The name of our consulting firm is "A Helping Hand." This is a consulting firm that deals with non-profit organizations in the Health and Human Services field. We will begin by introducing you to our company with our mission statement, describe what consulting firms in the non-profit sector do and how they do it, and give a run down of issues our firm will address along with a description of services offered. After looking over our team matrix, we decided this was our best route to go that matched our skills and comfort levels of each one of our areas of expertise.Our mission is to assist organizations by expanding their access to, and utilization of resources that enhance cash flow and ensure quality that promotes long-term viability. A Helping Hand has witnessed impact of the cash flow crisis that threatens the existence of many non-profit and for-profit agencies within the community. We focus on improving financial systems and management analysis to improve cash flow and accurate management reporting.Cash flow can be significantly enhanced by improving business office operations, revenue management, and accounts receivable control or in-kind donation control. We partner with diverse behavioral health and human service organizations to enhance their ability to succeed. Our involvement takes many forms, but common to all is a tradition of innovating solutions and exceeding objectives. Sometimes it is difficult to know where to start, what to ask for, or what might help the most. Each client, challenge, and opportunity is unique and so are the ways we make a difference.Through a collaborative needs analysis and planning approach we help change service delivery systems that underscore a strength-based approach and include the following activities:1. Monitoring each youth's progress using measurable objectives2. Engineering a specific, individualized community resource that can meet the youth's pre-sent strengths and needs regardless of the existing provider community's range of services3. Assessing progress towards the readiness of the individualized community resource to accept the youth & family4. Authorizing and reimbursing for community-based or family-centered care in a format that may not fit any one funding categoryWe assist both providers and public agencies in developing care management models that improve the delivery of care for hard-to-serve children and families across systems: mental health, mental retardation, substance abuse, special education, child welfare, and juvenile justice.A care management organization approach to improving children's services is beneficial in many locations. A key concept is to harness the capabilities of local resources to reduce out of home placements and to shorten placements when they are necessary.A Helping Hand provides assistance planning and implementing structural reform of the current system that is child-centered, strength-based, family-focused, culturally competent and community-based. Our approach maximizes use of natural neighborhood and community resources. We assist with the creation of a systems administrative capability to process registration, track and coordinate care, develop administrative procedures, protocols, standards, form templates, assessment, monitoring, and utilization management instruments.A Helping Hand will address the issues of fund raising, employee satisfaction, and patient care for special needs, abused, or neglected children. Some types of problems or issues that we might come across in the fund raising portion could be raising the capital itself. Success levels are significantly higher for the "hard" capital than the "soft" capital; "hard" capital being buildings and vehicles, while "soft" capital is related to strategic planning, staff development, and program development. Non-profit agencies seem to have a hard time raising capital for their organizations. There are a few things that our consulting firm could do to help the non-profit agencies in acquiring capital for their business. These things are:1. Assemble additional information about nonprofit experiences and challenges with raising capital investment funds.2. Launch educational efforts aimed at nonprofits and investors. Nonprofit leaders seem quite unaware of capital funds resources that are available, and investors seem equally ignorant of the capital needs of charities.3. Foster financial intermediaries for the sector--organizations and mechanisms that can link pools of capital funds to nonprofits that need them.4. Create a nonprofit investment tax credit to encourage investors to fund appropriate capital projects.Organizations should consider adding new types of fund raising as well. Some of these types of fund raising can be in telemarketing, raffles, grants, direct mail, corporate collaboration, and capital campaigns. Our company will offer each of these methods as choices to help the client raise capital.Addressing the need for employee satisfaction is another area in which ourcompany will address. The organization could start with allowing the employees to have a voice on what the strategic planning and development of programs are.They should all have a voice to demonstrate their area of expertise and to show their abilities and allow them to be appreciated and recognized by upper management. Employee satisfaction surveys help to find out what is needed to make the individual's job more appealing and to help them utilize their time and resources more efficiently.Special needs children are another issue our consulting firm will handle. Possible issues or problems with this could be:1. How to handle a special needs case within the law2. How to make sure they are making use of the funds they receive equally and not by spending too much on