“Can we create our NPCons Resource Group; international, smart, passionate?!! BigTent, Conference Calls, Webinars – if we can do this much on Twitter imagine the possibilities!”

So what do you think? If we had such a group / place online to learn from each other, what could it accomplish? What would it look like?

Thoughts? Let’s do this!!

And the fact is, that is completely true. One doesn’t have to go to school or get a degree or a license to consult.

If we DID go to school, though, our learning would fall into three areas:

1) Content: For Community Benefit Consultants, that might include governance or technology or planning or resource development or evaluation or social media or etc. and etc.

2) Business: Especially for independent consultants, there is the business side of our own bookkeeping and marketing and our own social media and planning…

3) Process: Often termed the “soft stuff,” this is the people side of our work. How do we actually interact with the client as we do our consulting work? How do we engage a client to want to learn? How do we encourage a client, get them excited to grow and change? How do we get clients to see possibility and reach for it?

There are books and classes and college degrees that provide information about the first two areas of this list.  But where do we learn about the process of consulting?

This will be the topic of this month’s Twitter chat.

How and where do we learn the being part of being a consultant?

• Where do we learn to translate content into learning and growth for our clients?
• How can we ensure our own culture of ongoing learning? From where? With whom?
• Where do we learn how to engage and inspire and encourage and teach and lead? Where do we learn whether to inspire or prescribe? Where do we learn how to model for our clients the kinds of actions and behaviors we hope to see in them and their communities?
• Where do we learn how to facilitate – and where do we practice that skill (or do we practice anywhere but with our clients?)?
• How can we learn from other consultants? What structures are best for facilitating that learning?

As we consider what ongoing learning might look like for consultants, Debra Beck has posted a Nonprofit Learning Manifesto that inspired this month’s chat. There is great food for thought here – how do we encourage the same learning for ourselves as we encourage for our clients?

This promises to be an engaging discussion. Please join us!
Tuesday, February 23 at 1pm US Pacific time.
See you there!

If you are good at what you do, you may be working with them to aim beyond survival, on towards sustainability. And if you are really good at what you do, you are working with them on moving beyond “sustainability” and out towards “thrivability.”

That, of course, begs the question: What are you doing to help your own consulting practice thrive?  What sustains the work YOU do?

How are you moving from surviving to sustaining to thriving in your consulting work?

We’ve heard consultants who teach their clients how to “sustain and thrive” throw up their own hands in despair at how the economy is wreaking havoc on their business.

We’ve also heard consultants who tell us business has never been better.

Where do you fall in the spectrum? And what are you doing to move your practice from survivability to thrivability?

Tune in on Tuesday, January 26 at 1pm US-Pacific time, and let’s all find out together!

Why do we put “nonprofit” in quotes? It’s all about the difference between surviving and thriving! Can we think of our consulting work in the same powerful way?

Many thanks to Jean Russell for her unwavering efforts to move this whole world toward thrivability.

So what is The Fun Theory? It is the idea that people are more likely to change their behavior to do what is best for them and for others, if instead of prescribing what they “should” do, we encourage them by making it FUN!!!

Whistle while you work. Inspire vs. prescribe. Many hands make light work. Let’s PARTY!

• What do you do in your consulting practice, to encourage behavioral change by making things FUN? How have you used FUN to help clients transform?
  
• What have you done to take a mundane activity and make it both FUN and effective at getting the results you wanted?
• If a condition of your consulting contract with a client – whether you were teaching governance or working on a capital campaign or crafting grant proposals – included a provision that your interactions with the organization must use FUN to achieve the organization’s goals, how would you go about doing that?

We hope you will come have FUN with us on Tuesday, December 1 at 1pm US Pacific time!

In the business world, clients might ask you to reduce your fee, but would they even consider asking you to do the work for free?  And yet Community Benefit Consultants face that situation all the time!

“Nonprofit” / Community Benefit Consultants also face questions like these: Which is more effective – hourly or project fees or “value-based” pricing? Are client expectations realistic? How much do we do at a discount or pro bono vs. getting paid for the value we provide?

This month’s chat will focus on the various aspects of pricing specifically as it relates to the work of consultants to Community Benefit Organizations.

• What is the thinking behind your pricing strategy?
• How do you explain your pricing approach to clients?
• Have you changed strategies? If so, why?
• If you have changed your pricing strategy, how did you explain that to clients? How did they respond? What was effective in moving clients to your new way or pricing?
• Has the economy affected your pricing strategy? What has changed?
• Is there a pricing strategy you would like to be using but are not using now? What is stopping you from using it? What would need to be in place for you to adopt that strategy?

