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Consulting | Areas of Work

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services works with more than 300 nonprofits a year in traditional areas of nonprofit management as well as on the forefront of innovative thinking about the nonprofit sector.

Our expertise is accessible to nonprofits in a variety of ways: one-to-one consulting, workshops and seminars, conference sessions, research and writing, and multi-disciplinary capacity building initiatives.

For more than 30 years, CompassPoint has proven to be a resource that community-based organizations, statewide and national organizations, foundations and government agencies can count on.

Executive Leadership

Leadership turnovers are moments in a nonprofit’s life of both vulnerability (the potential loss of donors and momentum) and opportunity for renewal (an updated vision that re-energizes staff and board). CompassPoint has been a national pioneer in developing Executive Transitions, with a menu of services that include: succession planning, executive search, organizational turn-around and re-alignment, and interim executive placements.

Nonprofit Finance

Our consulting and training work in nonprofit finance begins with the development of sound financial systems, and goes on to use business and financial analysis to help nonprofits develop business and financial plans for sustainable futures. The CompassPoint Dashboard is a set of finance and programmatic metrics we develop for organizations, and the Dual Bottom Line is a methodology and protocol for prioritizing programs based on both mission impact and on financial sustainability.

Fund Development

Fund development for community-based organizations is a priority for CompassPoint, as seen in our workshops, consulting, coaching and initiatives in fundraising strategies and skills. On our staff are former development directors, executive directors, grantwriters, and major gift solicitors. We have a special focus on developing fundraising strategies with organizations in communities of color.

Accidental Techies

CompassPoint’s strategy for supporting nonprofit technology success is to support the heroic “Accidental Techies” who, often without formal training and never with enough time or budget, make sure their nonprofits have the appropriate hardware, software, desktop support, information systems, and technology policies. In addition to our hundreds of technology classes in San Francisco and San Jose, we offer workshops nationally for nonprofit techies, and Accidental Techies is a bestselling book.

Strategic Planning

CompassPoint emphasizes an inclusive and dynamic process that leads to the creation of a strategic plan that is focused on sustainable implementation. It is our belief that effective strategic planning helps an organization gain clarity and alignment not only on programmatic goals and objectives, but on developing the systems, human capital, and metrics to support the plan. In today’s turbulent environment, CompassPoint supports nonprofits in a variety of processes that lead to making appropriate and timely strategy decisions.

Managing People

Focused on the human side of human resources, the Managing People program area is dedicated to supporting and strengthening work relationships. We conduct training, coaching and consulting include conflict resolution, developing effective performance evaluation and appraisal systems, leadership development, and diversity.

Governance and Nonprofit Boards

The Board Café newsletter (now with 44,00 subscribers) punctuates our work with nonprofit boards: practical, tested advice that speaks the truth about how boards and executives can work differently towards delivering on the mission. In almost all of our areas of focus, we work with boards—because boards are crucial to Executive Transition, financial planning, fundraising, strategic plans, diversity, public policy development, and leadership development. We consult directly with nonprofit boards as well as conduct research on governance and work with groups of board members.

Leadership Development and Executive Coaching

CompassPoint’s Leadership Learning Path (LLP) allows nonprofit volunteers and staff to develop individual leadership development paths for themselves—that wend their way through CompassPoint’s 500+ workshops each year, executive coaching services, peer learning environments, and special cohort intensives.

If you're interested in talking with us about consulting, research, initiative development or have questions about our services, please contact us at 415-541-9000.