Marv Berenblum
CEO of NESC

CEO of NESC shares insight on Board Practices.

NESC’s Board Practice continues to assist the nonprofit community by providing a broad array of consulting services, including governance, succession planning, strategy development and conflict resolution – complemented by the Executive Search Practice which assists clients in the identification of outstanding board members.

Key to the success of any board is the effectiveness of its leadership, the quality of its board members, the manner in which the board is organized and its relationship with operating management.  At its core are the resources offered by individual board members.  In essence, board members can provide their time, talent and treasure.

It’s imperative therefore that prospective board members evidence a strong alignment with the values of the nonprofit and a passion for the mission of the organization, if they are to be counted on to give the full measure of time they have available to fulfill their responsibilities as board members.

In respect to the talent they possess, board members should not only be selected for the expertise they bring to workings of the board, such as a background in the legal sector, human resources, technology, finance, planning or marketing, but also skills which pertain to the organization’s operations where experience in event planning, working with underprivileged children, or a background in rehabilitative services might be valuable in support of the on-going activities of the nonprofit.

When it comes to one’s treasure, in these times of financial pressure on nonprofits, increasing reliance is being placed on board members to help fill the gap through direct monetary contributions, as well as seeking financial support from others.  It’s essential therefore those financial expectations in terms of “give and/or get” are made clear to prospective board members so that there are no surprises once they are on the board.

Ultimately, successful nonprofits will have taken the steps necessary to ensure that they have selected their membership in a manner that ensures alignment with mission, comprehensive attention to the expertise required, effective organization of the board in terms of committee assignments and sustained succession planning to ensure a vibrant and forward-looking leadership.

Jane Greenman, Esq. President, NESC

Jane Greenman, Esq., an NESC Board member, became President of NESC effective April 1, 2014. She is an attorney, having been a partner in the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed and Deputy General Counsel of Honeywell International, as well as a Senior Human Resources Executive at Tyco International, Barr Pharmaceuticals and CommVault Systems. She is a graduate of Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and holds a J.D. and L.L.M. from New York University School of Law.

Learn more about her in the latest interview below.

Jane, what are NESC’s greatest strengths and most distinctive features?  

Our experienced and dedicated pool of volunteer consultants is the core of our strength as an organization serving the nonprofit community. We provide consulting services to all types of nonprofit organizations. Organization, management and board effectiveness are key area in which we help nonprofits succeed. Because our consultants come from so many different professional backgrounds, we have tremendous expertise and capacity. Our model is distinctive from other consulting organizations in several respects—we offer training to these very successful individuals and enable them to deploy their skills for the improvement of their communities. We also serve a broad range of constituencies. Because our consultants come from so many professional backgrounds, we are able to offer a wide breadth of professional advisory services to organizations in just about every nonprofit field, including healthcare providers, schools, museums, performing arts organizations, and even government agencies.

Each year NESC has several classes of new consultants.  What thoughts and advice would you offer to new consultants?

It’s wonderful to be able to use the skills and experience you gained during your careers to help nonprofit organizations succeed. The satisfaction you will derive from involvement with NESC includes the intellectual stimulation, working as a team with other talented consultants and staff members within NESC and our client organizations and the opportunity to help others in very creative ways. In many respects, working with nonprofits presents different challenges from the for-profit business environment in which most of our consultants spent their for-profit careers. Consultants should bear in mind that the staff at these mission driven organizations are driven by commitment to their organization and to helping people, rather than by driving revenue and profits for shareholders—resulting in priorities and working styles that may differ from consultants’ past. Bear in mind that understanding and respecting those differences is critical to forming productive working relationships with our clients— helping them deliver on the ultimate missions of their organizations and making a real difference in the lives of so many people.

Jane Greenman, Esq. speaks with consultants at a Consultant Lunch & Learn session.

What do you regard as NESC’s most important strategic objectives?

Our most important strategic objective is to effectively deploy our tremendous talent pool to help the many, many nonprofits who would benefit from the services offered. To do that, we must improve our visibility, market our services, expand our outreach and recruit new consultants to join our ranks—and to spread the word about NESC. Most nonprofits are not aware of the tremendous talent pool that is available to their organizations through NESC. Our challenge is to make them aware of our cost effective alternative to large and expensive consulting firms –with the benefit of senior level hands on professional attention.

