@NEEDGOODHELP?

BECAUSE WE MOVE FORWARD BY GIVING BACK

✅  Our kindred spirits are aligned with nonprofits in need.
✅  We've got the time, the talent and a passion for community service.
✅  As our services are 100% virtual, our expense is limited to our time.
✅  It's not about dollars & cents. It's about what make sense for you.

" DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN. BY ALL THE MEANS YOU CAN. IN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN. IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN. AT ALL THE TIMES YOU CAN. TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN. AS LONG AS YOU EVER CAN. "

✅ CLIENT PROFILE
Not a Startup and Not a Giant, but a GOOD nonprofit.  Our typical engagement partner would be a small to medium-size nonprofit (Statement of Operations Revenue under $1MM) with an engaged Board of Directors, expanding donor base, a positive reputation across their community, and sound financial management. Although a genuine top-down passion for the mission exists, they are lack sufficient internal expertise and/or capacity to effectively deal with one or more "mission-critical" organizational development challenges, particularly at the Board level. And they simply can't afford to hire a "for profit" third party consulting firm to overcome the particular challenges at hand. BUT – they are prepared to work with us virtually and follow-through with diligent, prompt execution. Bottom line – they are poised to go "from good to great", but need experienced advice and thoughtful guidance in order to get there.

✅ COLLABORATION
The Board Chair/President and Executive Director enjoy a postive, collaborative relationship and are mutually committed not only seeking outside expertise, but able, willing and ready to embrace and execute necessary change for the benefit of long-term sustainability.

✅ CHARITABLE COMMITMENT  (Program Efficiency Ratio)
This ratio is calculated as program service expenses (or money directly spent to further the nonprofit mission of the organization) divided by the nonprofit's total expenses. Our typical Client will have a Ratio no lower than 65%.

✅ NOT A GIANT
The only thing small about a small nonprofit is its size. But with that size also comes some unique challenges. Maybe you recognize some of these in yourself or your organization? Your mission is bigger than your bank account; You believe you can’t ever take a vacation because if you missed even just a few days all the work would literally stop; You have an overwhelming feeling that everything rests on your shoulders but still think it’s easier to try to do everything yourself than ask somebody for help. Who would you even ask?; You feel frustrated about your inability to get the word out given your limited resources and time, and; Your board isn’t stepping up or is made up of the wrong mix of people. Or they mean well but they just don’t know what to do next.

" THE VISION MUST BE FOLLOWED BY THE VENTURE. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO STARE UP THE STEPS – WE MUST STEP UP THE STAIRS. "

✅ TOP-OF-THE-HOUSE SYNERGY – For us to accept an engagement and provide reasonable assurance of a successful outcome, there must exist from day one a firm commitment from both the Board Chair/President AND Executive Director as to the need for our particular kind of help. And the relationship must be a healthy one.

✅ POISED FOR CHANGE MANAGEMENT – Both of the above parties must be firmly committed to moving forward in the face of likely resistance within the trenches when it comes changing “the way we’ve always done it.” External changes across the nonprofit sector are often the enemy of an organization’s long-term impact. Internal change can be just as much or perhaps even more of a management challenge, and the implications of how we deal with that change – particularly at the leadership level – are critical.

✅ UNWAVERING COMMITMENT – You are “people-centric” in your approach to change. Being people-centric means communicating at every level of your organization in ways that makes it possible for them to embrace change. You’ve set the stage firmly and with conviction, with across-the-board buy-in from anyone and everyone likely to be impacted by our solutions. How effectively nonprofit leaders manage that change and transition absolutely will have an impact on the ability of our project to be deemed successful and for the organization to advance its missions as a result.

✅ RESPONSIVENESS – “Sense of urgency” is a term that is thrown around a lot in the business world today, and for good reason. The world around us is constantly changing, and we need to react right now! We’ve made a natural sense of urgency a priority in all that we do. We expect that our approved GoodClients will adopt and employ the same approach when it comes to maintaining forward momentum between us. Our efforts must be viewed as a strategic priority (i.e., as important as fundraising) and given top priority.

✅ STRATEGY EXECUTION – Strategy execution is a hot topic in management today. In fact, a recent survey of CEOs revealed that chief executives are so concerned about strategy execution that they rated it as both their number one and number two most challenging issue. For anyone who’s tried to execute strategy, this finding should come as no surprise: It’s estimated that more than 60% of strategies are not successfully implemented.

Our prospective alliance is founded upon an unwavering commitment from our engagement partner that advice and guidance delivered will be fully embraced and carefully executed in such a manner to achieve the desired outcome. Respect for our time invested met with respect for the value of our work product. In other words – “because it’s free” cannot be met with lax acceptance.
Bottom Line: We Deliver. You Execute.

“IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO RISK THE USUAL, YOU WILL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THE ORDINARY.”

NOPE. NEVER. PERIOD.

✅   We operate strictly in good-faith. Once we accept you as a Client, a "virtual" handshake is all that's necessary.
✅   No Contracts. No Gimmicks. No Strings Attached. No Kidding!

" THE PRINCIPLE OF ACTING IN GOOD FAITH IS AT THE HEART OF DECENT WORK. "

WE PROVIDE ADVICE & GUIDANCE | YOU PROVIDE EXECUTION

✅  We need your commitment.
✅  We need your focused attention.
✅  We need your responsiveness.
✅  We need your intentional engagement.
✅  We need your willingness to embrace change.
✅  We need you to execute with a natural sense of urgency.
✅  We need you to stay in touch and let us know how it's all going.

" IT'S NOT ABOUT BEST INTENTIONS OR INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES . IT'S ABOUT SHOWING UP, SPEAKING UP, AND STEPPING UP. "

✅ OUR ROLE IS TO EMPOWER The Role of our VIP team is not to execute strategy but rather to empower Clients to independently do so. We provide experienced insights, advice & guidance with the understanding and expectation that our Clients will listen, learn and execute in earnest and with a natural sense of urgency out of respect for our donated time and for the greater good of their Mission.

✅TIMEFRAME From a practical/capacity standpoint, our typical pro bono consulting commitment (formally) extends up to a maximum 90 calendar days, with checkpoints by us at the 30-day and 60-day stage to ensure expectations are being met. Extensions beyond that date will not be under the GoodWorks 360° umbrella, but may be informally/privately agreed between both parties. In the interim we encourage our VIP and you to reach back to us should material concerns arise during the course of the engagement.

ALMOST ALWAYS

✅  We are better faster, and cheaper (e.g. FREE) because of our "virtual" support foundation – a strategy that "works for good".
✅  We will (at a Client's request) consider the value of an on-site visit if deemed "mission critical" by our Client. In these exceptional instances, we will limit any charges solely to actual travel expense.

" YOU KNOW YOU ARE  ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS IF YOU WOULD DO YOUR JOB, AND NOT BE PAID FOR IT " 

GREAT NEED + GREAT VALUE = GREAT DEMAND

✅  As you can imagine, pro bono services attract a lot of attention within the nonprofit sector and beyond, and to no surprise,  there's always more demand than supply. So rather than turn away qualified nonprofits in need because "we're too busy", we created an Engagement Partner Waiting List.
✅  It's not just about what we offer,  preserving our reputation by always delivering on promises made. So we never take on more Engagement Partners than we can handle – making sure that we can live up to their expectations AND ours.
✅  Once we accept you as an Engagement Partner, you'll be placed on our Waiting List and we'll tell you upfront when we expect to begin your project. Not everyone will be willing or able to wait, but that's okay. Those who truly want to work with us will be willing to wait.

" WELL DONE IS BETTER THAN WELL SAID "

STEP 1 – Please review our @GOODSERVICES to ensure that we offer the kind of help you need.
STEP 2 – Please review ALL of the frequently asked questions presented on our @NEEDGOODHELP Page.
STEP 3 ​​​​– And then, here's what we need from you:

✅ AN eMail [ in English ] from your Executive Director or Board Chair (Subject: GoodWorks 360° Support Request) within which you have responded to ALL of following items:

1. Who or what inspired you to reach out to us and do you understand that all of our services are provide "virtually" (phone/email/text, etc.) versus in-person?
2. Provide us with a clear & concise Overview of your nonprofit including your ongoing sources of funding.
3. Which of our @GOODSERVICES do you need and why? (be complete and concise, and include your ideal timetable)
4. What internal/external efforts have you undertaken so far to address your  above need(s) and what was the outcome?
5. Why do you need pro bono help? (key discussion here/make your case for support)
6. Does your Support Request carry the full support of our Executive Team & Board?
7. Attach your latest Form 990, Audited Financials & Annual Report. If outside the USA, provide your latest Audited Financials, Annual Report and Regulatory filings.
8. Provide us with the following KPIs for each of the past three fiscal years; Program Efficiency Ratio/Operating Reliance Ratio/Fundraising Efficiency Ratio.
9. Provide a current Organization Chart and a link to your Website.
10. Provide your Full Name, Email Address, Office Phone and Mobile Phone.

▶︎ If you are the Executive Director, please copy your Board Chair/President and vice versa.

