Thank you for your interest in applying for a Compass project.

DEADLINE: The deadline for client applications is Friday, June 15, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.

ELIGIBILITY: 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in the Greater Washington area may apply if they have a minimum operating budget of $750,000, three full-time paid staff members, a board of directors, and a mission that benefits the Greater Washington community. Compass does not accept clients that promote a specific religion, or religious or political beliefs.

TIMING OF PROJECTS: Compass will announce final client selections in August. Project Leaders, recruited in September, will begin working with clients in September and October. Teams will be formed, trained, and begin working in earnest in the late fall, with projects completed by June 2013.

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions after viewing the application, please feel free to contact Compass’ Executive Director, Suzanne Laporte at slaporte@compassdc.org or (202) 459-6291.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A PROJECT

1. Please look at the PDF instructions before beginning your application in Survey Monkey.

Section One of the instructions explains client eligibility and requirements.

Section Two provides important technical guidance on completing this application in Survey Monkey. (PLEASE READ BEFORE ACCESSING APPLICATION IN SURVEY MONKEY.)

Click here to view PDF Directions

2. We recommend downloading the Word document to draft your application before submitting in Survey Monkey.

Click here to work on Application in Word

3. Complete final application in Survey Monkey before June 15.

Click here to complete Application in Survey Monkey

Alexandria Seaport Foundation (ASF) helps at-risk youth turn their lives around by teaching job and life skills through building wooden boats. This year, a team of Compass volunteers is helping ASF develop a Funding Strategy for a sustainable future.

A Dory Boat, one that ASF apprentices have built!

Recently, some members of the Compass Team serving as consultants to ASF had the chance to participate in a team-building event at ASF. It was a great experience where everyone had a chance to work on the boats with volunteers and students of the program.  The experience left an impact on the team as they saw the amazing impact this organization has on the lives of everyone who is connected to it.

Greg and Laura, Compass volunteers, stay focused on the task at hand!

The team had a chance to learn firsthand how important this organization is in the lives of both the volunteers and the students.  While they expected to see it’s importance to the students, it became clear that ASF also has a very strong impact on the volunteers, who feel such a sense of pride for what they do.

Thomas (left), a proud ASF graduate, takes time to smile for a picture with ASF volunteer Larry (right)

One particular volunteer described how he came to be involved with the organization ten years ago.  He explained that he had attended an event because he was looking to learn how to perform maintenance on his own boat, but he was struck by how the volunteers were making real connections with young people who were having problems in their lives.  He made the decision to have that same impact and now volunteers with the organization three days a week.

Erich (right), a Compass volunteer, learns something new during the tour of ASF.

Guarev, a Compass volunteer on the ASF team, jumps right in!

 
Larry (left), a dedicated ASF volunteer, poses with a Compass volunteer and an ASF apprentice, Thomas (right).

A Compass team member for the ASF team, proudly signs the Dory that she and her team helped work on.

Guarev (right), a Compass volunteer, takes time to chat with Kent Barnekov (left), the Executive Director of ASF.

 
The whole Compass team poses with ASF staff, volunteers, and apprentices.

The ASF Compass team is comprised of volunteers who, in their professional lives, work in consulting and legal functions for various private and public sector organizations.  They are volunteering their time and expertise to Compass and ASF because of they believe in the missions of both organizations.  All of the team members reside in the greater Washington, DC area.

Another Compass Client, Stone Soup Films, has been filming the Compass project at ASF this past year. Stone Soup is dedicated to building the capacity of other nonprofits through the production and donation of films.

Their film crew caught an incredible moment at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. To watch the video, click here: How to Flip a 3,000 lb boat!

It’s truly amazing!

To learn more about Alexandria Seaport Foundation, visit their website: http://www.alexandriaseaport.org/

To learn more about Stone Soup Films, visit their website: http://www.stonesoupfilms.org/

This post was submitted by the Compass volunteers on the Alexandria Seaport Foundation Team.

Hear from former Compass Clients. Watch videos of the Board Chair of The Lab School of Washington and the Executive Director of Class Acts Arts speak about their experience with Compass.

Click here for more!

Over the past year and a half, the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School team has enjoyed a very strong relationship with our key point of contact at Chavez.   Making himself available to attend periodic team meetings and host the team at a Chavez campus, the client has been closely aligned with the team’s efforts and has consistently supported the team’s recommendations.