In preparing for this chat, the following links are informative, creative, and will hopefully get your juices flowing.

A proactive Pro Bono policy: Will Carol Work for Free?

For those who have trouble saying No: The Best Denial Letter of All Time

We look forward to an energizing discussion on Tuesday, October 20th at 1pm US Pacific time!

P.S. There is one last thing – a request we hope everyone will respect: Please DO NOT DISCUSS specific rates (such as, “I charge $100 for X – what do you charge?” ) In the US, such discussion could be construed as an attempt at price-fixing. Some may argue that such discussion would not cross that line, however, we have had attorney after attorney over the years strongly discourage such online discussion.

Bottom line, the specific rates are not nearly as important as the reasoning behind those rates, which will be the most meaningful aspects of this chat.

Many many thanks to Debra Askanase for suggesting this topic and for drafting the sample questions above. We look forward to having @AskDebra sharing her wisdom during this chat!

Thanks also to @RuthAnnHarnisch for the link to the Denial letter!

Dr. Schwartz talks about this as the practical wisdom each of us possesses, based on our own experience.  He further points out that the prescriptive mindset of rules and incentives is a mindset that fundamentally distrusts the judgment of others.

As consultants, the highest potential of each of our consulting engagements is that our clients excel at their work.  The path Dr. Schwartz describes – trusting our clients’ own wisdom – is a path that can inspire their “moral skill and moral will,” leading them to that high potential.

So is that how we currently operate as consultants – encouraging and inspiring and building upon our clients’ own wisdom? Or do we prescribe rules and checklists and shoulds?

Do we ask, “What do you want this function to accomplish? And then how might you accomplish that?” Or do we tell, “Here is a checklist for this function / the standards against which this function should be measured.”?

The prescriptive language of rules and incentives includes words such as these:

• Have to / Must / Need to
• Should
• Convince / Persuade / talk them into / get them to do it
• They refuse / won’t

For this month’s Tweet Chat, we will consider the following questions:

• How does your experience match Dr. Schwartz’s research?
• Are there circumstances when it is more effective to prescribe what a client should do and how they should do it? Or is it always more effective to encourage and inspire your clients’ own wisdom?
• What approaches have you found effective for leveraging your clients’ own wisdom to create inspired results?
• Given the short list of prescriptive words above, what are words that indicate / encourage a client’s potential for wisdom?
• Are there barriers to inspiring / facilitating / leveraging a group’s wisdom?  If so, what are those barriers?  And how have you overcome them?

We look forward to an energizing discussion on Wednesday, September 16 at 1pm US Pacific time!

That is why we feel so blessed to have Megan McFadden from Everywun who volunteered once again to sort through all those tweets in our last chat, to keep track of the various conversations and questions. There is no way we can thank Megan enough!!

As we prepare for next week’s chat, we thought it would be helpful for everyone to see what was discussed last time – including and especially the “key learnings” folks shared when all was said and done.

Key Learnings:

• Orgs who focus on mutual vision can benefit from shared resources, visibility and impact
• Building trust and true cooperation takes time and building on successes
• General assumption is that competition is reality so must incorporate into thinking
• Platitudes, but not specific examples are common

In your consulting, do you encourage your clients to be competitive or cooperative?

• I would say collaboration as so much more can be accomplished when organizations work together
• In this economy several of my clients are working on back office collaborations to benefit from economy of scale
• Most org cultures resist collaboration out of fear of loss of power and control…..changes with initial success
• I have been working on multi org collaborations around capital campaigns, insurance, finance and property management among others
• I find many organizations are in a competitive mind set Helping them focus on vision leads to possible collaborators
• cb/npo competition can be good – e.g. driving innovation – but can also shift focus away from those actually serving
• So agree! npo/cb collab brings economy of scale – resources, visibility, impact. adding to the signal, not the noise
• I like the idea that focusing on vision leads to greater collaboration. Great point
• I focus on Creating the Desired Future in strategic planning resulting visions make need to collaborate clear.
• Assuming that the sector is overpopulated, competition is really necessary to help ensure resources get to the right places…
• However, orgs who truly put mission above ego, legacy, etc. can help collaborate to ensure the best use of resources.

What has your experience been with the effectiveness of backoffice collaboration?

