Prairie Hill Waldorf School

“Thank you for providing a reporting tool that is simple to use and complete. I have completed many reports that were very laborious and time consuming—I appreciate the way you value the limited resources that a small non-profit has.” Prairie Hill Waldorf School

Milwaukee Community Service Corps

A greatly enhanced design of the website added functionality as well as visual impact.

Consultant Quality Assurance: A market-based approach 

A hallmark of the Nonprofit Management Fund has been the support of the marketplace for technical assistance. In real terms, this means that nonprofit organizations seek, secure, and present consultant contracts and workplans as part of their requests for funding. For the most part, the Fund does not promote or certify particular individuals.

One exception has existed since the Fund’s inception- should the Fund Advisor receive three or more negative reports on a consultant’s performance, that consultant would be deemed ineligible to be paid through a Nonprofit Management Fund grant. The Fund no longer controls the technical assistance database, as it was assumed by the Helen Bader Institute of Nonprofit Management as part of the ENTECH transfer. The practical effect of this policy in present day terms is that with three poor reports a consultant would not be able to be part of a proposal to the Fund, yet could still be listed in the ENTECH directory.


Initiative: Professional Development Consultant Institutes 
In order for the Fund’s marketplace model to be successful it requires a diverse pool of talented and skilled consultants. Since 2001, the Fund has sponsored three multi-year Consultant Institutes to further the professional development of local consultants, as there are few other opportunities in Wisconsin.

2001-2002 Board Consultant Institute
10 consultants trained
4 are still practicing and available


2004-2007 Diagnostic Clinic Consultant Institute
8 consultants trained
7 graduates certified
4 are still practicing and available to conduct diagnostic clinics


2008-2009 Board Consultant Institute II
12 consultants accepted
10 are graduates
2 are employed by BoardStar


From two consultants’ perspectives…

“I will be the first one to tell you the Consultant Institutes are hard work that you have to fit in with the rest of your life. Having said that, I will also say it’s worth every penny and ounce of energy you invest in it.”

“While it was a huge investment in time and money for those of us in the nonprofit consulting sector, it is well worth the investment. I can honestly say that I am a far superior consultant because of the Institutes.”
 

While several options are being considered for the next Institute, such as planning or the art of consulting, it seems that the greatest need is for diagnostic clinics. It has been determined that the diagnostic clinics have been a successful strategy to build the capacity of a nonprofit organization. Over 150 local nonprofits have benefited from both the product and process of a comprehensive organizational assessment.

The four consultants who are certified and available to conduct these clinics are contracted by the Fund grantees, UW-Parkside, larger nonprofits, and potentially by other funding collaboratives. All four of these consultants also graduated from the current Board Consultant Institute. As graduates of BCI II, several new products and services have been added to their repertoire.