How is NESC’s business environment changing?

Nonprofits are feeling the pinch of less government support and increasing competition for foundation and charitable dollars. This means that our nonprofit clients are finding it harder to pay even the modest fees that NESC must charge. We continue to explore ways to run leaner and more efficiently with the limited funds we have. We also find more competition in the nonprofit consulting space, including some organizations who do not charge at all; however, we believe that NESC’s quality is far superior, and that we are capable of handling much more sophisticate and complex consulting assignments.

What are our biggest challenges?

Our biggest challenge is attracting corporate and foundation support. Unlike many – if not most – nonprofits, we work behind the scenes for other nonprofit organizations.   While we help these organizations run more smoothly and effectively, our mission needs more explanation than one that directly feeds the poor, houses the homeless or saves children. We typically don’t have the public visibility and “heart appeal” that a lot of corporate benefactors and large foundations desire when giving money to charities. We’re looking at ways to address this, including soliciting funds for the nonprofits we serve that would enable them to engage our services and collaborating with other nonprofits.

How might NESC look different a year from now?  What changes might occur over the next five years?

NESC is at a ‘tipping point’.  We have a wonderful brand, a long track record, and great consultants. However, we need to take greater advantage of technology to function more effectively, and to reach out to potential clients, funders and volunteer consultants alike. We are looking at potential partnerships and collaboration opportunities, to leverage skills and back office resources and expenses to maximize our impact and minimize our expenses. We are looking to enhance our financial services and other back office offerings—to meet the needs of many nonprofits who cannot afford to have regular staff members performing accounting or human resources functions. We need to be more sophisticated and customized in our branding and messaging—so that our mission and message gets across in a crisp, compelling way.

We have engaged our own consultants to work on the challenges that NESC faces and are thus reaping the benefits that many of our clients gain from their expertise. As a result, the energy level is positive, the office is abuzz with activity and we are very excited about the prospects for sustainability—and the changes that we will need to make to assure that we continue to be able to offer the wonderful assistance to nonprofits that we have provided over the past 37 years

Kenneth Bartels
2014 Gala Honoree

Kenneth G. Bartels will be the honoree at NESC’s 10^th annual Gala dinner celebration on October 28, 2014.

Mr. Bartels was President and Chief Executive Officer of the real estate investment firm Paxton Properties, Inc., and is active in many other endeavors.  He is Vice Chair of the Classic Stage Company, New York; National chair of the Dean’s Leadership Council of the Harvard Graduate School of Education; a member of the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee; a Charter Trustee of the Round Hill Community Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a Trustee of Wellesley College.  He is also former Chair of Sabre Foundation, former Chair of World Learning, and former Chair of Youth Service America.

Mr. Bartels was formerly Head of Global Real Estate Equities for Citicorp, and Principal, Morgan Stanley Realty Inc. and Morgan Stanley International Inc.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.  He is married to Jane F. Condon, a comedian who will serve as master of ceremonies at the NESC event.  They have two sons.

He will join a distinguished group of former NESC Gala honorees.

Carol McKinney
SVP & NJ Regional Director

Carol McKinney has been appointed Senior Vice President and Director of NESC’s New Jersey region.  She will join Sharon Genin in managing the organization’s activities in that state.

From 2001 until early 2014, Carol was Executive Director of Volunteer Management Centers (VMC), helping nonprofit organizations to maximize their organizational effectiveness and minimize their expenditure of vital financial resources.  She has been President and Trustee of Cathedral Healthcare Foundation, and co-founded the Board Leadership Institute with Seton Hall University’s Non-profit Resource Institute.

“I have known of and promoted National Executive Service Corps’ excellent programs and nonprofit consulting services for years as a member of the advisory board of NJ Governor’s Office of Volunteerism,” states Carol, “and I am proud to become part of NESC’s expanding team, helping support New Jersey’s nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies in dealing effectively with their challenges and exploring their potential for greater service.”

“We are delighted to welcome Carol to our organization” said NESC President Jane Greenman, Esq.,  “She is one of the most familiar faces in New Jersey’s nonprofit world, and her extensive and highly-regarded background will help NESC increase and broaden its visibility in New Jersey, where we have been active for nearly 40 years.”

