Services

Services
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Focus Forward!

Services range in scope from helping to turn an organizational strategy into action to crisis communication planning. Focus Forward offers a set of services designed to inspire creative growth and execution. Unlike traditional consulting organizations that concentrate on helping clients identify problems, Focus Forward exclusively works with nonprofits to implement concrete, practical, short and long-term actions designed for growth towards a financially solid and strong sustainable future.

services with action and results
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trategic thinking, planning and action will ensure that an organizations investment of time and money yields commensurate value. Over the past 20 years I have been involved in countless strategic planning sessions and have found traditional strategic planning  inefficient, lacking in power and outmoded.

My experience lead me to create a model that drives outcomes in real-time. The Focus Forward model is a new approach, shattering the traditional planning cycle assuring the plan does not sit on a shelf.

The rapid response world in which we all live require organizations to identify, understand and act upon new information and dynamically changing situations in real time; that means now, not in six months.

You will enjoy the process and become a strategic planning maverick, viewing challenges as opportunities while challenging your strategic thinking.

Focus Forward’s Model: Your Outcomes

  • A comprehensive bold road map, created with you, your staff and board, that drives organizational growth, action and results.
  • A process you can replicate to align goals with organizational values.
  • Stay as your guide on the side for a year assuring implementation and action.
  • A visual is created to show progress and outcomes that staff and the board can analyze and adjust in real time.
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rovides market analysis to understand market brand, assist with creating a value proposition or determine the viability of an idea or campaign.

At its core Intelligence scanning allows you to understand how donors, clients and the community perceive your organization and its value.

The process can also identify potential new partners and board members.

Your Outcomes:

  • Report on feedback from donors, potential donors and partners
  • Provide a candid report outlining opportunities and threats.
  • Provide steps for action that can impact success and mitigate failure.
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major campaign is a perfect vehicle for any major fundraising initiative to secure new and/or increased funding for specific programs, projects, or special initiatives.

Focus Forward brings a depth and breadth of expertise and experience in campaign management and execution, saving you time and money, by reducing the need to reinvent the wheel. In addition, Focus Forward brings perspective, objectivity and independent thinking that complement the insight and history of those affiliated with the organization.

Maybe most importantly, Focus Forward provides the structure and discipline needed among staff, volunteers and key leaders to keep the campaign moving forward as other day-to-day priorities compete for time and resources.

Your Outcomes: You Will Know

  • Who cares and values your organization and are best positioned to provide major gifts and leadership.
  • What your best case for support should be.
  • When your campaign and the phases within your campaign should occur.
  • Where a successful campaign will take your organization and community.
  • Why philanthropists will invest personal and financial capital in your campaign as opposed to another.
  • How your campaign should position its case to optimize support and if any partners exist or if there is duplication.
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ombining strategic thinking with key organizational drivers and dashboard visualization will drive success and enhance productivity.

There is an abundance of data at our finger tips. The key is identify, monitor and act on key performance indicators (KPIs).

Together we will walk through a process to identify your KPIs and leverage data to support better fundraising strategies to identify untapped opportunities.

Your Outcomes:

  • Understand donor relationship’s with your organization.
  • Understand how to utilize data to its fullest advantage.
  • Understand balance sheet and profit and loss statements.
  • How to make data informed decisions.
  • Visual data representation.
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lanning is Power! Reputation leads to trust, trust leads to valuation. Crisis Communication Plans prepare clients to respond promptly, accurately and confidently during emergent circumstances in the seconds, hours, days and weeks that follow.

Crisis communication is integral in the protection of people, assets and brands.  Focus Forward walks you through a process that helps organizations identify potential crisis, creating holding statements and key messages well before a crisis happens.

Holding statements and key messages prepare the organization’s to efficiently and effectively communicate so others including the media do not fill informational gaps created by silence or misinformation.

There is no better time to address your most pressing fundraising needs and pursue your mission amid the COVID-19 pandemic and other times of crisis.

Your Outcomes:

  • Identified potential multiple crisis situations.
  • Create the plan so when a crisis occurs you are prepared to take action.
  • Create holding statements, media release and social media communication.
  • Coaching on preparing for media interactions. Bonus outcome, will help you be a better presenter.
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ow more than ever boards need strong diversity to attract multiple customers and donors. My ability to match potential board member passion aligned with the nonprofit mission is a unique service that is not currently offered. Engaged board members will become your nonprofit’s best ambassadors, advocates, strategists, and all around supporters.

The best way to engage your employees is show you value them by providing professional growth opportunities. Engaged employees equals organizational  success.

Your Outcomes:

  • A matrix to track diversity of thought, talent, gender and ethnicity.
  • A potential list of board members where their passion is aligned with the nonprofit mission.
  • Strategies for engagement of staff and board. that will strengthen and energize your board members to meet the challenges of today and into the future.
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hroughout my career I have been fortunate to be in many leadership roles and experience a variety of different leadership styles. I have a personal passion for women in leadership positions. Let’s face it women face unique obstacles and challenges. That said, many  women are natural leaders and often develop innovative strategies that build strong and productive business cultures.

Focus Forward offers an opportunity for women leaders to accelerate personal development through a process that builds behaviors linked to business results.  Through a candid process, individuals recognize their strengths, as well as their blind spots and walk away with a customized road map for success.

Leadership Matters!

Your Outcomes:

  • A customized personal and professional roadmap for future success
  • Assessments in emotional intelligence (EQ), leadership styles and adaptability Quotient (AQ) will help shape and guide your roadmap.
  • Candid feedback identifying strengths, opportunities and blind spots.
  • Behavior identification that could be holding you back and not driving business results.

 

This service is not for the faint at heart. You have to be ready to move to the next level.

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rganizational leadership transitions are one of the most difficult and challenging times for nonprofit boards and executive leadership. A volunteer board most likely feels pressured to fill the position quickly.

Use of an Interim Nonprofit Executive can minimize the negative effects of leadership transitions, provide your organization the opportunity for continued visionary leadership, and create the ability to reflect, grow, come together, educate, and make meaningful plans to expand the organization and make improvements. As someone who has “been there and done that,” you get the right experienced interim executive you need quickly, affordably and in a highly flexible manner.

Your Outcomes:

  • Interim executives where you need knowledge and experience on a key initiative for a 2 to 12-month period.
  • Interim-to-hire when you need to fill a position immediately while conducting a search to find the long-term answer.
  • Fractional interim executives when there is a long-term interim management role but it’s not a 5 day a week job.
  • Project – when you need an interim executive or expert with unique expertise to solve a specific problem or advance a specific initiative with defined activities and deliverable’s.
More Focused Services
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Policy Development and Review

To build effective strategies, your house needs to be in order.

Solid policy builds consistency and trust with the board, staff and donors.

Focus Forward can develop, review or enhance current policy

Annual, Planned and Stewardship Programs

Focus Forward can review, provide input or set up one or all of these essential donor programs.

Most non-profits have an Annual Fund.  To grow revenue, non-profits will need to make use of market research to better understand why donors choose to give or not to give.

Many nonprofits have talked about endowments, but made the mistake of trying to grow them with cash gifts.  Planned gifts represent the opportunity of a lifetime for nonprofits.

The number one factor influencing client or donor retention is the degree to which an individual has been meaningfully involved in the mission of an organization.  Don’t leave your relationships to chance. Leverage Focus Forward’s resources to create a plan for lasting relationships.

Comprehensive Communication Plan Development

Communication can help drive the change needed to leverage behavior and build or sustain a desirable reputation.  The plan will layout key opportunities to identify to your audiences.

Don’t know where or how to begin?

Request a Complimentary Assessment

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