As the team entered the second year of a two-year strategic planning project, we were building on the findings from last year, assessing progress to date, and continuing to develop the core elements of Chavez’s strategic plan.   As part of this effort, the team wanted to capture the perspective of campus leaders, administration, and board members on Chavez’s current performance and highest priorities.

NO MATTER HOW SOLID AND POSITIVE THE CLIENT RELATIONSHIP, IT IS CRITICAL TO KEEP THEM IN THE LOOP ON YOUR EFFORTS, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU PLAN TO REACH OUT TO OTHERS IN THEIR ORGANIZATION.

The Compass team devised a survey instrument to help capture these perspectives and inform the selection of certain elements in the strategic plan.  The team proposed the idea of a survey to the client, who agreed that it could be a useful tool.

Eager to develop and deploy a thorough survey, the team invested a couple of weeks in preparing a lengthy and detailed document covering a broad range of topics.  We had multiple team discussions to refine the structure of the tool, as well as the terms and definitions within each section.  Happy with our effort, the team anticipated a quick review with the client and a rapid dissemination of the survey to Chavez leadership.

Three meetings with the client later, it was apparent that had we engaged with the client earlier, we could have used our time more efficiently.  Based on the client’s input, the final document is significantly shorter and more focused than our initial product.  The lesson learned for us is that no matter how solid and positive the client relationship, it is critical to keep them in the loop on your efforts, particularly when you plan to reach out to others in their organization.

We are fortunate to have an active and engaged client, and we look forward to continuing to work with Chavez through the remainder of the spring.

To learn more about Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools, visit their website: http://www.chavezschools.org/

Haynes Cooney has an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He works full time for IBM and lives in Arlington, VA. This is his first year volunteering with Compass.

Did you know that the 10^th Annual County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in Arts and Humanities Council was held at Strathmore Hall and it was free?  Did you know that John Taylor, also known as the Kinderman, is a three time Emmy Award winner and he was participating in the awards ceremony?  Did you know that Christopher C. Morgan performed a dance at the ceremony and he is ranked as one of the top six choreographers by Dance Magazine? Did you know that Richard Spero received the Volunteer of the Year award and he works full time, again as a volunteer, on behalf of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore Hall?  Did you know that Liz Lerman from Dance Exchange received the Lifetime Impact Award?  All of these awe-inspiring people were part of this fabulous free event in Montgomery County.  This is an event not to be missed next year!

The County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities are the most prestigious honors conferred by the County on individual artists, organizations and patrons of the arts and humanities. Now in its 10th year, the Executive’s Awards allow Montgomery County to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a difference in Montgomery County communities through the arts and humanities. The event included a wonderful assortment of awards and performances, and was hosted by Ike Leggett and his lovely wife Catherine on Monday October 24, 2011.

I was able to attend the Awards of Excellence event because of my work with Compass as a consultant for the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. The CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council (AHCMC) extended a gracious invitation to the Compass team to attend the Executive’s Awards ceremony. By attending the event, we were able to see first-hand the structure of the arts organizations and how they relate to each other within the Montgomery County arts family.

AHCMC provides resources and funding opportunities for arts and humanities organizations in Montgomery County.  Grants are given each year to arts and humanities organizations based on various criteria which they each need to meet.

In addition to the fabulous awards ceremony in which the grantees were recognized for their contributions to Montgomery County, we were also welcomed with a showcase of incredible talent by some of the best, who reside right here in Montgomery County.

To learn more about the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, please visit their website at: http://www.creativemoco.com/

Jan Abraham is the Director of Sales for ED MAP, an online bookstore solution provider. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan with a BA in Political Science and from Marymount University with an MBA in Marketing and Management.  She grew up, and currently lives, in Montgomery County. She has been a proud supporter of the arts since she was a young child.

Thanks to jury duty, I found Compass.

Responding to my summons for the DC courts, I was assigned to be a juror on a criminal case. Over the next two weeks, as I sat in the juror’s box watching the trial unfold, I wondered how the defendant’s life could have turned out differently.

The defendant was a young man who could have been in college. Instead he was accused of killing another young man in his neighborhood. At the time of the crime, the defendant was a high school senior who had been absent from school for over three weeks. “How could life have turned out differently for both these people?” I wondered.

As I, the daughter of public school teachers, debated this question, the answer I kept coming to was education. If either of these young men had been more engaged in their education, life could have turned out differently. In the back of my mind, I made a mental note to look out for opportunities to impact education in DC.

