November 29, 2007 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Following are foundations that provide consultants’ services to grantees and grant seekers through formal programs:.
The Chicago Foundation for Women offers grantees
walk-in consulting on selected days throughout the year.
The opportunities are posted on the foundation’s calendar, and at the event, preregistered grantees can talk to experienced consultants to work on specific issues for 30 minutes.
The Erie Community Foundation, in Pennsylvania, makes an annual grant to the Nonprofit Partnership, a membership organization created by the foundation to provide management services to local charities.
The partnership offers one free session to nonprofit organizations in the Erie area.
Nonmembers are expected to join if they are interested in further services, which include monthly group training sessions, learning circles (information-sharing groups for peers), special projects, an annual conference, and regular distribution of information on trends and resources. Extended or in-depth consultations are available for an additional fee.
The Flintridge Foundation, in Pasadena, Calif., provides local organizations that serve children, youth, and families the opportunity to meet with a professional consultant on a regular basis at little or no cost, as long as the nonprofit organization meets tangible goals while participating in the grant maker’s program.
The San Diego Foundation offers up to 10 hours of free consulting to selected members of its Endow San Diego Nonprofit Partnership. Costs for the Endow San Diego program are underwritten by the banking corporation Wells Fargo and the telecommunications-technology company Qualcomm.
The foundation retains a consultant in planned giving and endowment-building, and will be recruiting a consultant experienced in marketing within the next year to provide assistance to nonprofit organizations.
The UJA-Federation of New York offers the charities it supports pro bono consultation services in a range of management areas. The federation recruits professionals with expertise in different management areas to provide assistance for specific projects for a limited period.
The support can range from two-hour consultations to a relationship of approximately one year.
The organization also allows charities to apply for grants to conduct a board self-assessment, enhance their branding, marketing, or fund raising, or to create or improve their own Web sites.
