"Jim is very skilled in building bridges-- between people, programs and institutions. His ability to facilitate strategic dialogue among our police and community partners has been invaluable to LISC."

— Julia Ryan, Director
Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Community Safety Initiative (NY, NY)

Strategic Planning

Research & Analysis

Writing

 

Strategic Planning

SMI will create a customized process which matches your organization's culture, needs and budget.

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Organizational Development

Organizational Change and Realignment

The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy worked with SMI during a recent change in leadership. Prior to starting an executive search, the MATP needed to assess its lean staffing structure to ensure that the new director would inherit an organization that made sense. As is true with many nonprofits, years of grant funding and part time staffing had created a complex organizational chart, and the Board needed more clarity before turning it over to a new leader. SMI worked with the Board and senior staff to examine the culture and goals of this high-performing, small advocacy and training organization. The end result was a clarified structure, with clear roles and responsibilities, leading to a short and successful search for a top flight new director.

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Planning Processes

Design and Facilitation

Tutoring Plus of Cambridge, a well established, small community based organization, was at a crossroads. The long-serving and highly successful executive director was leaving, the board was expecting serious turnover, and external changes related to extended school day planning, increased school based accountability for student performance presented both new challenges and opportunities. Tutoring Plus decided to conduct a strategic planning process with Laura Sherman and Liz O'Connor because of the team's commitment to tailored approaches; no off-the-shelf models would work with an organization in such a state of change. Laura Sherman and Liz O'Connor worked with the Board and management to design a short research and planning process which supported the organization's search for a new leader, provided a strategy roadmap for high quality and targeted programming as well as a basis for a new approach to fundraising. Today, the new director is overseeing a stable, restructured program which has reoriented its strategic focus to better meet the needs of Cambridge's students while building sustainability into the management of the organization.