Six months later, I had my opportunity – Compass. After applying to Compass, I was picked to be part of a team working with César Chávez Public Charter Schools. This charter school is in three DC neighborhoods, including mine, and has both middle and high school campuses. It focuses on closing the achievement gap and ensuring kids go to college. I immediately knew I wanted to spend my time volunteering with this school.

Our team is now in our second year of working with Chavez to develop a strategic plan. Because of the schools’ talented staff, and our efforts, we are building a plan that will ensure more of DC’s kids have a quality education that keeps them engaged in their education and on a path to succeed in college. And Compass made this opportunity possible – for Chavez, thanks to our pro bono consulting; for our team, and for me.

To learn more about Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools, visit their website: http://www.chavezschools.org/

Jessica Weaver works at United Way Worldwide. Her five-year tenure started with mobilizing over 1,000 volunteers to rebuild the Gulf Coast after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She also directed more than a million dollars to nonprofit partnerships focused on long-term hurricane recovery.

Now she provides consulting on community engagement and planning, working with ten United Ways across the USA on a two-year special initiative. She is helping these United Ways develop capacity and implement plans to impact education and financial stability by engaging and mobilizing people throughout their communities around these issues.

Jessica volunteers at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools in Washington, DC, where she lives.

Main Street “is more than just a child care center to these families.

The staff are an extension of their own families”

While taking a tour of the Center I was surprised to see how many parents have maintained close ties with the staff and Executive Director.  I spoke to a few parents who were almost in tears as they spoke of where they would be if it hadn’t been for the program and staff.  One child accompanied his mother to the Center to pick up his sibling. Upon entering the school, he immediately hugged the Executive Director, shared a moment, and laughed about some of his earlier memories at Main Street.  His mother turned to me and told the story of how her son is now a student in middle school doing very well, and it was due in part to his five year education at Main Street.  It is more than just a child care center to these families. The staff are an extension of their own families.

“We came together as a group of individuals and have since become

a team with one voice”

During the initial forming months of our Compass project, we came together as a group of individuals and have since become a team with one voice.  We’ve worked hard and are proud of what we’ve produced thus far. We’re especially proud of how quickly we have been able to identify the client’s needs and our ability to align our personal capabilities to develop a plan to help fulfill their needs. We also took on a more personal approach by embedding ourselves into their world, donating to their cause to understand it from a donor’s perspective, and participating in their board meetings to get a real sense of their challenges and what motivates them.

Finally, I’ve learned that I work with a team of people who not only have brilliant minds but compassionate hearts as well!  Many of them have commented that after the project is over, they’d like to continue volunteering their time at Main Street.  Perhaps the most invigorating aspect of this project and team is that everyone is dedicated and working hard in the midst of many other obligations.  There is a sense of a mission-driven purpose and willingness to go above and beyond to ensure Main Street’s success and deliver solutions that will undoubtedly endure.

To learn more about Main Street Child Development Center, please visit their website.

Kendra McMurray, CMP, CGMP works full time for Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading provider of management and technology consulting services to the U.S. government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets, and to major corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit organizations.  She graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Communications and Journalism and currently lives in the Washington, DC metro area. 

Strategic Planning is one of Compass’ service lines because we believe that strategic planning makes nonprofits  more successful and sustainable. Other critical activities, such as fundraising and board development, rely on a Strategic Plan to give them focus.

The WBJ article, by John Bauser of OAI, emphasizes strategic planning as a crucial process to maintaining long-term success. Bauser says that many nonprofits have postponed their strategic planning due to their struggle to adapt to a “rapidly changing economic environment,” when in fact, they should keep their efforts going despite economic uncertainties.

In the article, Bauser states,

“when nonprofits postpone their planning sessions, they lose out on the direct benefits a strategic plan affords: improved focus, increased efficiency and better alignment of resources. They also lose indirect benefits: increased fundraising, improved governance, better leadership development and stronger succession planning…”

Bauser’s article discusses the many benefits of strategic planning, as well as the new approaches that many businesses and nonprofits are taking to help maximize the planning process and the plan itself. He also provides tips and suggestions for nonprofits considering embarking on a strategic planning process.

To read the complete article, please click here: Nonprofits Need to Revive Strategic Planning Efforts

To our volunteers working hard to help our clients plan for the future, we say thank you!

To our clients who have sought outside help and have committed thetime and effort to plan strategically, we say congratulations – you are doing the right thing!

This article was written by Compass Assistant Program Manager, Georgia Katinas.

