At initial exploratory discussions with NESC, the prospective client describes the challenges or problems or opportunities it faces. From this, NESC crafts, at no fee, a detailed Proposal outlining how NESC can help solve those problems and exploit those opportunities.
If the client decides to retain NESC for the project, the NESC Region/Sector head recruits the consultant team. These senior executives and seasoned professionals contribute their time and experience and share the client’s passion and commitment. Many have been working with nonprofit agencies, groups and institutions for many years and have mastered the ways that these groups can cost effectively address a wide array of problems and issues.
NESC consultants meet with the client’s officers, board members and appropriate staff and stakeholders. They burrow into the organization, coming to understand its vision and mission, observing and analyzing its operations and assessing the broad environment in which the client functions and the competition it faces.
From its research, the NESC team works with key client personnel to produce a report which may evolve through much iteration as it is revised to reflect client comments, suggestions and the implementation resources required. The report includes an assessment of the problems and opportunities. Most importantly, it prescribes very detailed pragmatic, reasonable and affordable ways to address the matter. This includes specific Action items, resources needed, a Timeline and an Accountability Process to ensure that the report actually spurs action and does not sit on the client’s shelf.
The scope of the project and the client’s budget determine NESC’s fee. Whatever the fee, it is always a small fraction of that charged by commercial for-profit consulting firms.
All NESC consultants are required to complete NESC’s training program, which ensures that they are prepared to apply best practices from corporate America to the unique requirements of each individual nonprofit. Each Project Leader is responsible for maintaining high standards throughout the assignment. At the conclusion of each assignment, we ask the client to complete a short assessment of our work. NESC is committed to delivering outstanding service. In fact, each year, almost 50% of our assignments are for satisfied clients we have served in the past.
