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Business Tools for Not-for-Profits
The Beckett team provides the tools that not-for-profit entities need to manage effectively. Our dedication to helping charitable organizations, both as volunteers and as paid consultants, has given us a tremendous foundation for management success over the past 35 years.
We can help your organization address the following important issue areas:
- Branding for not-for-profits
- The successful building and deployment of boards
- The types of boards and their related expectations
- Management and nurturing of paid staff
- Strategic planning, feasibility studies and surveys
- Necessary financial systems
- Risk management features
- Human resource utilization (volunteer and paid)
- Small group facilitation training for volunteers
- Fund-development models
The Beckett team has a depth of understanding and experience across three practice disciplines that increase a non-profit organization's ability to attract more, and better, funding sources (strategic positioning, brand formulation and growth strategies). Here are a few examples of those we've served.
- Education:
Occidental College, Los Angeles
The Science Museum of Virginia
- Healthcare:
Daughters of Charity Healthcare Systems
- Performing Arts:
I Cantori, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Ensemble for Early Music, NYC
Olympic Arts Festival 1984, Los Angeles
American Guild of Organists
- Physically-challenged:
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Society of Alberta, Canada
- Young people & Youth-at-risk:
San Gabriel Regional Episcopal Youth Services, Los Angeles
Red Tear Youth Project, Edmonton, Alberta
i-human 2000 peace initiative, Edmonton, Alberta
Leverage Community-Life Contributions
Corporations and benefactors that support not-for-profit organizations today are increasingly asking that these entities perform to numerous accountability standards of the for-profit world. It is a win-win situation, actually.
With better financial, human resource, marketing and distribution performance on behalf of the not-for-profit, the charitable organization becomes stronger and attracts increased support of all varieties.
If not-for-profits wish to be taken more seriously, they must employ time-honored planning skills. For the corporation to benefit from their relationship with charitable organizations, they must demand this kind of performance.
Both entities can prosper and bask in the halo effect that they cast upon each other. Beckett senior consultants have decades of experience in helping not-for-profits succeed in every corridor of endeavor. We welcome your contact.
Leveraging the Profit/Non-Profit Interaction
Corporations and not-for-profit organizations alike frequently overlook the marketing and public relations opportunities that can be gained from collaboration between their marketing and public relations departments.
Often, the charitable organization may not have a mature marketing and public relations team. Often, the marketing and public relations departments of the for-profit corporation does not receive communication about the generosity of the corporation. It is a disappointing, but common occurrence.
There are opportunities to be leveraged and pitfalls to avoid. We suggest three crucial areas for your consideration.
Funders' Expectations
Funders are requiring and expecting demonstrated accountability and often are not getting it. This leads to frustration for both parties as well as a loss of funding.
The source of some of this frustration appears to be the lack of strategic planning on the part of the board and senior managers. Beckett consultants can help boards and managers understand the planning process in relationship to their mission and their objectives. They can help not-for-profits maximize their competencies, understand the necessary role of marketing and most importantly, fulfill the expectations of those they are serving as well as those from whom they are receiving funding.
Not-for-Profit Role Confusion
Charitable agencies have tended to be reactive versus proactive. Often times, this stems from a lack of appreciation and understanding for the necessary role of marketing and a narrow focus on the mission of the organization.
Indeed, the mission and brand philosophy must be upper-most in the minds of the board, paid staff and volunteers. But secondarily, these same individuals must never lose sight of the role that marketing plays in keeping them in business--keeping them vital and able to serve another day.
A marketing-oriented not-for-profit is also an exceedingly healthy and mission-oriented not-for-profit. To receive help in organizing your marketing effort, understanding how you must develop your brand, and become more accountable in matters of business, the team of Beckett Advisors can help. We welcome your contact.
Financial Systems for Not-for-Profits
Who is responsible for the not-for-profit's finances? It is often believed that the financial responsibility of an organization falls to the treasurer or to the paid staff.
The reality is that all board members share in this responsibility. In some cases, board members can be held individually liable for debts of the organization in the event of non-performance.
Each individual board member should know enough about the organization's finances to feel comfortable about the delegation and authorization of revenues and expenses. Beckett's financial consultants are skilled in this area and can lead training events as well as provide policies and procedures that will help agencies identify ways to manage their risks.
We welcome your contact.
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