Introduction
Okay one caveat before the reasons: there are a lot of great reasons to hire consultants, and I can only speak to the ones in my skill areas. There are many other domains of consulting work that do other great projects, but I'm focusing here on the domains I call strategic planning and organizational development, because that's what Eight Ninety Consulting does.
This is the first post in a series about reasons to hire a consultant (like me), and this one focuses on common projects for small values-based organizations. I tend to use the term "values-based organizations" (VBOs) because not all of the organizations in my ideal client category have non-profit status.
Small values-based organizations tend to have many of the same needs as any other business. When an organization is small or resources are limited, it is not common for an organization to have a dedicated position for someone doing planning and/or organizational development. Many organizations don't need these skills all the time, and instead they might hire a consultant for specific projects. This post shares the three that I think are most common for small VBOs, and for each I share the common need, a common challenge, some bonus benefits, and a brief activity that might help you determine whether a similar project could benefit your organization.
First Reason: Strategic Plan
Common need:
A board, grant source, or other group wants to see a documented strategic plan.
Common challenge:
Among organization members there is significant uncertainty or differing opinions about what the document should look like and about how to follow through on it (often called "operationalizing" the strategic plan).
Strategic plans are a funny thing. It isn't so difficult to document some version of a plan, but it is difficult to make a great plan. The work at a VBO is so ingrained in its staff members that it can be difficult for them to describe the organization clearly to outside readers. A person with planning expertise will have useful tips for making a strong and useful strategic plan document, and will know the best practices for ensuring it is useful for whatever purposes needed.
Once created, many strategic plans gather dust on a shelf. That is not always a serious problem, but it is not a best case scenario. The best case scenario is that the plan stays alive - it is connected with actual ongoing work or "operationalized". It is discussed, referenced, and enacted by the people in the organization, who can make clear connections between their everyday work and the organizational priorities in the strategic plan. And in the best case scenario some kind of evidence is gathered to demonstrate how and how well those organizational priorities are achieved.
Bonus benefits:
The same principles that make for a successful strategic plan can be applied to an ongoing, regular planning process or applied to grant writing and reporting. A consultant with planning experience can help train staff members to apply what they learn about strategic planning to these other uses as well. Often the motivation is to make a plan to meet outside demands, but it can become meaningful to an organization in much deeper ways.
Could this apply to your organization?
Find out with this 10 minute activity. Locate anything that would count as a strategic plan - for example, strategic plans, annual reports, etc.
Now answer these questions on a scale of 1 = never to 5 = frequently.
After the document was created, how often do staff members discuss or reference the document?
How often is the plan updated with metrics or other evidence?
How often do organization members discuss the document with stakeholders?
You might wish to not only respond to these questions yourself, but to ask several others how they would answer them.
If your responses are on the never end of that scale, perhaps a consultant could help you move towards a best case scenario plan that serves a deeper function for your organization.
Second Reason: Executive Search
Common need:
An executive director or other senior person is leaving; the board wishes to get outside support for the hiring process.
Common challenge:
If an organization has no dedicated HR professional, there may be little internal guidance for best practices in hiring. Also, sometimes board members realize how time consuming a search will be and cannot commit that much of their time.
It seems that very large organizations might hire executive search firms that are national (or international) and specialized. But I believe those search firms can be quite expensive, perhaps more than a small organization is interested in spending. For smaller organizations a search may be more regional than national or international - not that they wouldn't consider candidates from anywhere, but candidates are likely to be in the same state or region as the organization.
Hiring practices in general are pretty flawed, but consultants with hiring experience will employ practices that ensure a more fruitful and equitable search. Hiring also tends to be time consuming - reading all the applications tends to take more time than hiring committees expect, and conversations with candidates and references are important but take time. When hiring committees feel pressured for time it becomes more difficult to identify the candidate who is the best fit for the job.
Bonus benefits:
The same principles that make for an equitable and successful executive search process can also be applied to development and promotion of people at all levels of the staff. In a nutshell this includes specifying what success looks like for a position and utilizing an objective method of assessing each person's potential or actual performance.
Could this apply to your organization?
If you are thinking of conducting a search, take 15 minutes to estimate the number of person-hours it will take.
Consider the time required to make an accurate job description and gain consensus on the wording; include time to post the opening, researching the websites where your ideal candidates are likely to see it.
Estimate the time to review every application that is received and respond to each.
Consider the time to schedule interviews with each candidate and for the hiring committee to discuss candidates.
Remember to include time to interview a group of the strongest candidates and speak with their references.
Consider whether your board or committee will be comfortable dedicating that time. Typically when a consultant is engaged for a hiring process, the consultant will do a lot of the initial work of vetting applicants, then the committee will spend most of their time focused on a small group of top candidates. A consultant might also be the primary person to have conversations with references (a time-consuming but really important part of hiring).
Third Reason: Mission Statement Development or Refresh
Common request:
For newer organizations, the request is usually to document a mission, vision, and values (any of all of those elements) with wording that captures the purpose and ethos of the organization. For established organizations, the request is usually to rethink and reword an existing mission statement.
Common challenge:
When a mission statement is first being created, the biggest challenge is that when you say what you do and who you serve, you also are committing to what you do NOT do and who you do NOT serve. For generous, kind people (the kind that tend to work at values-based organizations) that can be difficult to accept. Developing a mission statement often includes an element of letting go.
When an organization wants a mission refresh, it is often because they have undergone a major transition (or are about to). For example, a founder might be stepping away from the organization; another example is when the people involved believe the programming or services offered must change significantly. This can be difficult if the transition is uncomfortable, because emotions and history and differing opinions must be worked through. An experienced facilitator can set realistic expectations, allow enough time to conduct the process respectfully, and guide staff and board members with care.
Bonus benefits:
In either case the bonus is that everyone in the organization has had really useful and important conversations about their purpose. Usually a mission project helps people connect their everyday work to the purpose of the organization, even if their job isn't delivering programs or services. This kind of consensus and understanding often results in a really cohesive work environment.
Additionally that clarity can be brought to other related documents at the same time, such as bylaws (creating or reviewing them), policies and procedures, and job descriptions of staff and board members.
Could this apply to your organization?
Take 15 minutes to find out about the history of your organization's mission, vision, and/or values statements. Ask others in your organization when the mission, vision, and values statements (whichever you have) were last reviewed. Have organizational members ever talked about including any of those three elements that don't already exist? Have external entities such as funders ever suggested that the mission, vision, or values might benefit from a review or refresh?
Organizations tend to have strong, instinctual feelings about this. Often they feel the mission is serving them well and they have no need to review it. Generally if your organization is a good candidate for this kind of project, you and others that you speak to will have that eureka moment where the idea feels applicable.
Conclusion
Strategic planning and organizational development projects can be challenging and time consuming without expert facilitation. This is certainly true for the types of projects above. Because these projects are a bit complex they come with challenges, but experienced consultants will have worked through those challenges before. The justification for hiring a consultant is that you gain more benefit than the cost of resources for the engagement. Projects are initiated with a specific purpose in mind, but typically provide more value than expected since many consultants aim to provide lasting benefits that will be realized even after the engagement ends.
If this post got you thinking that you might want to hire a consultant for planning or organizational development programs, I would encourage you to reach out. At Eight Ninety Consulting, and most other consultants who focus on serving non-profits or values-based organizations, an initial conversation costs nothing. Consultants like me will help you understand whether they would be a good fit for your project. Don't be afraid to explore your options!
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