Nonprofit Business Development Services

Contents of This Page

• Our Approach - What We Help You Do
• Our Approach - What Makes Us Unique
• Presentations & Short Workshops
• Consulting
• Coaching
• Business Development Coaching Groups
• For Management Service Providers - We Can Help You Provide Business Development Services to Your Clients
• Our Other Nonprofit Capacity Building Services

Our Approach - What We Help You Do

Our priority is to help you to carry out the following key steps in developing your mission-related earned income opportunities and do so in a fashion that is timely, yet highly practical and cost-effective for your organization. We provide the guidance, training and materials to help you to:

1. Recognize that your organization's vision, mission and strategic goals represent the purpose and context for your business development.
2. Gain a better understanding of the motivations and support for doing business development, both within your organization and in your community.
3. Identify the major assets and capabilities that your organization has to invest in its business development.
4. Identify your best mission-related earned income opportunities.
5. Research each of your opportunities for feasibility and select the most appropriate ones to develop.
6. Develop realistic business plans for each of your selected opportunities.
7. Implement your business plans, including adjusting them as necessary.

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Our Approach - What Makes Us Unique

We recognize and address certain realities:

• Most nonprofits are very small and have very limited time and money available for business development.
• Many nonprofits are already in financial trouble when they are beginning to consider business development (that's why these nonprofits are considering it in the first place). While not ideal, this is reality.
• Nonprofits, like all organizations, are systems. You can't just focus on one function (business development) without giving attention to the rest (eg, board development, strategic planning, management development, employee performance management, etc.). A comprehensive, integrated approach is far more effective and can actually save money for the nonprofit in the long run.
• The world of for-profits has focused on business development for 100s of years! There is a wealth of resources and learning that, when properly adapted, can be very useful for nonprofits seeking to develop their own business opportunities.

Our experience:

• We have extensive knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship and nonprofit organization development.
• We have many years of management experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sector, and know how to take the best of both worlds to help your organization succeed.
• We have direct experience in program development and management.
• We've experienced the joys and frustrations of leading large-scale organizational change efforts.
• Read more about Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

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Presentations and Short Workshops

We can deliver a range presentations and workshops that will provide participants with:

• A strong, practical understanding of the fundamentals,
• Tools and techniques that they can use for their own organizations, and
• (In our workshops) An opportunity to practice using the tools and techniques we provide.

Session topics include:

• An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
• Exploring the Climate for Business Development
• Taking Stock of Your Business Development Assets
• Identifying Your Best Business Opportunities
• Researching Your Opportunities for Feasibility
• Business Plans and Planning
• Other Topics Upon Request

Sessions can be as short as 30 minutes (for presentations) and as long as two days (for workshops). We always tailor our topics and format to meet the needs and expectations of our clients, and are happy to develop new and customized sessions.

Want to learn more about our presentations and workshops? Email us

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Business Development Consulting

While guiding your nonprofit through the steps listed above,

1. We work according to certain values and beliefs about nonprofit organization development. See our values and beliefs.
2. We start with a quick and practical assessment of all aspects of the entire organization, results of which are reported to the board and key staff. (To do a quick self-assessment right now, complete this Checklist of Organizational Indicators.)
3. We interview key members of your board and staff to further understand the needs and nature of the organization.
4. We work with you to customize a practical and realistic consultation plan suited the needs and nature of your organization. We recognize that there is no perfect, "cookie cutter" approach to business development.
5. We ensure that the consultation plan includes specific deliverables at key points in the consultation process in order to ensure continued communications and accountability.
6. We conduct frequent, quick and practical evaluations to ensure that goals of the consulting contract are being met.
7. We work with you to produce a business plan for each service under consideration in the project. The business plan includes specific steps about the service's marketing, management and finances.
8. These business plans can be "rolled up" into organization-wide plans, including organizational marketing, board and management, operations, finances and fundraising.
9. We can provide one-on-one coaching sessions with key members of your board and staff to ensure ongoing focus, accountability and support to implement the plans.
10. We can also help the client to organize internal peer coaching group sessions in which members support and coach each other to implement their portions of the plans. (We use the nationally known Leaders Circles (sm) model, which we researched and designed.)
11. We recognize when changes are needed to the consultation plan and make those changes in a planned and orderly fashion.

Want to learn more about our consulting? Email us

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Business Development Coaching

For clients seeking a more self-directed approach to their business development, we provide a phone-based coaching service. With this option, you would get coached regularly by Authenticity Consulting to help you:

• Review your business development progress,
• Identify challenges and opportunities,
• Set realistic but motivating goals, and
• Decide what actions you will take to reach your goals.

This can also be a great follow-up to our workshops and consulting projects.

Want to learn more about our business development coaching? Email us

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Business Development Coaching Groups

In a Business Development Coaching Group, we bring together representatives from five to seven non-competing organizations to help each other develop their business opportunities. The meetings are typically three hours long, and groups meet monthly for at least six months. Each member is guaranteed a block of time to present their challenge, get coached by the other members, and to figure out what they'll do by the next meeting. Each session is managed by an Authenticity Consulting facilitator who ensures that members maximize their time.

Our Business Development Coaching Groups help you to do things your way, but with the strong support of a trusted group of peers. Membership has four primary benefits:

1. Expand Your Network - You will regularly share practical advice, contacts, and materials.
2. Learn New Skills - You will learn by applying tools and techniques gained from the other members and the facilitator.
3. Solve Problems - You will tackle and solve complex business development challenges.
4. Be Supported - You will move forward with the ongoing support of and accountability to a trusted group of peers who are committed to your success.
   

(Our Business Development Coaching Groups are based upon the nationally known Leaders Circles(sm) model, which we researched and designed.)

Want to learn more about our Business Development Coaching Groups? Email us

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Management Service Providers - We Can Help You Provide Business Development Services to Your Clients

We provide a highly effective, yet low-cost, program in which nonprofit service providers can establish nonprofit business development services for their clients. This program is useful to nonprofit consultants, management support organizations, associations and training centers. We'll show service providers everything they need to know and will provide them all the resources they need.

To read an overview of the program, you will need a copy of the free Adobe Acrobat Software. Get the free Adobe software.

After you've downloaded the software, See the description of the pilot program.

Be sure to read the program description before you review the following questions and answers. See some of the questions and answers posed by various readers of the program description.

Want to learn more about our program development services? Email us

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Our Other Services, Grounded in Principles of Nonprofit Organization Development and Change

In addition to the services described on this page, we provide guidance, facilitation, training and materials in a comprehensive, integrated fashion to help you with your:

• Board Development
• Strategic Planning
• Staff Management and Leadership Development
• Program Development and Evaluation

For details, go to our main Nonprofit Capacity Building page.

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