Strategic Guidance. Stronger Nonprofits.
In This Issue
Client Application for 2015-16
Prospective Client Info Session May 6
Booz Allen Leadership Program
2015 Micro Projects
Donate to Compass
Join Our List
2014-15 CLIENTS
Greater Washington Classic Projects

City Gate

 

Community Foundation for Northern Virginia

 

Community Ministries of Rockville

 

DC Bar Foundation

 

DCTV 

 

Easter Seals 

 

Emmaus Services for the Aging

 

FRESHFARM Markets

 

Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ)

 

Friendship Children's Center

 

Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative

 

Housing Unlimited

 

Insight Memory Care Center

 

LAMB PCS

 

Leadership Greater Washington

 

Literacy Council of Northern Virginia

 

Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities

 

Montgomery County Food Security Collaborative

 

National Cherry Blossom Festival

 

Northern Virginia Family Service

 

NOVA ScriptsCentral

 

Sasha Bruce Youthwork

 

Scholarship Fund of Alexandria

 

Seabury Resources for Aging

 

See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Schools

 

SOME

 

St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth and Families

 

Urban Alliance

 

Washington Area Bicyclist Association 

 

Greater Philadelphia Classic Projects

 

Chester County OIC

 

Community Learning Center

 

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia

 

Hope Partnership for Education

 

Mercy Neighborhood Ministries of Philadelphia

 

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

 

Philadelphia Works

 

Programs Employing People

 

SeniorLAW Center

 

Vol. 12, No. 1
April 2015

FROM THE PRESIDENT

 

IT'S THE JOURNEY THAT MATTERS 

 

In each of the past two years, I've watched my oldest sons embark on a new journey. As we packed the car and headed to their new home - college - I knew that the road trip ahead was just the beginning of their journey. For the four years that followed, they would explore new worlds, meet new people, and learn new information. At the end of the four years, they would hopefully have a plan for the "just out of college" years. While the objective was clearly to get a college degree, the four-year journey itself was actually the point - the learning, the introspection, the questioning, and the decisions. Interestingly, my sons reacted differently to the journey. One jumped in head first, quickly finding the classes and friends he loved. He never looked back. The other found the transition a little harder. While taking all the right actions - joining clubs, meeting people, trying out for groups - his heart was slower to follow. For him, the journey got off to a tough start and truly challenged his assumptions about everything. Watching and supporting from the sidelines, I also learned a lot. Throughout his transition, I have tried to remember that some journeys start slowly, but all journeys lead somewhere.

 

Interestingly, in my professional life, I spend a lot of time involved in journeys. When nonprofits come to Compass for assistance, I know that our amazing volunteers cannot provide answers on their own. Our nonprofit clients must be part of the journey. Throughout a Compass project, many of our clients will challenge their own assumptions, rethink the way they have always done things, dream about future possibilities, and come away with a plan for the journey that begins when the Compass project ends. I have seen nonprofits jump in head first and love every minute of the questioning and the dreaming. I have seen nonprofits come in with great intentions, but then find themselves challenged by the realities of funding, leadership, and the idea of change itself. Whichever way the journey starts, always at the end our nonprofit clients know more than when they began. They can decide about their journey forward with a much clearer understanding of the costs and benefits, risks and rewards.

 

Today, the Compass client application opens for 2015-16. This year, nonprofits can choose from six different service lines (see details below). If you are involved with a nonprofit, chances are good that we can help with the strategic challenges and questions facing the organization. The application deadline is June 15, so if this is the first time you are hearing about Compass, there's still plenty of time to figure out how Compass can help your organization.

 

I strongly encourage you to consider applying for a Compass project. Compass provides a team of eight business professionals for each project. Our volunteers will help you look at information in a new way, provide an ear for stakeholders to be heard, evaluate different options, gently guide, and fully support. Like all journeys, you'll be changed at the end. Perhaps your Compass volunteers will become friends or board members, maybe you'll learn new skills, maybe your organization will better understand its potential to serve your clients. The outcomes are varied, but anything is possible. I hope you'll join us for a remarkable journey.

 

Happy spring!

 

Suzanne

 

CLIENT APPLICATION FOR 2015-16

Compass' Client Application for 2015-16 is now open for Greater Washington nonprofits. The deadline for applications is June 15 at 5:00 p.m. Clients will be selected in August, and projects will begin in September.

 

Compass clients must meet the following criteria:

 

  • Have 501(c)3 status
  • Have a minimum of three full-time paid staff members and a minimum budget of $750,000
  • Provide services that specifically benefit the Greater Washington community
  • Not promote a specific religion, or religious or political beliefs
  • Have an active board of directors

Compass offers pro bono consulting in the following service lines: Board Development, Funding Strategies, Strategic Alignment, Strategic Planning (two-year projects), Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations, and Strategic Marketing. See descriptions below.

 

If you have any questions about which project would be most useful for your organization or about the application process, please contact Kristalee Overdahl (koverdahl@compassdc.org; 202-864-6492) to discuss. Or plan to attend our Prospective Client Information session on May 6. See details below. 