• Once you deal with confidentiality issues, the key if finding a larger partner who has full and competent staff and systems
• I’ve worked on several where the orgs have similar prospect bases. Donors like one ask and the discipline collaboration brings
• I am totally fascinated. CapCampaigns are among most competitive aspects of this work, yet collab works! Woo hoo!
• Can you share more re: “larger partner” Is this a sm group colab w/lg group for mutual campaign? (Confused – sorry)
• Larger partner related to back office collaboration..org that could provide sophisticated and low cost bookkeeping, accounting etc
• First meet with the indiv execs to explore potential and then meet with them in group to…. to address their concerns. Must get them on board before going to lay leadership. Execs are most likely to derail in beginning, we develop understandings that are put in writing and gradually involve bd members to fine tune collaboration focus and process, Once the group of execs and selected lay leaders come to agreement we process it through each boad, Final step is to establish memos of understandings. All along way need to minimize potential of “gorilla” in rm to take over

Does competition drive innovation more than collaboration does?

• Major funders in a community are driving force for most capital campaign collaborations..They encourage it as part of capacity bldg
• I think collaboration drives innovation through the sharing of ideas. Synergy-we all work better together.
• I think collaboration is always better than competition. Competition promotes short cuts and hype, not real innovation.
• In our times, I feel strongly that collab leads to greater innovation. This may not have always been the case + may not remain true
• Competition alwys makes me wonder b/c it connotes winners & losers.Does that make sense for Commty Benefit Orgs?
• Do those capital campaign collaborations produce true collaboration for lasting change
• competition can open the eyes of an org outward – unseat complacency, catalyze new ways of thinking about solutions
• When collaborations work they ultimately lead to more significant collaborations. The cap campaigns were not their initial collabs
• I’ve also found that the more innovative & effective programs come when 2 diff orgs collaborate – and greater audiences benefit
• My issue with competition is that lot of energy is wasted, which used collaboratively cld be leveraged more usefully. #NPCons
• Some forms of competition are good if it results in more service, better quality and outcomes ….not at others expense

So then which will benefit communities more – organizations that are competitive or cooperative?

• Our mission is collab/ “combining efforts,” but I can see the benefit in increased efficiency from competition
• Getting orgs to initially collab takes a lot of work, process and building of trust…Worth it but not easy..gets great results
• What do you do as a consultant to help facilitate that trust-building?
• in one case it was property management, in another it was community education and collaborative delivery of services
• When collaborations work they ultimately lead to more significant collaborations.
  “competition” doesn’t have to mean competing against – it’s can be about making space for more solutions
• Wow -Usually folks encourage collab for increased efficiency. Can you share example of compet increasing efficiency?
• Competition should def not be a driving force for your org or actions. Do what you do well and work to do it better
• the key is finding the balance – the downside is a shift in focus away from mission and risk toward power + recognition
• w/competition we look inward at what can we do as org; w/collaboration we focus outward on what is possible
• A real benefit of collaboration is also decrease in costs per organization, freeing up money for other services/initiatives.
• A lengthy process but ultimately sounds like it has led to some successful collaborations for community benefit

Can organizations simultaneously compete and cooperate?

• competition + cooperation can be a strong combination, key is finding the complements so collaboration can happen
• absolutely – if the focus is the competition not the constituent
• There are areas of competition (for funding, audiences, etc.) but also for collab (resources, strategies, awareness)
• Many orgs will find they compete w/in their specific area and collab with orgs that differ. The trick is keeping their minds open
• Competition ..connotes winners & losers.. #npcons -| |- The original meaning = to strive together for the betterment of all
• Doesn’t competition improve everyone’s performance?
• Healthy coopetition is possible, but the organizations have to participate in complementary parts of the value chain.
• Or providing more funds to collaborative projects. Some orgs are working towards a similar goal & can share resources
• collab btwn orgs on resources/ best practices & competition for funding

Are there benefits to competion, or are we just accepting it as “reality”? In your practice, do you encourage competition?

• Is there a list somewhere of ‘collaboration consultants’? Ie, pros who work with orgs to help them leverage collab
• 2 resources I know of – 1) Graduates of the Cmty-Driven Institute’s Consultant Trainings 2) HNKConsultants is funder-sponsored online cmty of consultants doing strength-based work http://is.gd/2kgIe
• they can collaborate with each other to become competitive (together) in mainstream marketplaces
• No. What’s needed to improve our resource usage is not org competition, but a pooling of human and financial resources
• I encourage and embrace Transparent Competition- with the dawn of Social media things are more transparent naturally
• what would collaborative consulting look like?
• I think it looks like authentic, transparent alignment of orgs who bring diff but complimentary skills and resources
• All charity is local- and the best donors are those who have a vested interest in a specific piece of the philanthropic pie
• What the world needs from our sector right now is to move out of org silos and start working with all we’ve got cross-dimensionally
• Hypothetical – wht happens when 2 orgs compete & 1 improves performance – does it share how w/ the other? Shld it?

Do we consultants collaborate? (Do funders for that matter?)