Consultants Donna McNamara and Michael Vaughn are in the midst of a multi-faceted effort to enhance the skills and the caliber of work of NESC personnel.  As Michael explains, “Our desire is to institute reinvigorated training of consultants and staff to get higher effectiveness.”

The pair has updated and strengthened the consultant orientation program, designed to be more engaging and easier for staff member to present to newcomers.  They have updated the consultant handbook, making it more user-friendly.  Additionally, along with Yeiry Guevara, they have substantially strengthened the Consultant Portal on the NESC website. The Consultant Portal now contains examples of best practices, time/expense form, and sample documents/reports.  “Enhanced access to updated and useful materials was a main goal,” says Donna.

She adds, “Continuous improvement is the key.”  They next plan to revamp the two-day Consultant Skills Workshop, and to devise a program for training “soft” skills such as developing relationships and making presentations.

Donna McNamara, Ph.D.

Donna McNamara, Ph.D. is a past national president of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), and has been vice president of global education and training for Colgate-Palmolive Company, and an executive with AT&T in human resources, education, and strategic planning.  She received her doctorate in education and human resources from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.

Michael Vaughn

Michael Vaughn spent more than 34 years with Ogilvy & Mather, ending as Executive Group Director, managing a large portfolio of accounts, and as an internal trainer.  He has provided various training and communications services to both business and nonprofit clients as an independent consultant.  Mike has a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.

Stephen’s Village is a nonprofit in Stamford, Connecticut with a focus on revitalizing marginal neighborhoods by supplying low-cost housing to early-career individuals. NESC was engaged by Stephens Village for the development of an expansion plan to attract social impact investors to Stephens Village II, which will become a real estate investment model that can be easily scaled and replicated, spreading to other cities and communities across the nation.

“We regard this as a ‘proof of concept’ situation” says Joe Townsend, NESC Senior Vice President of Social Enterprise.  “Many nonprofit organizations are moving toward social enterprise activities to monetize their assets—broadly defined—and maintain financial viability.  Attracting outside investors to finance some of these projects is the next big step in the process.”

Joe adds “Social impact investors, with either social or financial return motives—or a combination of both—will provide funds for nonprofit social enterprises, which allow those organizations to scale and sustain themselves.”

The funding pool for nonprofits dependent on donations is shrinking. Implementing a system to systematically measure social performance can set a nonprofit ahead of others and, in conjunction with a solid business plan, increase attractiveness to social impact and alternative investors.

With NESC’s assistance, Stephens Village has updated its mission statement, formulated a statement of future vision and is preparing a business plan—including an updated financial model—that will be presented to prospective social impact investors.  These entities require a proposition that demonstrates the need, viability, and sustainability of the project under funding consideration.

Lisa Bratt, founder of Stephen’s Village, states “Joe Townsend, Deborah Brennan and the other NESC consultants worked diligently over the six months engagement to achieve goals designated at the outset.  Stephen’s Village now has a revised mission statement, vision and strategic plan to transition into a profitable social enterprise.  Situational analysis completed by the NESC created a detailed body of research on the project, opportunities and its internal and external contexts.

Lisa adds, “Joe and Deborah went above and beyond to understand the case-specific problems at hand and find resources necessary to achieve our goals.  Idea generation and planning sessions were extensive, detailed and impressively comprehensive in nature.  Stephen’s Village received the utmost attention and commitment from the NESC and its consultants… The value of NESC’s Social Enterprise department far exceeds the money expended to retain them.”

A group of NESC members are participating in a five-session “Life Cycle Mentoring” program to the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, which meets at the Frederick Douglass Academy on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

The first session, co-sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), covered the topic of cyber-bullying.  The second session was held in February, which focused on college.  Club members express enthusiasm for these mentoring efforts.  Future sessions will include career, family, and community service.

The group is led and facilitated Marv Berenblum CEO, who developed the program for the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven as part of Yale University’s annual alumni Day of Service.

Frederick Douglass Academy draws students in grades 6-through-12 from the entire metropolitan area; well over 90% of its graduates go on to college.

