Encore Fellow Work Areas and Skills

“We operate on very professional terms. However, when an accomplished professional fellow came into our midst, all ‘boats were raised.' I think that this could be felt at a few levels – including interaction with our board. It was encouraging, validating and challenging to step up to the level of expectations anticipated by our fellow. She expected our very best, and we worked mightily – even in this difficult year – to deliver. This is a tremendously good thing.”

Silicon Valley nonprofit executive director

Encore Fellow corporate skills can be effectively applied to nonprofits to advance their missions and social impact in a wide variety of ways. Fellows have a depth of work and life experience that brings a unique value. They also have skills that enhance nonprofit work, including:

1. Marketing and communications
2. Human resources
3. Financial management
4. Sales and business development
5. Strategy
6. Operations and performance management
7. Project management
8. Organization and staff management
9. Technical
10. Information technology
11. Legal

Specialties:

• Brand management
• Messaging/creative
• Public relations
• Collateral development process
• Online presence design
• Market research

Work projects:

• Cohesive organizational marketing strategy with brand and message creation
• Marketing plan for program expansion and new ventures
• Community relations and partnership development
• Strengthened relationships with key constituencies
• Outreach to untapped audiences and new stakeholders
• High-quality collateral materials, such as recruitment and outreach documents, electronic newsletters, slides and charts, promotional videos, etc.

Nonprofit director perspective:

“Because of the fellow’s market research experience with drawing out insights from key stakeholders, she was able to ‘work a room’ of civic leaders to gain insights, share information about our programs and efficiently contribute to strategic partnership building.”

“[He] is responsible for, and has succeeded at, revitalizing marketing of the organization. This includes electronic newsletter, rebranding the organization with new logo, stationary, collateral materials, outreach programs, etc.”

“Know-how in approaching civic leaders, administrators and business persons increased [our] reach.”

Specialties:

• Policies, systems and structures
• Staff development
• Leadership coaching

Work projects:

• Analysis and recommendations for human resources functions
• Development of organizationwide performance management system
• Redesigned human resources system and philosophy to support performance culture
• Executive coaching
• Staff development and training
• Team building and motivating

Nonprofit director perspective:

“With his expertise in HR, [he] was able to assess our human resources department and analyze the best HR options to move forward with. [He] was able to identify an outsource model that would work best for our organization and secured the partnership.”

Specialties:

• Accounting
• Budget
• Cash flow management

Work projects:

• New financial management system

Nonprofit director perspective:

“[He] assessed and analyzed the finance department. He was able to provide us with a recommended model to pursue, which we have done.”

Specialties:

• Policies and strategies
• Fundraising initiatives

Work projects:

• New venture planning and development
• Development of business plan and strategy and internal and external assessment
• Interim CEO of pilot venture to reach out to potential investors and partners
• Fundraising plan with new cultivation approaches and fundraising appeals

Nonprofit director perspective:

“The fellow’s CEO credentials are a huge asset and credibility builder for the proposition as a whole. His calm competence in business matters has served to increase the comfort level of senior managers in taking a more entrepreneurial approach to web opportunities and to alternative organizational structures for the new initiative. His management consulting background is apparent in his systematic approach to planning and development.”

“The business planning process identified preconditions that were beyond the scope of the business plan itself but crucial to its success. [Our fellow] has helped elevate those priorities with our leadership team and has moved into an expanded role in helping align our staffing and resources with these strategic priorities.”

“He consistently asks the question, `What business are you in?' and boils complex propositions down to their essential elements.”

Specialties:

• Analysis and planning
• Partnerships

Work projects:

• Strategy clarification and development
• ·Long-range strategic planning process with implementation steps
• Strategic priorities and alignment of staffing and resources with priorities
• Analysis and development of partner roles

Nonprofit director perspective:

“Our fellow led our senior management team through the development of a five-year strategic plan. His vast experience has helped significantly in identifying tools and processes to develop the plan, while providing a great deal of guidance to not just the senior staff but to all the line staff involved in the planning process. He has also guided our CEO in the restructuring or reorganizing of the organization.”

Specialties:

• Analysis and planning
• Quality management
• Logistics, supply chain
• Data analysis

Work projects:

• Evaluation design
• Tools and systems for monitoring and assessing program implementation
• Assessment of research results
• Work flow optimization improvements

Nonprofit director perspective:

“Design and implementation of an organizationwide performance management system, [along] with the redesign of human resource systems and [organizational] philosophy to support a performance culture.”

“The fellow served me as a peer collaborator to think out loud to explore strategies and compare impressions in order to advance our work in the community – particularly around issues of when and where not to apply lessons from the corporate to nonprofit world.”

Specialties:

• Change initiative
• Expansion plan
• New venture
• Program design

Work projects:

• Analysis to facilitate implementation and limit problems
• Collaborative approaches that enfranchise others and create a team atmosphere
• New project planning and implementation

Nonprofit director perspective:

“Our Encore Fellow is experienced at organizing a project in advance and laying out the steps to be followed in order to complete the task. It is a very deliberate and careful project management approach. In the nonprofit world we often roll up our sleeves, jump in and just begin. While it is possible to do a good job with this less deliberate approach, there is a certain calm that the fellow brings to project management. This sets a valuable example to others, maximizes time and allows us to very easily track forward progress.”

Specialties:

• Organization
• Team management

Work projects:

• Organizational assessment and restructuring
• Design and implementation of organizationwide performance management systems
• Transition manager/acting director during major leadership change
• Role model for staff to increase the level of professionalism
• Special projects management
• Facilities management

Nonprofit director perspective:

“Our fellow has general management experience, organizational design, knowledge, breadth of technical and managerial skills, a resource network, firsthand knowledge of private sector management practices, philosophies and technologies, practical problem solving, responsiveness and judgment appropriate to a wide variety of assignments.”

Specialties:

• Engineering
• Statistics

Work projects:

• Technology infrastructure development
• Data analysis
• Logistics planning and support
• Evaluation and research

Specialties:

• Office information technology systems
• Applications/database development
• Online presence development

Work projects:

• Website design and implementation
• Evaluation of existing or new website
• Assessment of technology equipment, functions and needs

Specialties:

• Structure, contracts, policies
• Tax
• Intellectual property

Work projects:

• Board and staff policies and procedures
• Advice on labor issues and actions
• Nonprofit incorporation assistance
• Trademarks, copyrights, etc.