FAQs: Nonprofit Mentoring and Advisory Services

What is the focus of your Nonprofit Mentoring and Advisory Services?

Our Nonprofit Mentoring/Coaching and Advisory Services are designed to build the capacity of individual nonprofit leaders, nonprofit leadership teams and nonprofit Board members. We work with you to identify specific goals and areas for development. Then we support the individuals or teams through regular interactions during which we observe practice and provide actionable feedback on processes and practices highlighting their impact on your nonprofit organization. We also facilitate/project manage initiatives such as nonprofit strategic visioning exercises, problem solving, group facilitations, and nonprofit SWOT analyses that engage a broader group of nonprofit stakeholders.

Why might our nonprofit organization want Advisory Services?

Organizations may want nonprofit Advisory Services for many reasons:

  • If the nonprofit organization has completed a succession plan and has identified senior staff they wish to cultivate as nonprofit leaders.
  • If the nonprofit organization has a new Executive Officer/Executive Director (ED), the Board may want an experienced senior nonprofit executive from outside of the organization to meet confidentially and provide professional support for the new nonprofit officer.
  • If the nonprofit ED and/or Board has launched a major new strategic initiative for the organization, an experienced outside executive can help be an objective resource to either facilitate meetings or help explore options while the selected team gets started.

How do you identify nonprofit advisors that are potentially a good fit for our nonprofit organization?

An IES Partner will interview people your nonprofit designates so we can get to know your organization and to better understand your goals. We will send you a preliminary assessment to be sure we have captured all relevant information. Once the assessment is approved we will set up a meeting between representatives of your organization and an IES Team Member who might fit your needs.

How do you estimate the cost for the contracted engagement?

We recommend that on-site advising and mentoring/coaching be scheduled on a regular basis and we base our fees on anticipated on-site hours. In most cases, we do not charge for online or phone consultations that take place between sessions unless phone conversations are determined to be the best mode of regular communications. Meeting facilitation services are priced based on anticipated on-site time plus a mutually agreed upon amount of preparatory time. Our hourly fees may change and are available on request in the context of a specific project.

Do you charge a management fee or any other fees for overseeing the engagement?

Interim Executive Solutions [IES] charges no placement or management fees to the nonprofit client.

What is the duration of a typical engagement?

There is no prescribed minimum or maximum duration for a nonprofit mentoring or nonprofit Advisory Services engagement. It can continue as long as it is delivering value to your nonprofit organization and can be terminated at any time. Our contracts usually stipulate a two week notice of termination by either party.

What is the contracting process?  Does our nonprofit organization sign a contract with IES or with the Advisor?

Your nonprofit organization will enter into a consulting agreement with IES that will specify the scope and goals of the assignment along with any parameters such as anticipated hours, pay rate, deliverables, payment schedule etc. IES typically bills monthly based on either actual hours of service or based on a predetermined project deliverable.

Can you provide other services during this engagement?

IES has many highly qualified nonprofit specialists who are available for short consultations when appropriate. We also have a broad network of capable nonprofit professionals and partner organizations we can recommend for other services, all with no finder’s fee to your organization.

 

Printable FAQs on IES Advisory and Mentoring Services