• with fundraising I encourage collabs to make smaller orgs more competitive when they join forces
• Been mtg w/many NPRs 4 collab opportunity. My experience: bigger NPR not nimble decision makers. Need 2 B easier to collab with
• increasing efficiency of funding usage, not necessarily more efficient NPO work/ innovation #NPcons ^AH
• I’ve just joined the www.i-propeller.com office in Bxl. They do collaborative consulting for corps w/academics & se’s
• At least in Detroit, I notice more and more funders who are collaborating… sends a strong message to nonprofits.

What does all this mean for what you teach your clients? Are you teaching them to compete (std fundraising & mktg)?

• We can teach clients how to share resources, how to engage others, how to build on their own assets.
• NPsystems assume compet is reality, but we can teach clients to work non-competitively.
• Are there truly competing NPs offering the exact same thing? Imagine the long tail, surely there is a specific niche to target
• I think the challenge is shifting from focus on org. survival to achieving mission. That an org. continues is not always best.
• Admit I have in past taught them to position themselves well to compete – e.g., recruitment easier if have good strategic plan
• amystark RT @TammieJones #npcons I think the challenge is shifting from focus on org. survival to achieving mission. -| |- Amen!
• Collaborative consulting easier with individuals than big firms. Guess it needs shared/split accountability not sub-contracts
• Our job as consultants changes when we teach how to cooperate – not collaborate, but real cooperation.
• a tip from from experience: orgs need to know how & when to develop collaboration agreements covering each parties needs.
• When we see competition as “reality” that’s how we act. When we assume we can work cooperatvely to a shared vision, all is possible!
• My opinion: old way was Find Me, Sell Me. Now it’s Know Me, Help Me. Engaging is a must

Thanks to everyone who participated, and again, many many many thanks to Megan!!

A conversation at Social Edge has been going on for over a month on this issue, with participants from all walks of life.

As consultants to Community Benefit / nonprofit organizations, our assumptions about cooperation vs. competition will influence the advice we give our clients, and will ultimately influence the actions they take in their organizations and their communities.

So we thought it was an issue worth discussing in this upcoming chat.

• In your consulting, do you encourage your clients to be competitive or cooperative?
• If you lean more to one than the other, what are you aiming your clients at achieving through that focus?
• What approaches do you use with clients to build either that competitive or cooperative focus?
• Can organizations simultaneously compete and cooperate? If so, how? If not, then which is more important?
• Have your clients benefitted / suffered from competition? Have they benefitted / suffered from collaboration?
• Which will benefit our communities the most in the long run – organizations that are competitive or cooperative?

Join us on Tuesday, August 18th at 1pm US Pacific time for what is bound to be a lively discussion. See you there!

Below is a summary of the questions and the comments/answers from our Chat on the 21st.   (You can see the whole chat in its raw-and-unedited entirety here.)

Many thanks to Megan McFadden(@Everywun) for compiling this summary. Twitter chats happen FAST and Megan – well, you are amazing!

Key Points from Discussion:

• The need for more focus on strategy and planning for future vs. client focus on “tools” and “now”
• Social media a good opportunity, but organizations are intimidated w/ how to integrate
• How to get buy in from higher ups on new strategies (especially social media)?
• ROI on fundraising programs important when have less money
• Small orgs have some advantage – more nimble, can focus more
• The importance of “Phasing” as a strategy for making consulting work more affordable for clients
• The importance of Community Focus as a leverage point for client motivation

What difference is the recession making in your practice? What changes have you made in your work due to the economy?

• lots of calls to help figure out how to mail less and still achieve net income targets.
• We see NPOs working hard to integrate social media into their offline marketing. Trying to sort out how/if to raise funds in SMM.
• I consult with npos on marketing and communications. Recession = clients less willing to spend $ on good strategy and prep.
• orgs are definitely trying to do more with less – not necessarily a bad thing – there r opps there
• ditto on the more w/ less; believe that the use of social media provides a perfect oppty
• Solid results are hard to get if client doesn’t want to first invest in good strategy. Some even expect free strategy in proposal
• Re: mail. Not treating all donors equally makes big difference in select and ROI. Custom messaging, too
• I’m wking in Israel & US. NGOs are asking for ltd hrs/mo consulting, lower pricing focus on fundraising
• In the current economic mess, having clients get focus in fundraising and do things to build capacity, think through ROI on programs
• lower pricing, fewer hours, focus on fundraising
• smaller groups are not social media savvy or prepared. Opportunity to help if there is $$
• What could be better than free? The key is in developing the systems to work them. #NPCons
• always ways to make money, just need to think the angle…small groups have a lot of buying power
• -Economy luckily has not had an impact…but see other consultants in NYC struggling…too targeted and not good marketers
• One trending topic is Facebook – still trying to get a handle on it and interested in paying a consultant to help
• Think it is important to focus on the GOOD & to develop systems that are easily managed once you’re not there

Are clients ready to focus on what’s possible? How are you getting them there?