Works Cited:

Bauser, John. “Nonprofits Need to Revive Strategic Planning efforts.” The Washington Business Journal. Dec. 9, 2011:  n. pag. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <https://media.scoopreprintsource.com/BizJournals/31931_Orr%20Associates_WashingtonBJ_1413.pdf>

After 20 years assisting telecommunications and software companies with their strategic marketing and product development efforts, I felt it was time for me to give back.  I wanted to apply my marketing and business experience to non-profit organizations and believed my expertise would be easily transferable. When I learned about Compass from a business colleague, I found out I was right. Its mission to provide an opportunity for business professionals to use their business skills to help non-profit groups was exactly what I was looking for.

In my first year with Compass, I was thrilled to be assigned to a strategic alignment project for the Helen Hayes Awards.  After the client accepted our recommendation at the end of the first year, I became the Project Leader of the team that helped make those recommendations a reality the next year. Today, the Helen Hayes Awards is “theatreWashington,” the unified voice of Washington theatre, dedicated to promoting, representing, and supporting all segments of Washington’s professional theatre community. At the end of the project, not only did Helen Hayes have a new name, it had a new website, new program ideas and a new board governance and organizational structure.

Without question, theatreWashington turned out to be one of the best projects of my career. It wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible team of volunteers, many of whom worked on the project both years. I think it made a big difference that we not only had bright and capable volunteers, but, just as importantly, we had volunteers who had a real affinity for what the client did, and, as a result, worked to ensure success. The fact that we were working with such a terrific client didn’t hurt either.

This year, I am co-leading the project for Kid Power. Once again, I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to help them identify and evaluate strong partnership relationships. Compass has given us a fabulous team of dedicated volunteers who are equally attracted to Kid Power’s mission.

“The fact that Compass’ volunteer base now exceeds 200 people, with so many returning year after year, speaks to the many benefits we volunteers receive as a result of serving on a Compass project”

I believe that one of Compass’ real strengths is the way they match volunteers with client projects. An important part of this process is one of my favorite events, the Compass Project Launch. This is an evening when volunteers and clients have the opportunity to meet each other and determine whether there is a fit, which is why I often refer to it as “speed dating” for client projects.

Every time I go to a Compass event, I meet the most interesting, bright people, whom I admire for what they give to the community, whether as part of a non-profit organization or as part of a team of volunteers trying to help that non-profit be more successful in serving its constituents. I know Compass receives sincere thanks from the clients it serves. The fact that Compass’ volunteer base now exceeds 200 people, with so many returning year after year, speaks to the many benefits we volunteers receive as a result of serving on a Compass project.

Thank you, Compass!

Petra Kahn is a high level marketing professional with over 25 years of experience directing strategic marketing, sales support, product management and program implementation for non-profit and for-profit organizations. Her consulting assignments focus on market strategy and programs that differentiate organizations and capture market share. She works closely with top management and ensures a collaborative approach to all assignments.

What did you work on with your Client this month?

In the last month, Compass met with the Executive Director, Director of Programs and Social Services, and two board members to understand the Perry School Vision. We discussed the history of the organization, the impact of the current economy on funding and demand for services, and what Perry School wants to achieve in the future. It’s not an easy move forward and with a variety of factors involved, stakeholders must remain diligent and focused.

That’s not all!! Stone Soup Films – a nonprofit cooperative that produces and donates promotional films to worthy organizations is filming our team’s engagement with the Perry School. What for? You’ll have to wait for our next report! Lights, Camera, Action!

What did you learn about your Client this month?

I learned the deep connection between the Perry School and the community. It’s amazing to see an organization so committed to the people of Washington, DC. The community center is comprised of ten organizations in a partnership to serve a wide-range of needs. One Director points to the changing demographics in the region. As new residential developments emerge in the area, the Perry Center is evaluating options to serve new constituents while remaining focused on core clients.

What did you learn about your teammates?

I learned our team has diverse skills and backgrounds. A team member recently worked with a nonprofit with a similar mission. His insight is instrumental as we move forward – starting with the interviews!

What is your team most proud of this month?

The team is quickly coming together and supporting each other. Team members are not shy to speak their minds and contribute.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

It’s daunting what nonprofits do. It’s inspiring to see volunteers committed to service. It’s encouraging to know that we can make a difference.

To learn more about the Perry Center, please visit their website: http://www.perryschool.org/

Andy Pak is a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and technology consulting firm where he specializes in cyber security for federal agencies. He graduated from James Madison University in 2004 and Georgetown University in 2008.