Robert Morris University Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management: The client needed upgrades
to its governance, leadership, and fundraising. The Bayer Center helped them transition in all
three areas – now well-equipped for the future.
Reference: University, R. (2017). Case Study: Strategic Planning for a Youth Services
Organization.
Case Study
The client needed upgrades to its governance, leadership and fundraising. The Bayer Center
helped them transition in all three areas – now well-equipped for the future.
The Client
The client was a youth-serving nonprofit (among the largest in the state) with administrative
headquarters and 3 regional offices. It had a longstanding history and wide community
recognition as well as stable and successful leadership -an executive director who had served for
37 years and who had grown the organization’s budget by almost 30 million, as well as an
energetic and visionary second-in-command.
However, the organization did not have a history of advance planning. They also were
somewhat constrained by hierarchical decision-making and leadership structures. Its board,
while filled with capable and gifted people, was largely following the executive director’s
lead. Furthermore, its funding stream was almost entirely from government and needed
diversification.
These issues were taking on increased urgency as the executive director was considering
retirement. After discussion, the organization contracted with the Bayer Center for Nonprofit
Management for a strategic planning process that would focus on these issues.
Our Work
Bayer Center staff started the process with an assessment, which collects information from a
variety of different perspectives in order to get a full and updated picture of the
organization. Board members, staff and clients (children and families) participated in focus
groups and one-on-one discussions. Because of the state-level profile of this organization, the
lead consultant also interviewed a variety of top policy makers on their perceptions of the
agency.
The picture that developed was somewhat unexpected. Before the assessment, the organization
didn’t feel confident in its reputation at high levels – overly focused on any mediocre result. The
assessment revealed both great concern over enormous needs for the target audience as well as
huge confidence in the organization and a desire for it to take on much more.
Sample Solution