The Nonprofit Consultant (Part 1)
What a Nonprofit Consultant Should Be – The Offensive Lineman Theory

When I was in sixth grade gym class, I was given a yellow mesh jersey to go over my normal jersey. This indicated that I was an offensive lineman and not one of the “sexier” positions such as running back or wide receiver. My designation as a lineman followed me all the way through college, and it is also very closely aligned to how I work as a nonprofit consultant.

If you ask moderate sports fans, they can probably name a favorite player, but they probably cannot name one offensive lineman. Linemen are not in the limelight. But, ask any football players or gridiron experts about who the most important player is on their team, and they will likely name an offensive lineman.

To parallel my professional career, I once served as an Executive Director, the equivalent of a football team’s quarterback. Both are unbelievably difficult jobs, and both carry similar benefits of being in the public arena, making speeches, accepting checks, being quoted, etc. However, while I noticed that I was able to make a great impact as an ED, I have made the most impact as a nonprofit consultant.

Sometimes I see nonprofit consultants who struggle with using their unique role within the team to help move and guide the process from the support position. Many times consultants want to move upfront and play the sexier positions to be in the limelight. The sooner a consultant can understand that he has chosen a profession in which his work will be conducted through others, then the better his work, the organization, and the sector will be. Consultants, grab your yellow mesh jersey with pride.

Crazy Uncle Syndrome – How to Confront Wacko Board Member Moments

“O.K., everyone I would like to start by holding hands and saying a prayer,” stated my board chair as we started the most important meeting of the year. We were meeting with the Senior Vice President overseeing Corporate Philanthropy at one of the largest corporations in the United States. Everyone was looking forward to it. The day before, my board chair emphatically stated, “I will meet you in front and we will walk in together.” My stomach sunk and I thought, “Crap!”

Crazy Uncle board member situations happen more regularly than you think. The term “Crazy Uncle” came from one of my clients who has had a board member act like Kanye West at an award-show on several occasions. Another client had a corporate-titan type who believed that working with philanthropy was the cross between verbal arm wrestling and Let’s Make A Deal; a funder literally ran a sprint out of the room for fear of her life. So, how we tame the Crazy Uncle board member? Especially since we may feel like he holds the Executive Director’s job in his hands. Here are some ways to work through this challenge:

• Discuss Talking Points Ahead of Time, Give Crazy Uncle a Specific Role – While this seems like a given, I am always amazed how this step is missed. Often schedules become too busy or simply you trust all of those invited to represent the organization well. This will not happen unless you go over the script the beforehand.

• Give Crazy Uncle Another Venue – Sometimes individuals think they are skilled in areas that they clearly are not. I used to think I was a great orator, like MLK-esque, until I saw a video and realized I was far from it. While I have moved onto other dreams, sometimes using the board members perceived asset could be done in another vein. Try having them speak in less pivotal situations: addressing staff at the annual meeting or speaking to clients on his passion for service.
  

• Talk To Another Board Member – I am sure that you have noticed the rubbing of the eyes and looking at the shoes of other board members when Crazy Uncle speaks. Have a board peer approach C.U. This can be a difficult conversation for them to have, but if other board members can muster up some strength, they should do it.

• Forewarn the House Guests – I think most VIPs know that board members are volunteers. A call to the VIP ahead of time to signal that Crazy Uncle is a very dedicated volunteer and is passionate about the work, but because of his military training he might just ask everyone to do 20 push ups. Ask the VIP not to hold this against C.U. (and she can ask for a rain check on the push ups); this should not diminish the important work your organization is doing.

• VIP is Sacrificial Lamb – Sometimes the Crazy Uncle has been mumbling “Oh Suzanna” at the end of the table for many years and you have just dealt with it by talking louder. Well, this is probably one of the reasons you have not been able to move forward and letting this situation become exposed can help address the issue. This may seem extreme but I have seen it work. Of course, choosing a smaller VIP to sacrifice might be preferable.

All the recommendations have one common thread and that is to plan out a response. As these situations can be embarrassing, responding in anger will only exacerbate the situation.

In the situation with my overly religious board chair, I actually re-focused the situation by stating that part of the custom of the organization was to give thanks for bringing everyone around our mission and that we were especially thankful to the funders for hosting us. I stated we looked forward to them joining us in a site visit and seeing our work. The board chair sat quietly during the meeting, and while embarrassed, she also stated that she was out of line.

Quick Time Poll - Is This a Corporate Perspective or a Nonprofit One?

Are the following are non-profit or for-profit executives? (CEO's, ED's or Presidents):

• 90% of executives say the U.S. is in poor shape
• 45% percent think the U.S. economy will recover in 2010
• 26% say cutting costs is the most important decision
• 47% say health care costs have more impact
• 50% say executive compensation plans have changed
• 65% are spending more time reporting to the board
• 41% percent plan to spend more time on customer/client relationships

Please select your answer through the poll next to this question. I will post the answer at the end of next week. If you leave a comment, you will be eligible for a prize!