 

JOIN US FOR A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT INFO SESSION - Wednesday, May 6

If you are considering applying for a Compass pro bono consulting project, please join us on May 6 to hear about Compass' client application process. At this optional Information Session for prospective clients, you'll find out:

 

  • How the Compass program works
  • What kind of project would be best for your organization
  • How to apply for a Compass project and get selected

Date: Wednesday, May 6

Time: 9:00 a.m. Coffee; 9:15 a.m. Program

Location: The Meyer Foundation, 1250 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036  

 

Please RSVP by May 1 to Elizabeth Elliott at eelliott@compassdc.org.

 

2015-16 SERVICE LINES

 

Board Development - Board Development projects aim to improve the effectiveness, engagement, and sustainability of nonprofit boards. 

 

Funding Strategies - Compass can assess traditional revenue sources and revenue-generation methods, or support Earned Income Ventures.

 

Strategic Alignment - Strategic Alignment projects make recommendations for operations based on alignment of mission, programs and resources.

 

Strategic Planning (2-year projects) - Strategic Planning projects help nonprofits create a Strategic Plan, ensuring that board and staff are aligned around key choices. (Note: These projects are most effective for organizations with budgets above $2 million.)

 

Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations - Compass will help nonprofits assess the value and appropriateness of strategic partnerships or collaborations.

 

Strategic Marketing - Compass will help the client create an overarching marketing strategy to address organizational challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.

 

BOOZ ALLEN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INCLUDES 
PRO BONO PROJECTS

Compass has just kicked off six pro bono consulting projects staffed exclusively by volunteers from Booz Allen Hamilton. The projects are part of a multi-month leadership development program for Booz Allen's top Senior Associates. This Leadership Excellence Program provides a powerful mix of education, exposure, and experience for the Senior Associates. Compass is engaging 60 Booz Allen consultants on Leadership Excellence Projects for the following organizations:

 

Global Centurion Foundation

Our Military Kids

Project HOPE - The People to People Health Foundation

The Phillips Collection

United Through Reading

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

 

2015 MICRO PROJECTS ANNOUNCED


We're thrilled to announce our 2015 Micro Project clients. Compass' Micro Projects began in January and will run until June. Compass thanks Share Fund for sponsoring our Micro Projects.

 

826DC

Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture

Art Enables

banished? productions

BEST Kids, Inc.

Chess Challenge in DC

Coalition for Smarter Growth

Culture Shock Washington, D.C.

The Dance Institute of Washington

DC Lawyers for Youth

Empower DC

The Father McKenna Center 

Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop

Girls on the Run DC

Healthy Babies Project

Horizons Greater Washington

Keegan Theatre 

KEYS for the Homeless Foundation

Life Asset

LIFT-DC

Live It Learn It

New Community for Children

PEN/Faulkner Foundation

Reach Incorporated

Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington

Southeast Ministry

Step Afrika!

Stone Soup Films

Street Sense

Teens Run DC

Turning the Page

Voices for a Second Chance

The Washington Literacy Center

The Washington Stage Guild

Words Beats & Life

 

SUPPORT COMPASS, SUPPORT LOCAL NONPROFITS


This year, Compass is connecting over 350 business professionals with 64 nonprofit organizations through our pro bono consulting projects in Greater Washington. Like our nonprofit clients, Compass is a nonprofit that relies on contributions to ensure we can continue bringing business talent to the nonprofit sector to help individual nonprofits. 

 

Every $1 donated to Compass provides $14 of consulting services back to local nonprofits. Compass doesn't charge nonprofits for services, so we rely on funding from generous supporters. If you haven't donated to Compass during this 2014-15 project year, please donate now.

 

 

  

STAY IN TOUCH WITH COMPASS

Please join one or all of these online communities and share your reflections and experiences.

 

 Like us on FacebookPlease "like" us on Facebook and watch for fun announcements, pictures and videos on our page.

 

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter, where we tweet messages about our clients and their programs, trends in the nonprofit sector, and other relevant news. Follow us at @Compassprobono.

 

View our profile on LinkedIn Compass has a company page on LinkedIn called "Compass Pro Bono."

 

COMPASS THANKS OUR PARTNERS

Booz Allen  

 

 

 

Capital One  

 

Business School Clubs

We couldn't put together our talented consulting teams without skilled volunteers, and we couldn't recruit our amazing volunteers without the support of the local business schools clubs. Thank you to the following clubs that help spread the word about Compass. We are grateful for your continued support!    

 

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business  
Columbia Business School 
Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell 
Fuqua School of Business at Duke 
Harvard Business School 
Michigan Ross School of Business 
MIT Sloan School of Management 
Northwestern Kellogg School of Management  
NYU Stern School of Business 
Stanford Graduate School of Business  
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth  
University of Virginia Darden School of Business  
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania 
Yale School of Management  

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NONPROFIT JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The following are current jobs available in the nonprofit sector listed on the Compass website:

 

Washington Jesuit Academy, Chief Operations Officer 

 

The News Literacy Project, Vice President for Development

 

Mental Health Association of Montgomery County, Chief Development Officer

 

United Planning Organization, Director of Communications and Community Relations

 

Send your job listings to Elizabeth Elliott at eelliott@compassdc.org.

 


Compass | 1712 N Street, NW | Suite 302 | Washington | DC | 20036