Consulting
My Approach
Is a Consulting Engagement Right for You?
If you’re an Executive Director in need of strategic advice about management, capacity building, governance, or your board of directors, we should talk. If you’re a board leader – chair, president, or a board champion who’s really paying attention – and something is not working right but you’re not sure what it might be, we should talk.
What’s My Role as Your Consultant?
I will give you my best advice, direction, next steps, and concrete materials based on my decades of nonprofit experience as a board member, board leader, and executive director. My role is to listen to your challenges and to work with you as both a partner AND advisor to figure out how to get things back on track. I have an extensive network and will bring the right people to the table if that’s what you need, like lawyers, accountants, real estate brokers, and many other experts who will be willing to help.
What’s Your Role as the Client?
To commit to being open and transparent about what’s going on that led you to retain me, be willing to share materials that will educate me about your situation, respond to my questions, and willing to work as a partner and advisee on transforming your management, capacity building, governance, and/or board of director challenges into successes.
Who Are Your Clients?
Leaders of all types of organizations and non-profit entities, whether they provide direct services, make policy, engage in reform or advocacy activities, provide education, or raise money to fund other organizations. Leaders are typically executive directors, board leaders, or board members, or all three.
How Does the Consulting Process Work?
I will submit a proposal delineating how I propose to go about the work. My engagements can be hourly, fixed price, or on retainer, depending on your preference. Also depending on the nature of your organization’s issues, we will figure out who needs to be at the table to identify the challenges, and this “team” will work together to resolve the challenges. Most consulting engagements are 3 to 6 to 9 months in duration. I will identify the deliverables along with deadlines, and we will proceed from there.
What Kinds of Things Can You Do For My Organization?
To improve your management or your organization’s capacity to grow or change in nature (capacity-building) or your governance, I can help
improve prioritization, planning, and overall leadership
identify opportunities for organizational collaboration or partnership with other organizations and/or entities
clarify and strength your division of labor among staff
provide advice on staff team building
assist with budgeting and financial planning in general
connect you with key stakeholders, other consultants, and services
facilitate planning retreats
develop or strengthen your organization’s performance evaluation system
review all your governance documents and recommend improvements
How Can You Help Me With My Board of Directors?
If your board has become disengaged, dysfunctional, or is otherwise a big challenge, I can help
review current board composition and overall engagement
identify needed training for new board members
identify gaps in existing policies to further strength board functioning
redefine the board’s role in financial oversight and controls, budgeting, and fundraising
review and strengthen existing board job descriptions
draft a board “commitment card”
consider with you the viability of an advisory board
consider the board’s role in evaluating the executive director’s performance
recruit new board members and design an orientation and initial board meeting
provide coaching to strengthen the executive director/board leadership relationship
Clients Tell Me They Feel…
… my advice is based on my experience and expertise of more than 3 decades
… supported in their board of director challenges and ready for the next step
… clearer about the challenges of working with a board, a staff, and stakeholders
… they are actually doing a much better job than they had previously thought
Consulting Clients
Abramson Foundation
Anne Frank House, Inc.
Arcana Foundation
Association of Plastic Recyclers
District of Columbia Bar
Downtown Clusters Geriatric Daycare Center, Inc.
First Amendment Coalition
Fossil Free California
Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop
Friends of Guest House
Heart Leaf Center
Hidden Halos Kingdom Assets
Hyacinth’s Place
RBW Strategy, LLC
Sentencing Project
Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN)
Client Testimonials
“I cannot recommend June’s services highly enough. I retained June to assist me as the CEO of a small nonprofit in Washington, DC to identify, recruit and training an almost entirely new board of directors. Though I have led nonprofits for over 20 years and so had some experience in this realm, June’s depth of experience and ability to hold me gently accountable to an agreed to timeframe and deliverables were immeasurably valuable. Additionally, her support and genuine friendship and loyalty to me as her client made what could have been a very challenging time for me professionally much easier. She is worth every penny!”
“I retained June to assist me during a time of significant workplace change. I worked with her to develop a strategy and the personal confidence to restructure my employment situation in a way that offered me and my staff more work/life balance while continuing to meet or exceed the expectations of our employer. The outcome was absolutely optimal! I am extremely grateful for June’s professional guidance during a pivotal point in my career.”
“June’s strategic advice, significant network, and her ability and willingness to bring so many resources to the consulting table is just what I needed. We worked together as partners to solve a number of organizational challenges and I felt supported and in good hands during the entire engagement.”
“June’s training session on the “gold standard” for board service was exactly what the D.C. Bar Board of Governors and Board of Directors of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center needed to hear. Her focus on both the responsibilities and challenges of “governance vs. management” were particularly helpful, on-point, and set exactly the right tone for the rest of this year. Drawing on her decades of nonprofit experience, June provided meaningful and concrete advice on how to manage a complex nonprofit organization. And even though she conducted the training session using a virtual platform, June’s presentation style fully engaged the Board. The D.C. Bar is fortunate to have June not only as a trainer, but as a member of the Board as well!”