by Jane Savitt Tennen
...To paraphrase Chekhov, every organization is dysfunctional in its own way. Nonetheless, some are in significantly worse shape than others. How do you work effectively with them? Here are some strategies....
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Your Business Plan -- the Market Research Component
Friday, October 17, 2003
by Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
So you've decided to become a consultant! Now what? Do you hang out your shingle and hope that the business will come?...This article will focus on selecting the types of services you want to provide and the types of clients you want to serve.
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M-a-r-k-e-t-ing Find Out What It Means To Me
Friday, October 10, 2003
by Stacy Dieter
... Now that I am a full-time consultant without a marketing department, marketing means something completely different. In this and future articles, I am going to explore what marketing means to consultants, how marketing can help us, and why it is so important to never stop.
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The Top 10 Ways to Sabotage Your Consulting Business
Friday, September 19, 2003
by Patricia A. Smith
David Letterman has perfected the top 10 list and admittedly many of his choices are silly and inane. This list, however, is foolproof. If you practice only one or two of these, you may be able to stay in business. For best results and to totally sabotage your consulting business you must follow all 10.
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Putting First Things First as You Enter the Consulting Profession: The Why's and the What's Before the How's
Friday, August 29, 2003
by Katherine Driskell Felts
On a pretty regular basis, a new consultant, or someone considering being a consultant will ask the CONSULTANTS listserv on CharityChannel a how question. "How do I set my fees, now that I'm grantwriting?" "How do I write my contracts, will you give me yours?" "How do you educate the clients so they know what to expect?" and its sister "and so they don't make me crazy?" Each of these questions is very important, and will be considered when you put together your business plan. However, to ask them too soon puts the cart before the horse.
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Would You Like to Write for CharityChannel?
CharityChannel was created in 1992 as a community of nonprofit-sector colleagues who shared a vision to create a professional community where members can help each other by sharing their expertise with each other. One of the most important avenues for the exchange of expertise is the opportunity to write original, down-to-earth articles. CharityChannel contributors have penned thousands of articles over the years, and they're just warming up – in the next weeks and months, we're going to expand the article subject areas.
If you have at least several years of experience in the sector and a specific expertise, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of accomplishment, in any of the topic areas listed to the left, you are invited to raise your hand to join one of our Contributors Panels organized around each topic area.
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