Summer Lovin' - Had Me a Blast

Summer is coming to a close and if you listen closely you can hear nonprofit organizations taking a huge breath as the fall is a very busy time for the sector. What do we anticipate seeing:

• Academics will be back in the classroom and in their nooks finishing their writings for their publishers delights. I am sure more writings on how the nonprofit sector should be more like the business sector.
  
• Managers and Executive Directors will be welcoming back staff who had the summer to think about new ideas for the organization or avenues to get out.
• Foundations are preparing for the fall grant cycle and board meetings, where they will continue to pull back and make more difficult decisions.
• Government funding, especially federal, will be going to those other than ourselves, or it will seem that way.
  
• We all will be confused with nonprofit press outlets who say things are going down hill but things are looking up.

Just my sense on the above but know that September is a month that feels more like renewal than January does, so here a glass to the little break we got this summer and the intensity of the fall. Let me know how I can help!

Something To Laugh About

I was given this jokey one-pager (I am forgetting where I got it), but though it outlined various times in my working with non-profits, especially as of late, boards. Hope you find it funny as well:

"Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However in nonprofits/business we often try other strategies with dead horses, including the following:

1. Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Saying things like, "this is the way we have ridden horse".
4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
5. Arranging to visit another site to see how they ride horses.
6. Appointing a tiger team to revive the dead horse.
7. Creating a training session to increase the riding environment.
8. Changing the requirements to specify that "Horses shall not die".
9. Comparing the fate of horses in today's environment.
10. Hiring contractors to ride the dead horse.
11. Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.
12. Declaring that "No dead horse is too dead to ride".
13. Providing additional funding to increase the horses performance.
14. Doing a study to see if the horse can be ridden cheaper if outsourced.
15. Purchasing a product to revitalize the dead horse.
16. Declaring the dead horse is "better, faster and cheaper".
17. Forming a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.
18. Revisiting the performance requirements for horses.
19. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.

How does this relate to your work?

My Mom Said I Was Good Lookin' So That Means I'm Good-Lookin'

This week I am performing my patriotic duty and reviewing grants for the federal government. Now, I do get paid a small sum but I view this as more a volunteer service than anything and since I have not ever been called to Jury Duty, this seems like a good way for me to serve.

As I read these applications, where hours and hours of time and energy are spent on crafting these things, I can say that there are couple of areas that jump out at me. They are as follows:

1. No matter how many grant-makers panels I moderate or attend or see speakers from the federal agencies, I am amazed at how many do not follow the directions. I always brushed this off as something they had to say but it is true, people do not follow directions. Or read.
   
2. Anyone, anywhere can set up an establishment somewhere, gain a little funding and look a certain way. Here is the formula: someone with some letters behind their name, a group that will house you but not keep tabs on you and a large title behind your establishment. I am now going to call my desk the National Center for of Wood and Steel Collaboration. Let the good times roll.
   
3. Using math to tell a story is a very hard concept for most. I have trouble with it as well Budgeting is a mathematical example of telling a story. Not just listing numbers.

The biggest thing I see is how freely the word "model" is used. It made me think of a television story I once saw where a mother said to her son, "You are good looking". The son, not really a looker but feeling confident, soon thereafter went up to a pretty girl and asked her out, which she flatly rejected and commented on his looks, for which the response from the boy was "My mother said I was good looking". (Ok, the story is about me.....). Many groups I work with in some way say either they are a model or are working on a particular problem in a very unique way. I am not sure who is giving the credentialing of models out in most of these cases, but believe the term model is given out to those most close to them, within their "family sphere". Not neccessarily pomp and circumstance in most cases. Maybe it relates to the idea that we must all be special and everyone getting a gold medal but in this activity don't we miss something? It's the standard case of Franken's Law of "Good Enough and People Like Me" . GEPLE for short.

I think when I hear the word model, I am instantly off-put by it because I think innovation often sneaks up on true innovators and those that are innovating often don't know it. often because they just by pure luck ran into it. I also wonder why isn't it OK to just do good work. We all can't tackle Mount Everest but we all can tackle the nearest hill.

What A Conference Can Do.......

When I come back from conferences, I usually have one of two feelings. The first could be that I just wasted a couple days away from my family and now I am angry because it appears that my kids don't recognize me and my dog barks at me like a stranger. Darn conference. The second feeling is one in which all of my ideas become clearer and I am somehow flying a little higher. Wow, my pants even fit a little better. I feel like the latter.

So, short post but am glad to be back from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management conference. I am more engaged in their work and also more engaged in some of mine. Those book ideas should now be more real, I hope. Look forward to next year's conference, which I am hoping they will have in NYC!