Mandy Chen
NESC Intern

Name: Mandy Chen
School: Cornell University
Year: Class of 2015
Extracurricular: National Organization of Minority Architects Student; Cornell Sustainable Design Research Facility; Thumbnail open forum; Tread Magazine, Tzu Chi Collegiate Association
Plans for the Fall: I will be going back to school to finish my last year of college education.
My NESC experience: At NESC, I gained exposure to the nonprofit world and gained totally new perspectives. I also learned about the many factors that contribute to a success of a management consulting project. It was one of a kind experience that I only wish the semester didn’t end so early.

Ashna Raza
NESC Intern

Name: Ashna Raza
School: Francis Lewis High School
Year: Senior (12th grade)
Extracurricular: Arista National Honor Society, Key Club, Track
Plans for the Fall: Adelphi University – Physical Therapy
What do you like the most about NESC: The atmosphere and the company goals. Everyone is so nice and professional. It is evident that NESC leaves a positive impact in communities.

“Bill Brautigam (left) and Deborah B. Brennan of the National Executive Service Corps at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. The group was hired by the board to come up with cost-saving ideas for the school system’s budget. Photo: Anne M. Amato / westport news”

“A consulting firm was hired by the Board of Education Monday night to try to ensure that school budget dollars are being spent efficiently.”

Read the full story at Westport News.

Kenneth G. Bartels
Honoree of NESC’s 10th Annual Gala Dinner

Kenneth G. Bartels, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the real estate investment firm Paxton Properties, Inc. and an active leader of nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, was the honoree at NESC’s 10th Annual Gala Dinner celebration, held at The Yale Club of New York City on October 28, 2014.

The comedian Jane F. Condon, Mr. Bartel’s wife, was master of ceremonies.  Guests were entertained by the Young Peoples’ Chorus of New York City, an NESC client.

In his remarks Mr. Bartels paid tribute to the inspiration and example of his father, and discussed the fulfillment he now gets from now spending almost all of his time in the nonprofit world.  He detailed some of the transformational changes accomplished by two organizations of which he is former Chair, Sabre Foundation and Youth Services America.

“We Americans have an obligation to ensure that our nonprofit sector remains robust,” said Mr. Bartels.  “This can be done through charitable giving–but it also can be done through volunteering–which Americans do in extraordinary numbers. But it doesn’t just happen,” he said.  “You have to make it happen.  So give, yes, but also volunteer.  Use your expertise, your knowledge of how to get things done, your energy, and your time.  You will enjoy it.  I have!” shared Mr. Bartels.

Mr. Bartels had been introduced by each of the five Gala Co-Chairs: Richard Adler, Marvin Berenblum, Steven Culbertson, Tania Vitvitsky, and Adam Weinberg. Special guest Laurie Miller spoke of how remarkable Mr. Bartels has been in helping her and her family following 9/11.

Kenneth Bartels is currently Vice Chair of the Classic Stage Company, New York, National Chair of the Dean’s Leadership Council of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a member of the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee, a Charter Trustee of the Round Hill Community Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a Trustee of Wellesley College.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

See more photos from the event at our Facebook album.

Anne Finn
Executive Vice President, NESC

At the September 9th meeting of the NESC Board, the directors appointed Anne Finn Executive Vice President of NESC. Ms. Finn began her association with NESC five years ago as a consultant and an active member of the NESC Marketing Committee. In 2011, she assumed the role of Sector Head for Social Services, developing relationships with Social Service agencies throughout NYC. Her clients ranged from a half million in revenue to several in excess of a quarter of a billion. In April 2014, after a six-month hiatus, she rejoined NESC with incoming NESC President – Jane Greenman, Esq. Together, they will continue the work on the Board authorized Strategic Planning Task Force.

“Hurricane Sandy, sequestration in Washington D.C. and the Medicaid redesign have had enormous direct impact on human services agencies and, indirectly, affected all nonprofits, and the consequences continue to linger,” Ms. Finn said. “I am totally committed to the NESC mission of mobilizing professionals and executives to assist nonprofit organizations in these challenging economic times. Our consultants are our most valuable asset.”

Ms. Finn is a 35+ year veteran of magazine publishing.  She was most recently Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing, for Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), the consumer magazine trade association.  Ms. Finn has a proven track record of leadership in developing industry standards and best practices through advocacy and collaboration with Board and member committees as well as external stakeholders.

