Case Studies

A nonprofit organization is a three-legged stool. The legs support the mission. Leadership, Resources and Programs.

There is nothing permanent except change. The dynamic organization, in order to survive and thrive, must envision the future and reform itself to meet it, thereby shaping its own destiny. To remain static – to resist change – spells disaster. It is better to be active in shaping those changes than to be caught up…

The release this week of Giving USA 2018: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2017 contained both encouraging trends as well as signs of potential concern that nonprofit board members should be thinking about as they plan their fundraising efforts. As expected, charitable contributions increased significantly in 2017, reaching $410 billion, up 5.2%…

This is the time of the year when many nonprofit organizations are focused on preparing their budgets for the new fiscal year that will begin in July. As you complete your budget checklist, it’s important to look beyond just the next year’s finances, and think about the long-term sustainability of your organization. The financial sustainability…

Developing leadership at all levels – and retaining high-performance employees in a competitive talent market – is one of the most important things a nonprofit organization can do to ensure its sustainability and success. This means building and cultivating a pipeline of high performers and leaders, and taking steps to plan for leadership transitions before…

With diminishing charitable donations and public funding becoming a major issue for many nonprofit organizations, today’s nonprofit leaders are looking to social enterprise as a way to generate potentially significant sources of unrestricted cash that will reduce their nonprofit’s reliance on traditional funding to support its mission and achieve its goals. What is Social Enterprise?…

In a world of diminishing resources and ever increasing demands for improved service delivery, the pressure on nonprofit organizations to do more with less grows each day. The nonprofits that will survive are the ones who can critically self-assess their organization and best communicate their value to funders. Foundations – like everyone who invests – want to…

Many nonprofits are understandably worried about the additional financial pressures that may be created by the new Trump administration’s budget priorities. The preliminary budget proposal released in March raises concerns in two major ways: Sharp reductions in federal funding support for nonprofits, particularly in social services and in arts and culture, and A huge increase…

“What keeps you awake at night?” To this, many nonprofit leaders respond that they wonder whether their organization is structured to maximize potential. For example: Do I have the right people in the right place doing the right things at the right time? Are there organizational weaknesses that could pose a risk to success and…

Why Collaborate? True collaboration is a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship, in which two or more organizations work together to realize shared goals. With 1.4 million charities in the U.S., and growing, there continues to be talk and pressure for collaboration.  Why?  Here are just a few reasons: Duplication of programs Competition for scarce resources…

This case study describes how a strategic plan helped a nonprofit arts organization establish and accomplish its long-term goals. The organization came to NESC after a funder told them they needed a strategic plan to grow their organization. NESC started by interviewing the staff, board, and key stakeholders to understand what the organization did well, what…

Hiring the right executive director is perhaps the most important decision that a nonprofit Board can make.  The search process behind this decision can be long and unruly; or it can be thorough and productive. By breaking down the process into tasks and conducting them with integrity, search time can be spent wisely and good…

Branding and marketing are not synonymous. Great marketing – in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations – starts with strong and consistent branding, which is then reinforced by the organization’s people, programs, and communications. Think of it this way: a brand is an organization’s identity – the essence of what you are. This brand identity is sent…

Do people arrive late? Skip meetings? Do members come unprepared? Is precious meeting time spent on unproductive items? With board meetings at the center of most members’ nonprofit experience, efficient and rewarding sessions are paramount. Naturally, Board Chairs want each member to leave feeling time was well-spent, and even eager to come back. True, avoiding…

Mixed messages due to ill-defined roles damage board productivity. The #1 obstacle to successful governance is board and staff not knowing who is in charge of what, according to Nancy Falls, author of Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom. Beyond the obvious – the Board guides and Management operates – NESC has observed numerous nonprofit organizations struggle…

  Started in 1988 with one man and a van, the Food Bank for Westchester (FB4W) has grown to be the supply and support center for 227 front line hunger relief programs throughout the county. The organization collects, warehouses, and distributes 10 to 12 tons of food a day, providing 95 percent of the food that…

While a corporation’s success is measured by its bottom line and stock value, a nonprofit organization’s success is measured by its ability to achieve its mission. A nonprofit’s mission statement establishes its purpose with both passion and conviction. It should be the foundation upon which all plans and decisions are made. What does it really…

The Challenge For many years, the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra (and its affiliated Junior Orchestra) operated as The Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra, an arm of the Ridgefield Symphony, offering youngsters, through high school ages, a chance to receive quality orchestral training and to perform publicly. Increasingly, however, the Youth Orchestra began operating independently, ultimately concluding…

The Challenge Bergen County, New Jersey, is exploring and promoting ways that municipalities may cooperate and share activities as a means of generating savings and thereby moderating residential tax burdens. NESC was engaged for two projects concerning shared services by the Public Works Departments of contiguous municipalities within Bergen. The first, entailing 13 municipalities in…

The Challenge Outreach Project, which has been providing drug and alcohol services in the New York metropolitan area since 1980, stands out as a leader in the provision of adolescent residential services, services for women and children, and treatment services for diverse populations. In addition, it now operates the largest Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse…

The Challenge MDRC, created in 1974 by the Ford Foundation and a group of Federal agencies, is best known for mounting large-scale evaluations of real-world policies and programs targeted to low-income people. The organization has also worked with others to design and evaluate such research programs. MDRC’s board audit committee requested an outside assessment of…

The Challenge In 2006, the Connecticut Humanities Council (CHC) embarked upon a year-long environmental scan to evaluate the CHC’s heritage grant-making effectiveness. The scan identified three areas of greatest challenge facing heritage organizations today: the necessity to understand the changing interests of new audiences, the necessity to create and support effective leadership, and the necessity…

The Challenge In its sixth decade, Asia Society is an international organization dedicated to strengthening relationships and deepening understanding among the peoples of Asia and the United States. Having opened five international offices and four domestic offices and decentralized its financial systems, Asia Society found that it had outgrown the capabilities of its finance department.…

The Challenge Founded in 1964, Jazzmobile seeks to keep alive and strengthen the heritage of Afro-Latin jazz, a uniquely American art form, through quality performances and educational programs. Sensing a deterioration in its reach in connection with its 45th Anniversary, Jazzmobile engaged NESC to prepare a total communications plan aimed at bolstering its brand awareness,…

The Challenge Long Island-based Life’s WORC provides comprehensive support for individuals with developmental disabilities, including mental retardation and autism. Founded in 1971, the agency manages 32 homes and 11 community-based programs throughout Long Island and Queens. The organization has a very effective IT operation. So much so that it has succeeded in making IT an…