equipment, teachers, caregivers, or programs for the special needs children alone.3. Finding the right team of people to care for these individuals and not place them in the general public with other children who are not special needs.4. How to offer services to low income families.Business, government, and non-profit organizations hire consultants for their expertise, and to help them identify, analyze, and solve problems. Consultants offer "outsiders" unbiased perspective, and allow other employees to carry on with daily business.In general, consultants are hired to:* Conduct research, analyze and summarize data; predict trends;* Create or improve designs and processes; recommend changes;* Evaluate designs and processes, communicate ideas, or motivate employees; and* Identify ways to save money, or to obtain funding or financing.Consulting firms require a complex blend of:* "Expertise" - your unique skills are your businesses products;* Knowledge in business and management practices including accounting, selling, organizational and time-management skills;* Self-awareness, inner drive, perseverance, confidence, and the ability and willingness to work independently for long hours, often sacrificing personal time;* People skills, in order to establish, expand, and sustain client relationships. You must be able to gain a thorough understanding of a client's needs by being sensitive, perceptive, and an attentive listener to what is said and not said during discussions. You must then establish trust by following through on all commitments with exceptional, quality work, in an atmosphere of confidentiality.Our firm will provide the following services to our clients. We will provide organizational development, assessment, evaluation, and change. This will entail assessing and evaluating employees and management in their current positions. We will determine if they are working well in their area. We will offer suggestions how to better train employees, leadership and supervisory development, implement changes in job duties, and possible staff restructuring. In addition, we will show how to keep staff from becoming "burnt out" in their positions, which may be causing high employee turnover. This may include additional learning and stress management classes.The next area we will provide service for our client is in strategic planning and facilitation. This area will include helping the organization determine their goals and assist them in meeting them. We will use the company's own vision statement as a starting point and work with employees and management to meet the expectations of that vision statement.In addition, while the goal of a non-profit organization is to serve its client base, the finances of a non-profit are just as important as a for-profit organization. To that end, we will work along side board members and financial staff in resource development. It is important to make sure all funding is being utilized properly. We will offer suggestions for the client to get the most out of his funds with possible cost cuts, allowing that revenue to be distributed where it may be needed more. We will also offer grant assistance by assisting in the grant writing process as well as look into additional sources for grants. Finally, we will offer assistance with fund-raising.The last service that we will provide is in the area of marketing. Even though our client base will be non-profit organizations, there is a need for marketing their services. We can assist the client with brochures and advertisement through mass media. In addition, we will provide professional consulting for the client's web site, including web-page design. We will also advise how to use information gathered from the web-site so that the customer can be sure that the right clientele is being reached.Currently, there is a great need for non-profit consulting firms. There are few consulting firms for non-profit organizations, probably because non-profit organization's budgets leave little for additional costs like a consulting firm. However, non-profit organizations would be wise in investing in a consulting firm. For the reasons outlined above, consulting with an outside source could lead to additional funding, lower employee turnover, and better client satisfaction.The matrix of team skills offered an easy evaluation and examination of our learning team member strengths. Collective strong points demonstrated potential ability to successfully operate three types of consultant firms. The consultant firms of chose are in operations, human resources, and non-profit specifically for human services organizations. The team matrix displayed strengths, however, assessment revealed weaknesses as well.In operation consulting a main aspect consist of training employees in dealing with customers. Organizations would utilize our team's skills in the areas of customer service knowledge, research, creativity and analytical ability. A company would greatly benefit from our expertise. The cons in selecting our team would be the lack of information technology and diversity training.The assessment of our matrix also established good traits for a human resources consulting firm. We have backgrounds in education and work experience in this area. The characteristics that make us a candidate for success include experience in group health and life insurance, and retirement plans. The lack of knowledge in techniques used in top quality management is a weakness.The team concluded with selecting a non-profit consulting firm that specifically works in human services. Our familiarity and enthusiasm in the experience of women issues, special needs children, fund-raising, and grant writing would generate effectiveness. The cons for our team are the lack of having a bilingual staff.