Prior to joining MPA, Ms. Finn was Vice President Corporate Consumer Marketing for MacDonald Communications Corporation which included the publications Working Woman, Working Mother and Ms., and where she was also Vice President of Marketing for the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). Earlier, she was the Vice President, Business Development and Marketing for Weight Watchers Publishing Group.

Special Guest Speaker The Honorable Tom Finkelpearl, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs
at the 20th Annual Arts Reception

NESC held its 20th Annual Arts Reception on November 5, at the Salmagundi Club in New York.  The special guest speaker was The Honorable Tom Finkelpearl, Commissioner of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs is the largest cultural funding agency in the country.  With a fiscal 2014 expense budget of $156 million and a capital budget of $822 million for the next four years, it provides both operating subsidies and funds for construction and renovation for over 1,000 organizations. Additionally, the Department supports 33 cultural institutions owned by the city. Prior to this post,  Commissioner Finkelpearl had served as Executive Director of the Queens Museum for 14 years.

In his remarks, Commissioner Finkelpearl expressed his keen awareness of the economic squeeze currently afflicting the arts community, especially in light of the three main contributions of cultural organizations: their positive economic impact on the city, the intrinsic value of the art itself, and the enrichment of life in local communities.  He detailed the application of the mayor’s guiding principle of “equity” to his work, and described the process of making funding decisions with sensitivity to geography and cultural differences between various neighborhoods. Commissioner Finkelpearl identified four particular concerns of the administration: the looming New York “livability” crisis for artists, the constraints of art in public places, diversity of funding, and arts education in public schools.  He also mentioned a proposal to issue municipal identification cards to city residents which would include a 1-year membership to the 33 city-owned cultural facilities.

Commissioner Finkelpearl was preceded by Marc Scorca, CEO of Opera America. Mr. Scorca expressed thanks to the NESC consultants who devised a multi-pronged marketing plan which increased member retention from 25% to 50% over a six-month period.  Opera America has engaged NESC for a second consulting project.

The event was hosted by Jeanne Linnes, Sector Head of NESC’s Arts & Culture. Ms. Linnes  paid tribute to the guidance of Betty Lefferts, who organized the first NESC Arts Reception in 1995.

See photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Steve Koller

Stephen J. Koller has retired from an illustrious 12-year career with NESC. Steve held the position of Senior Vice President for Government, Education and Religion Sectors as well as an active member in several aspects of the management of the organization. 

“Steve has been a key member of NESC’s leadership team, heading up several sectors of our activities including Government, Education, and Religion.  He has also been responsible for the coordination of our consultant resources,” said CEO Marv Berenblum.  “Steve is a truly uncommon executive who leads by a commitment to excellence.  He has set a very high standard for the quality of work that he performs, and has inspired his consulting teams to provide outstanding consulting and business advisory support to our clients.”

Before NESC, Steve was Director of the New York State Department of Economic Development. He had occupied senior positions in the U.S. and internationally for GlaxoSmithKlein and Sterling Drug. Additionally, Steve had been a consultant to the life sciences industry.

NESC President Jane Greenman hosted a retirement party for Steve prior to his departure.  See gallery below.

Steve and his wife Catherine will start their next chapter in the state of Washington. He will be greatly missed and we wish him the best of luck in future endeavors!

Sugandhi Tanwar
NESC Intern

Name: Sugandhi Tanwar
School: Baruch College. Masters in Public Administration (MPA), School of Public Affairs. Within the program I specialized in Policy Analysis and Evaluation. My Capstone (Final thesis) was on Healthcare and the Immigrant Population
Year: Class of 2014
Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies: I enjoy cooking and baking. I most often cook Indian along with Asian food occasionally. I also enjoy doing Zumba as an exercise.
Plans for 2015: My coursework in policy research at Baruch has inspired me to pursue a doctoral degree in public policy for which I will be applying next year.
My NESC Experience: Supporting research tasks for consulting projects and provide administrative support in events like the Annual Gala Dinner and Arts Reception.

Marty Mitchell, CMO of Bodden Partners, was the featured speaker at a Consultant Lunch & Learn Session.

NESC has engaged Bodden Partners, an independent Madison Avenue marketing agency, to revitalize the NESC brand and to develop a program to enhance awareness of NESC among various audiences.

