Nonprofit Literature Blog

Using Pro Bono to Build Capacity

On Wednesday, January 9th, Aaron Hurst, founder and president of Taproot Foundation, will discuss highlights from Taproot’s new book, Powered by Pro Bono: The Nonprofit’s Step-by-Step Guide To Scoping, Securing, Managing, Scaling Pro Bono Resources (Jossey-Bass, 2012) in the New York Office's Training Annex (register here). This new resource for the nonprofit community enables nonprofits to plan for and turn on their pro bono potential and ultimately increase organizational capacity.  In this post I will highlight some aspects of the book, which is available at all five Foundation Center offices.

The Taproot Foundation defines pro bono as "free, donated professional services (marketing, legal guidance, human resources, technology, etc.) to a nonprofit to further their mission." They break down the process of finding, hiring, and using these consultants into four stages. Stage One, Scope Projects, explains how to build your team and write a scope statement. Stage Two, Secure Resources, explains  where to find consultants and how to deliver a proposal for services. Stage Three, Manage Projects, takes the reader through six key management phases of pro bono work and Stage Four, Scale Projects, suggests ways to build capacity and become "powered by pro bono."

What nonprofit needs are met through pro bono? The Scope Projects section outlines some of them, including the "need to build stronger relationships with ... donors and maintaining those relationships over time." To meet this need, consultants can help your organization implement a donor database, create a donor relations strategy, or even provide a fundraising coach.  Another need, "to raise the visibility of ... services in the community" can be met by getting your volunteer professionals to create a PR plan, optimize your search engine, or plan and produce special events.

Highlights also include the Five Attributes of a "Powered by Pro Bono" Organization (p. 152), which is followed by a step-by-step scaling process with the final goal of increasing capacity. The appendix is quite thorough, and includes job posting templates, a sample liability waiver, applications for pro bono services, and post-project surveys.

Other recommend books held by Foundation Center libraries on this topic include:

• Good Counsel: Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits by Rosenthal, Lesley. Includes advice for those seeking paid or pro bono legal representation.
• The Power of Bro Bono: 40 Stories About Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients by Cary, John (ed.). With descriptions and photographs of pro bono architecture projects around the U.S.

For staff advice and the latest Internet resources read GrantSpace's Knowledge Base Articles on consultants, especially "Where can I find "pro bono" tax or legal assistance for my nonprofit?"

--Rob Bruno
Catalog/Reference Librarian
Foundation Center--New York

Using Lifecycles to Manage Change

The cover of John Brothers and Anne Sherman’s Building Nonprofit Capacity: A Guide to Managing Change Through Organizational Lifecycles (Jossey-Bass, 2011) shows a battery being recharged. It’s the perfect image for a work that focuses on “recharging” declining or stagnant nonprofits by better understanding where they came from, where they are, and where they want to go. The authors (who together have over 25 years of consulting experience) use the concept of organizational lifecycles to “help nonprofits become stronger by approaching lifecycle advancement as a type of change management to help leaders … and effectively shepherd a change process in their organization.” 

What is an organizational lifecycle? Brothers and Sherman define it as “a predictable pattern that most nonprofits will follow over time.” The most basic timeline is start-up, growth, maturity, and decline.  But there are variations on the theme. Organizations that grow too quickly almost certainly will fall just as fast; on the contrary, organizations that are cautious and deliberate grow slowly, but decline at the same rate.

In Chapter Five, “Decline”, the authors provide advice on dealing with this poorly understood lifecycle. Perhaps the key section in this chapter is “The Arc During Crisis” which offers solutions to those hit especially hard in the current economic downturn. They discuss how to deal with revenue loss, staff and board readiness, and point out that an effective solution is to “allow partners and funders into the conversation about successfully pulling through [a] tough economic situation.” The chapter concludes with an interview of Thomas Wolf, author of And the Band Stopped Playing: The Rise and Fall of the San Jose Symphony (Wolf, Keens & Co., 2005). He answers questions about the characteristics of organizations that have successfully, and not so successfully, moved through decline. Wolf also talks about innovation in nonprofits in light of the current funding environment and the impending leadership gap caused by baby boomer retirements.

