A Board of Directors with the right mix of people and skill sets can be a tremendous benefit in furthering the organization’s mission. Whether a board is new, seasoned, or somewhere in between, Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• ensure members understand their roles and responsibilities
• foster a culture of philanthropy on the Board
• develop new member recruitment strategies
• strengthen facilitation and planning of Board meetings and retreats

Smart financial planning practices that enable leaders to know how much money is needed, raised, and spent are essential for good nonprofit management. Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• develop sound budget practices
• create and utilize financial tracking tools and internal controls
• design policies and procedures manuals
• draft financial reporting templates

Every nonprofit could have a greater impact with more resources. Based on an organization’s fundraising needs and strengths, Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• diversify and solidify funding bases
• develop effective grant proposals and donor appeals
• create comprehensive fundraising plans
• build systems to identify, track, and  monitor funding sources
• design strategies to communicate and work with the donor community

Staff and volunteers are often a nonprofit’s most valuable assets, which makes having the proper support, recognition, and accountability systems a critical factor for success. Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• create or upgrade personnel manuals
• establish effective supervisory practices, including employee performance appraisals
• optimize staffing structures
• strengthen staff and volunteer recruitment, hiring, orientation, and training practices

Leaders working in small community based nonprofits need to be both strategic and hands-on in ensuring their organizational culture and practices are effective across the organization in order to advance their mission, support stability, and foster sustainability and growth.

Fair Chance typically works with leaders in this area to:

• create positive work environments
• foster constructive working relationships between the Executive Director and Board Chair
• develop strategies for major transitions and organizational changes
• evolve Executive Director leadership skills as the organization grows

In this time of information overload, nonprofits need to be able to effectively inform and engage the community. Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• create comprehensive outreach and communication plans
• clarify target audiences and key messages
• refine tools, including websites, brochures, and newsletters
• utilize program results in sharing success stories

Having a clear vision, mission, and strategy keeps everyone focused and working together to achieve common goals. Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• develop annual goals and operational plans
• design tools to monitor progress toward goals
• revise mission and vision statements

Nonprofits provide vital services, but need to have clarity, good measurement tools, and evaluation systems in order to ensure that their services are producing intended results. Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:

• create an evaluation plan, including outcomes and indicators
• align mission/vision and outcomes
• develop a theory of change and/or logic models
• communicate evaluation results to key funders and other stakeholders

The Executive Director is expected to devote eight hours per week to the Praxis Partnership, spending at least two of those hours meeting with their Capacity Building Specialist (CBS).

• For example, when working in the fundraising capacity building area, an Executive Director may meet with their CBS for 2 hours to review fundraising work or dive deeper into fundraising concepts and practices, and then may spend up to 6 hours working independently on drafting a fundraising plan, communicating with donors, or working on a grant proposal template.
• Executive Directors cannot delegate weekly Partnership meetings, but additional staff may be asked to participate in specific projects as needed.

The Board Chair’s participation can range from 1 to 8 hours per month, depending upon agreed upon work plan goals. The Board Chair is expected to: participate in the Praxis Partnership Orientation, board development assessment, review of the assessment and workplan; serve as the liaison between the CBS and the Board of Director; and ensure and coordinate active board participation in partnership work, as needed.

The Board Chair can appoint another Board Member to handle Praxis Partnership responsibilities, provided that the Board Member is:

• familiar with how the Board currently does its work, and the Board’s strengths, challenges, and goals
• has the time and authority to work in partnership with the CBS to create tools, processes, and systems for the Board to use in doing its work
  If another Board Member is appointed, then a plan to keep the Board Chair informed throughout the Partnership will be devised. Note: The Board Chair must complete a form

In turn, Fair Chance Capacity Building Specialists devote 8 to 10 hours per week to each partner organization.

“It was difficult to find the time. Initially, it was mind-boggling to think of how I was going to find the time. But I had a very good partner in my Capacity Building Specialist who helped me make it all work. And it is hard work. I needed a desire to want to do this and to dig deep into myself and my organization… but it soon became part of my normal schedule.” – 2020 Partner Executive Director

The Praxis Partnership assessment provides an opportunity to reflect and explore nonprofit management practices; helps determine the focus of the Partnership work plan; and serves as the way we measure short-term changes in organizational capacity. At the start of the Partnership, the assessment is administered by your Capacity Building Specialist (CBS) over eight 2-hour sessions with the Executive Director, and one 2-hour session with the Board Chair. Your Capacity Building Specialist also reviews organizational documents shared by the Executive Director. At the end of the Partnership, the Executive Director completes the assessment again, independently, and your Capacity Building Specialist shares and discusses the preliminary results.

Yes! Please sign up for a Partnership Consultation and you can meet by zoom or phone with a member of our DC Program Team.