The assignment, which began in January, is supported by a grant from Morris Foundation through the auspices of NESC Senior Vice President Paul Barrett. Paul says that there is an analogy of the story of the shoemaker’s children, “It will be refreshing to have outside eyes critiquing our image.”

NESC President Jane Greenman states, “We hope that the Bodden project will move effectively toward attracting consultants, supporters, and clients.”

A key goal is to stimulate lead generation to build a more vigorous and self-sustaining business. “Since we are resource-restrained, we need to build better capacity to generate business opportunities,” says Paul. He continues, “We hope to develop strategic selling solutions based upon a clearly defined understanding of what makes NESC distinctive and unique, and identify how to transmit that message through the website, social media, public relations efforts, and other media.”

At a recent Consultant Lunch & Learn Session at NESC headquarters, Marty Mitchell, CMO of Bodden Partners, presented the current status for the NESC marketing plan. Since the launch, Bodden has interviewed roughly 30 stakeholders—staff, consultants, clients and funders—to ascertain the “DNA” or essence of NESC. They have also extensively researched the NESC competitive landscape to determine the value propositions of NESC. Combining the essence and value will help to define the messaging for the marketing strategy.

Diane Blum, LMSW
Sr. SVP of Social Services

Please welcome Diane Blum, new Senior Vice President of NESC’s New York Social Services sector.

Diane has had a distinguished career in the psychosocial care of cancer patients, oncology research and education, and nonprofit management. Until August 2013, she was CEO of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Previously, she spent 20 years as Executive Director of CancerCare Inc., a national nonprofit support organization. Diane was formerly Director of Social Service at CancerCare, and Social Work Supervisor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and at the Dana Farber Cancer Center. She is co-founder of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, and a founder of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Her awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Board of Sponsors of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Special Recognition Award from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, the Republic Bank Breast Cancer Research Foundation Award, and the Special Recognition Award of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Diane has written and lectured extensively. Additionally, her research has been published in a variety of medical journals.

She received a Bachelor’s from the University of Rochester and a Master’s from the School of Social Welfare at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

“I worked on three NESC consulting engagements, and was impressed with the people and the organization,” says Diane. “When the opportunity arose to use my background in Social Services to participate with NESC, I was delighted to accept.”

Frank Bacchus

Burton Strauss, Jr.

Frank Bacchus and Burton Strauss, Jr. have joined NESC’s Board of Directors.

Frank is CEO and CIO of Logistics Technologies Solutions (LTS) International. He has over 27 years of experience overseeing all aspects of large-scale application architectural design and development, business solutions, transformation, infrastructure, and implementation.  Frank possesses a BS from Bloomfield University, MS from Stevens Institute of Technology, and a mini MBA in Pharma Innovations from Rutgers University.

Burt had a 45-year career in finance as a securities analyst, Chief Financial Officer of a Midwestern railroad company, partner in an investor relations agency, and Managing Director of Lehman Brothers.  He has served as Treasurer of VISIONS/Services for the Blind as well as Treasurer and Board Member of Federation Employment Guidance Services (FEGS).  Burt has also been an NESC consultant since 1996 and Director of the Arts Mentoring program.  Burt holds a BS from Yale University and an MBA from NYU.

”We welcome these excellent candidates and look forward to their contributions,” said NESC Board Chairman Michael Blass.

Post by Bill McAndrews, SVP and Regional Director of Long Island

When meeting with nonprofit leaders, I often ask: “What keeps you awake at night?”

To this, many nonprofit leaders respond that they wonder whether their organization is structured to maximize potential. For example:

• Do I have the right people in the right place doing the right things at the right time?
• Are there organizational weaknesses that could pose a risk to success and, even more serious, the survival of the organization?
• How can I improve the organization’s performance, especially in a time when the operating environment is changing and resources are dwindling?

One way NESC has helped a number of organizations find solutions to these questions is through performing an Organizational Assessment.

What is an OA?
An Organizational Assessment (OA) is an integrated systematic multi-disciplinary methodology that examines how an organization functions and evaluates the effectiveness of the existing organization.