✅ AND THEN HERE'S WHAT WE'LL DO

1. We'll confirm receipt by eMail within three (3) Business Days. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
2. We’ll evaluate your Support Request in consideration of the totality of your response, our resident expertise and the potential for success. We may need to reach out with further questions for clarity and to ensure that we have a keen understanding of all aspects your Request.
3. Depending on the nature of your Request, we may ask that you conduct & return our exclusive GoodWorks ACE Engagement Survey and/or our GoodWorks Board Self-Assessment as part of our evaluation.
4. Once all information requirements have been met, we'll complete our evaluation within five (5) Business Days. If you’re Approved, we’ll notify you promptly by eMail, including your position on our GoodClient Waiting List; an estimated start date, and; any other advance information needs to ensure that we can hit the ground running.

✅  SEE: What If We Don't Qualify For Help?

" THE BEST WAY TO GET STARTED IS TO QUIT TALKING AND BEGIN DOING. "

CANDOR IS OUR COMMITMENT

✅  We must be good stewards of the time,  talent, and resources made available to us in the form of a remarkably dedicated team.  Which is why we take seriously our obligation to ensure that engagements undertaken are set upon a foundation poised for a successful outcome. Not because our services are pro bono, but because time invested in one project is prospective time taken away from a waiting project.
✅  While it's rare that we turn away nonprofits in need, there are indeed times when a nonprofit simply isn't "ready" for our help. The rationale behind our "not ready" response will be candidly shared with you, and may in itself become a beneficial road map for you to begin your "readiness" journey. Which means you may have the opportunity to be accepted sometime down the road. Those nonprofits turned away are eligible to resubmit a Support Request 12 months after receiving our "not ready" response.

" CANDOR IS A COMPLIMENT. IT IMPLIES EQUALITY. IT IS HOW TRUE FRIENDS TALK. "

PASSION, DETERMINATION & PERSISTENCY

✅  PASSION. Of course, a great nonprofit leader needs passion. That’s a given. Passion for the cause. Passion for the organization. Passion for creating a better world. Passion for every single task that they have to do every single day. And quite frankly, if you don’t have passion, what are you doing in this space, anyway? To thrive in this line of work, the type of passion required is monumental; without it, you’ll crash and burn fast.

✅  DETERMINATION. Leaders have to be determined, and there’s no swaying from it. Set a goal, set a timeline for that goal and achieve it. And as little hiccups and big bumps pop up along your journey there (which they undoubtedly will), drive on! Understanding that challenges will arise on your path to success will prepare you, will make you adaptable and will make you thrive...

✅  PERSISTENCY. Never take "no" for an answer. "Can't" and "Won't" aren't words that exist in their vocabulary. As a fundraiser or as an activist in the nonprofit space, they will get turned down ... a lot. There's no hiding from it. But they never take it as rejection, but rather look upon it as an opportunity to improve on building relationships with people and keep moving forward.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE LEADERSHIP?

✅  Leadership is very subjective. People’s ideas about, and definitions of, leadership differ significantly. What people want and expect from a leader also varies widely.

✅  A ‘best’ leadership style doesn’t exist. Leaders with very different personalities, styles and behavioral patterns can be successful. ‘Best’ often depends on the situation, expectations, and needs of followers—and how well the leader’s strengths and weaknesses meet those parameters.

✅  All leaders can benefit from being more self-aware. Many leaders don’t know what makes them successful, what’s derailing them, what they truly value, or how to improve. The oracle at Delphi said it best: “Before you can lead others, you must first lead yourself, and before you can lead yourself, you must know yourself.”

" LEADERSHIP IS A POTENT COMBINATION OF STRATEGY AND CHARACTER. BUT IF YOU MUST BE WITHOUT ONE, BE WITHOUT STRATEGY. "

YES AND NO

✅  While we DON'T engage with "for profit" companies, we DO leverage our visibility and skill sets to assist NGO's and good people doing good works around the world. For example, we use our Site and and our affiliated award-winning Site:  BIZCATALYST 360° to bring greater visibility to worthy causes who we believe will attract resources (e.g. volunteers, donations, etc.) once they are discovered. A good example would be our on-going collaboration with the Mayor of Pignon, Haiti, as reflected here: CHANGE FOR GOOD – A DEVOTED MAYOR MAKES A DIFFERENCE

What's the difference between a “nonprofit” and an “NGO”? 
The term "non-governmental organization" was first coined in the Charter of the United Nations in 1945. “NGO” is most often used to refer to a charitable nonprofit that is operating outside the US. An NGO can be any kind of organization, provided that it is independent from government influence and is not organized for personal profit. In contrast, the term “nonprofit” is the term used in the US to refer to organizations that are structured as nonprofit corporations, whether or not they are also designated as tax-exempt by the IRS.