In your application for CBI-GM, you will be encouraged to identify the types of capacity-building support and activities you might be interested in, respectively. Below you will find detailed descriptions of each.
Capacity-Building Options
There are several ways to provide capacity-building support with Propel Nonprofits.
Consulting
Strategic Services: Propel Nonprofits consultants are experienced at providing strategic planning, succession planning, board development, and other strategic services to organizations. We will partner with you to design and complete the right strategic process to meet your organization’s needs.
Accounting Services: Propel Nonprofits provides consulting and coaching designed to equip your organization with financial tools and resources that provide insight and ultimately empower nonprofit boards and staff to make decisions with confidence.
Technical Assistance
All staff at Propel Nonprofits can offer technical assistance with financial, governance, and strategy. Technical assistance is a process of providing targeted support to an organization with a development need or problem. At Propel Nonprofits technical assistance (TA) looks like this: we provide technical advice and nonprofit management advice and coaching; we provide tools, resources, and referrals; the TA is provided as needed; there may be no specific deliverable; there may be no specific timetable; and TA is performed as time permits for each staff person. There is no charge to nonprofit organization seeking this support.
Training
Customized sessions: Propel Nonprofits can provide any of our in-person trainings or webinars just for the client organization. We will work with them to gear the trainings to their audience. Clients can choose from a variety of finance and board governance topics including, but not limited to, Fundamentals of Nonprofit Finance, Financial Clarity for Boards, Fundamentals of Board Governance or any of our trainings you find listed on our website.
Capacity-Building Activities
Below are samples of possible activities.
Strategic Planning
Propel engages organizational leaders to develop a roadmap and goals that strategically position your organization to have the most impact of your mission. We will explore strategic frameworks that is adaptable to organizational dynamics and the external environment, and provide subsequent templates and processes for completing and implementing the selected framework.
Board Development and Training
Using the outcomes of a board self-assessment, Propel will work with the board of directors to create a development plan prioritizing areas of strength to sustain and areas of opportunity to grow. The board of directors will receive a Fundamentals of Board Governance training session as a framework for leadership.
Change Management
Change can be challenging and disruptive. By understanding various methods to manage change, leaders can better help their organization move along and embrace change, resulting in responsive and relevant outcomes. Propel consultants will work with organizational leaders to assess various change models and how to use them as tools for managing through transitional phases.
Collaborations, advocacy collaborative partnerships
Collaborations and partnership come in many forms. With this emphasis on advocacy, Propel will review various approaches to coalition building to advance change for long-term impact. This will include exploring different frameworks, assessing leadership structures and evaluating goal setting and accountability practices.
Leadership Transitions
Succession planning for organizational leadership ensures the board of directors are prepared for a planned or unplanned departure. Propel will work with the board of directors to develop a process preparing for a leadership change and/or a process for post-hire of an organizational leader that will support the incoming Executive Director to be successful.
Assessment of Programs
To remain responsive to the community it serves, organizations assess and prioritize programs that provide impact and have financial viability to the organization. Through an assessment of programs, Propel will assist organizational leaders to advance their mission through responsive and relevant programs and services.
Training
Training opportunities for this project will include 3-hour public workshops that require a fee, free 1-hour public webinars, and customized trainings developed with input from the client organization.
Leaders Circles©
The leaders of the nonprofit clients selected for this project will have access to Leaders Circles. Up to two peer circles will be created for participants of this project and could include other nonprofit leaders from Greater MN. The two circles would meet virtually given the geographic distance between the organizations and Propel.
Financial planning and strategy
This area of work may include budgeting, assessment of recent financial performance, financial scenario planning, and strategy conversations on use of financial resources.
Accounting
Propel’s accounting consultants can support organizations with the set-up of a Quickbooks-based accounting system, and be a thought and financial partner is assessing your financials and developing key insights to inform future finance decisions.