Why Conduct an OA?
A systematic OA process obtains evidence-based information about an organization which can:

• Identify an organization’s strengths and weaknesses
• Pinpoint areas of competence
• Assess and improve an organization’s performance
• Support the planning and decision-making process
• Indicate areas in need of change
• Restructure decisions
• Uncover potential risks

Who: Internal vs. External
Another key question we get from nonprofit leaders is, “Can’t we perform an internal self-assessment rather than hire someone to perform an external assessment?”
An internal self-assessment can increase an organization’s ownership of the OA and acceptance of feedback along with commitment to the evaluation’s recommendations. However, an internal self-assessment can cause stakeholders to question the independence or validity of the findings. More important, external stakeholders may fear that hard issues will not be tackled due to potential sensitivities within the organization.

NESC believes that using an external source is the most effective way to uncover real issues and separate them from perceived problems. Real issues can be sensitive and they might not be surfaced as legitimate issues by an internal OA.

How to Conduct an OA?
Recognizing the need to achieve “internal ownership” and “commitment” of the OA, as well as limiting time and associated costs, NESC has developed an OA – Self-Assessment Tool to be utilized in conjunction with an Organizational Assessment project. This tool combines the benefits of a self-assessment with the advantages gained by an external perspective.

The OA Self-Assessment Tool is an assessment document with over one hundred targeted questions which looks at:

The OA Self-Assessment Tool has been used in a number of projects and has been credited with helping NESC gain acceptance of the OA at the outset of the project, helped to uncover “hidden” issues, limit costs and time.

Who Benefits the Most from an OA?
An important question often asked is, “Can all nonprofit organizations benefit from performing an external OA?” Most often nonprofit organizations who engage NESC to perform an OA are those reaching a turning point in the organizations history or are facing changes driven by external forces. Nonprofit leaders facing challenges like these are interested in assuring the success and, more important, the survival of their organization.

When to do an OA?
Even without external or internal pressures, every nonprofit organization should be periodically analyzed and evaluated to determine whether it is optimally functioning in accordance with its mission.

Times are challenging and there are no “magic bullets”. A well-executed Organizational Assessment can be the one thing to help nonprofit leaders meet organizational challenges head-on and, perhaps, get a good night’s sleep.

Bill McAndrews, who joined NESC in 2011, has a diverse career as a business professional, entrepreneur, and educator. He spent more than 20 years with Verizon/Bell Altantic/NYNEX, and ten years with the New York City Department of Education. He has managed his own business planning consulting firm. Bill has degrees from Pace University and Brooklyn College.

Big thanks to Anne Miller, Presentation & Sales Specialist / Author / Coach, for teaching our consultants the art of making presentations effective and engaging!

Consultant Lunch & Learn Forum

Mark Evens, SVP, Executive Search – CT

NESC is pleased to announce that Mark Evens has been appointed Senior Vice President of Executive Search, Connecticut, effective July 1, 2015. In this capacity, Mr. Evens will oversee all aspects of NESC’s Executive Search business in the region.

“We are delighted to welcome Mark to our organization,” said Jane Greenman, Esq., NESC’s President. “He will strengthen our ability to identify exceptional individuals to fill senior positions for our nonprofit clients, thus strengthening the management of these organizations, which is an important part of our mission.”

Mr. Evens has an extensive background in human capital development, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and new business development. Mr. Evens has launched, developed and sold several mid-size companies. Most recently, Mr. Evens was Director of TeamITAR, an Executive Search Firm specializing in compliance and regulatory executive placement. Earlier, Mr. Evens was Principal of Mark One, an executive search practice specializing in the energy sector. In his civic experience, Mr. Evens has served on the boards of the American Red Cross, Regent’s Park and Trump Parc condominium associations and was the founder of the Southern Nevada Inner City Golf Youth Foundation. Currently, Mr. Evens is a community volunteer on Stamford’s Mill River Initiative, Stamford Hospital and the Avon Theatre Education committee.

“Having worked alongside America’s foremost nonprofit consultants at NESC for the past year, I am honored to join the team in building their robust Executive Search division. I find NESC to be a valued asset to its clients in providing stellar consultation on critical human capital challenges. It is invigorating to be able to recruit top talent, experienced in the nonprofit sector, consistent with NESC’s high-quality/low-cost model,” states Mr. Evens.

Interested organizations should contact Mark Evens at mevens@nesc.org.