The book ends with a recap of overarching themes. “When it comes to growth, more often than not, slow and steady wins the race” is one. Other words of advice include “Reaching the top of the lifecycle does not mean your journey has ended” and “turnaround is about taking risks that are big but also well informed.”  The authors also remind us that the entire premise of the lifecycle is based on the assumption that to get where you need to go, you need first to know where you are.

Building Nonprofit Capacity includes numerous illustrations, a sample board report card that can be used to help members stay on task and develop their role, and extensive notes for further reading.  It is available in all Foundation Center Libraries under call number 608 BRO.

Rob Bruno
Catalog/Reference Librarian
The Foundation Center--New York

Here is a Google Books preview:

Nonprofit Organizations Sharing Services

Shared Services: A Guide to Creating Collaborative Solutions for Nonprofits (San Francisco, CA: Nonprofit Centers Network) is the "first comprehensive guide for nonprofit leaders looking to create shared services programs." Chapters provide an overview of shared services, planning tips and tools, and offer case studies as examples. Here are some questions/answers culled from the guide:

"What are shared services? What benefits do shared services offer?"
Broadly defined, it's the "collaborative use of resources across traditional organizational boundaries."  These resources may include physical (office) space, equipment, staff, or program resources.  Benefits include more purchasing power, efficiency through the reduction of duplication of functions, employee retention, and stability through the creation of a long-term system.

"How are shared services structured and funded?"
There are four common structures: independent provider, joint venture, fiscal sponsorship, and networked support. The guide provides a matrix to help you choose the right structure.  Regarding funding, diverse streams are recommended; some of these include earned income, corporate support, and debt or investment funding from banks and foundations. While initial funding may be needed for start-up investments and expenses, the book provides an example of a shared Internet service that did not require start-up funding.

The guide also provides detailed advice on managing and staffing such programs, and devotes an entire chapter to planning tools.  The case studies look at 10 shared services programs around the U.S.; each profile includes key lessons learned, the mission, budget, structure, and contact person.

For more information on this topic, last year Jean Butzen, a blogger for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, wrote a series on nonprofit back-office integrations or what these organizations refer to as "shared service alliances."  Here are links to the four entries, which all focus on the Early Childhood Education (ECE) industry:

• Creatively Combining The Back Office: A Series on Shared Service Alliances
  Introductory blog to the series.
• Creatively Combining the Back Office: Shared Services Alliance Part 2
  Provides an example of what can be done to preserve small, community-based nonprofits through a unique business model.
• Shared Services Alliances, Part Three: Early Learning Ventures Alliances
  Addresses creative and productive partial integration models.
• Tipping Point for A National Movement for ECE Shared Services
  Describes the National Shared Services Technical Conference Butzen attended in Philadelphia, Sept. 20-21st, 2010. She also links to a shared services toolkit that can be used in the start-up of local early care and education alliances.

In addition, Tides (the creator of the Nonprofit Centers Network program) makes available Develop Shared Nonprofit Space & Services, which describes their work in shared services and points to helpful resources, such as a green workspaces brochure.

Shared Services: A Guide to Creating Collaborative Solutions for Nonprofits is available at the New York, DC, San Francisco, and Atlanta libraries under call number 609 CEF.

Rob Bruno
Catalog/Reference Librarian
The Foundation Center--New York

Understanding Change at Your Nonprofit Organization

Over the years you've had mentors who have guided you through major changes in your life. Has anyone explained to you how to manage the life-stages of a nonprofit organization? 

In the book, Seven Turning Points, organizational consultant Susan Gross explains how leaders can improve the performance of their organizations by understanding and addressing the problems that may arise during these key transition periods:

1) getting organized
2) building infrastructure
3) letting go of day-to-day management
4) focusing on core work
5) decentralizing power
6) integrating programs
7) planning for succession

For each stage, Gross describes the warning signs, actions leaders can take, and the challenges and tensions that need to be dealt with.

If your nonprofit is struggling with change, explore some of the tips in Seven Turning Points: Leading through Pivotal Transition in Organizational Life (Fieldstone Alliance, 2009).

See also:

Navigating the Organizational Lifecycle: A Capacity-Building Guide for Nonprofit Leaders by Paul M. Connolly

Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-Based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity by Susan Kenny Stevens