Consulting With Nonprofits

by Lukas, Carol Ann

• ISBN13: 9780940069176
• ISBN10: 0940069172
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-07-01
• Publisher: Fieldstone Alliance

Summary

At last! A comprehensive guide to the art, craft, and business of consulting with nonprofits and community groups . . . Nonprofit consulting requires specialized skills and knowledge of how the sector works. This guide gives you the resources and tools to help you provide quality assistance throughout your career: experienced consultants will find it an invaluable reference; new consultants will get oriented to the sector and find step-by-step guidance through the entire process; technical specialists will gain insights into the larger processes that shape nonprofit organizations; for-profit consultants and business sector volunteers will discover how to shift their expertise to match the unique culture of nonprofit and community work; students in public administration, organization development, and nonprofit management will find it a useful guide for fieldwork, service projects, or future career search. With this illustrated guide you get: an overview of the nonprofit sector and unique elements of consulting with nonprofits; the six-stage process of consulting with concrete steps and challenges in each stage; the art of consulting, including roles, dynamics, and ethics; lessons from the field--stories from thirty skilled consultants offering sage advice on common challenges from setting up contracts to cross-cultural consulting to choosing a consulting role that matches the client's needs; when team consulting makes sense; key differences between internal and external consulting; how to run your business; marketing your services; setting fees, estimating costs, and billing; managing your career growth; working with funders; nine worksheets, sample proposals, professional standards, annotated bibliography; and much more!

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	v	(2)
About the Author	vii	(4)
Preface	xi
CHAPTER ONE The Environment Consultation and the Nonprofit Sector	1	(18)
The Need for Consultants in the Nonprofit Sector	2	(1)
Definition of Consultation	3	(2)
Kinds of Consultation	5	(8)
Orientation to Nonprofit Consulting	13	(5)
Chapter One Summary	18	(1)
CHAPTER TWO The Process Stages of Consulting	19	(90)
Stage 1: Contracting	22	(15)
Stage 2: Gathering and Analyzing Data	37	(27)
Stage 3: Planning the Work	64	(21)
Stage 4: Implementing and Monitoring	85	(9)
Stage 5: Sustaining Change and Evaluating Impact	94	(5)
Stage 6: Terminating the Consulting Project	99	(4)
Chapter Two Summary	103	(6)
CHAPTER THREE Artistry Consulting Roles, Dynamics, and Ethics	109	(28)
Consulting Roles	109	(12)
The Dynamics of Change in the Consulting Process	121	(4)
Team Consulting	125	(6)
Internal vs. External Consulting	131	(2)
Ethical Issues in Consultation	133	(2)
Chapter Three Summary	135	(2)
CHAPTER FOUR Nuts and Bolts Managing Your Consulting Practice	137	(24)
Marketing Your Services	138	(8)
Establishing Consulting Rates	146	(5)
Evaluating Consulting Services	151	(1)
Managing Your Development as a Consultant	152	(2)
Funding Consultation and Technical Assistance	154	(4)
Chapter Four Summary	158	(1)
Conclusion	158	(3)
APPENDICES	161	(58)
Appendix A Resources	163	(16)
Appendix B Sample Consulting Proposals	179	(6)
Appendix C Client Worksheets	185	(10)
Appendix D Consultant Worksheets	195	(18)
Appendix E The Difference between Employee and Independent Contractor	213	(4)
Appendix F The Nonprofit Management Association Professional Standards for Management Assistance Providers	217	(2)
Index	219