• I try to get one big media hit while I’m creating strategy so that I feed the beast that wants “visibility” early on.
• Yes! Facebook is one place they are willing to put their toes in, even before a blog. And definitely before Twitter.
• Client sees immed action & that buys me credibility. Then they R more likely 2 listen 2 me re necessity for strat 1st
• to answer the last question, I’m spening a lot more time networking/marketing. I sense clients R overwhelmed by social media space
• Small orgs have the advantage right now. Big NPOs spending millions to LOOK small. This economy is good for the small NPOs in a way.
• clients definitely need more guidance in integrating social media into marketing, communication, customer service, etc.
• More and more they want to implement themselves, pay for guidance – ok by me but means need more clients

In response to the comment that clients are seeing Social Media as a panacea / lifesaver, how are you getting them past that?

• Doing training on cultivation, friendraising, social media even talking about planned giving programs
• -Yes we hear too they are overwhelmed by the concept AND the time to implement. But they still want to try.
• my firm helps npos diversify their fundraising
• by explaining that that is not how I work; there IS no panacea – only solid systems.
• I also think that this is the environment to get those ideas ready that could take off….not implementing them, just “marinating”
• all newspapers gone, yes I think NPOs mostly don’t see what’s happening in mass media. & they are not set up to cope
• And the key is integrate everything from acquisition to cultivation, social media to planned giving. Yes?
• I’m stressing social media as a broader strategy; launching a FB fan page w/o a system to support it can defeat the effort
• Every social media platform needs strategy that works with the overall mission or it’s just a distraction. Yes?

In response to the comment that small organizations have an advantage, what advantage is that?

• Using scenarios(especiallyanalysis of their own past experiences) can demo the need to continue to think long-term
• No doubt overwhelmed. They know they should be doing something but very intimidated
• They can move faster-no “committees” to get a new initiative through. They can maintain 1:1 relationships easier.
• I see small organizations being more nimble in making adjustments. They are used to adapting and reprioritizing.
• I would caution that because small orgs. are more mobile that their mobility could be a hindrance in the future…
• I would hate to see fast mobility now be crisis solving at a later time
• I would also sense that small groups moving fast because they have to…not by strategy but by necessity
• I think NPOs feel this burning sense of urgency, which may not be warranted, but feeds their feeling overwhelmed.

What are you finding possible now that you didn’t find possible before?

• Face-to-face relationships have to be built at some stage, but costs can be temp cut via tel, video or virtual mtgs
• If you can keep head above water now’s the time to lay the foundations for when people are ready to give a little easier
• I find advocacy orgs can move faster than service orgs. More tolerance 4 uncertainty & eager to be heard in activist groups.

In response to the comment that clients are desperate to just “do something! (and preferably free!)”, how are you focusing them on strategy?

• We like to ask the question: What if you only had one donor? How would you treat them? At least pauses conversation.
• fees, I’ve had to throw in bonus services to keep fees at same rate. Took 1 job 4 less than in past. Anyone else modified fees?
• ying measurable outcomes to strategy and phasing the work to match their available resources/capacity.
• I agree. Similar to FP smaller has less layers – more willing to change
• Absolutely to reach more potential donors and communicate better
• Old strategy should still be relevant….being too reactive is just not smart business….
• Sometimes changing (shortening) length of engagement – with option to continue TBD
• Emphasis on context is critical. If org is nimble or able to survive, and it’s not in a strategic context, then what?
• I also believe phasing helps make case for future funding — we can help them demonstrate oppty via initial phases.
• Yes – If U have no place 2 go U R just dressed up. Fashions change – tools change It’s all about the destination.
• One way is to show senior mgt Soc Med done by competitors. Tie perceptions & image to Soc Med presence to fundraising.
• A potential client I just met w/ is unable to afford; we are starting on a limited basis w/ tie-in to results leading to longer term

What strengths are you finding in your clients, that you can help them build upon?

• When they stop being scared and examine their raison detre – they see how important their services are
• I see organizational boards stepping up more, looking for potential partners to engage. Recognizing interdependence is an asset!
• When buy-in from higher ups/boards is a challenge, younger staff can at times lead this effort

To see the whole chat from start to finish (and to see who said what) head to the archives here.

We hope to see you at our next Twitter Chat for consultants to community benefit organization – #NPCons!