Strategic Facilitation for Businesses and Non-Profits
Businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions frequently need to make significant strategic decisions that affect the long-term future of their organizations. Often, these decisions are complex; they may involve a dozen or more executives representing various departments and constituencies, and they may encompass a number of stages that may unfold over several months or more.
In these situations, it is critical to implement best case practices and processes so that a smooth process can follow, and so that ultimately the best decisions will result. We provide strategic facilitation services to corporations and non-profits throughout the region, including New Hampshire, Vermont, and beyond.
Facilitation Objectives
Examples of facilitation objectives with which we can help include:
- development of long-term strategies
- new CEO selection
- key decisions, such as new building initiatives or potential corporate relocation
We would invite you to learn more about our Facilitation Services, and how we can help your organization.
Key Facilitation Examples
We customize our strategic facilitation programs for the organization based on its structure and goals. The following outlines three of our more commonly requested services:
Planned Organizational Growth and Development
One important aspect of transition is planning for growth and expansion that also allows for the sustainability of the organization and its programs. Areas of focus include:
- Operational growth
- Enhancing existing facilities/programs/services to be most effective and efficient and ensuring delivery of the highest quality services
- Reviewing true operational costs
- Comparing revenue sources with true program costs
- Assessing the costs of delivery of services, including infrastructure investments, staff compensation and benefits and professional development
- Program growth
- Expanding existing programs and services
- Assessing need
- Assessing effective delivery of services to meet need
- Capitalizing on existing strengths
- Deepening and expanding relationships with current donors and/or clients
- Cultivating new relationships
- Expanding existing programs and services
- Program expansion
- Being deliberate in expanding the number and types of services to new areas of operation
- Assessing how such expansion will magnify social impact and/or revenue relative to cost of implementation
- Determining the appropriate business model
- Program replication
- Assessing the viability of replicating programs and services in other locations
- Identifying the characteristics of implementation critical to success elsewhere
- Determining how to maintain control and quality
- Identifying process and costs, ensuring quality and managing relationships
- Developing a fiscal plan and budget, including funding sources
Board Development and Strategic Planning
Hess Gehris Solutions designs sessions to fit the needs and goals of a particular organization or business. Some topics include facilitated discussions regarding:
- services and programs
- organizational leadership
- budgets and funding
- external relationships and relations
- a Work Plan to meet identified goals
Staff Coaching and Support
Let Hess Gehris Solutions help your staff maximize their potential, as well as their effectiveness for your organization. We will begin with an assessment, including discussions with each senior staff member to determine the individual and group strengths and areas for improvement. We will also reach out to key board members, program participants and community contacts about interactions with staff. With this information, we can design a coaching and support program for the entire team and for each individual, as appropriate.
We can work with your staff as a whole, focusing on:
- understanding the role of the individual and the team
- listening and communication skills
- engaging in constructive conversation both inside and outside the organization
- dealing with conflict in the workplace
- giving and receiving feedback
- dealing with disruptive behavior from staff, clients and others
Our Facilitation Experience
Our facilitation experience includes:
- working with the executive search committee of a non-profit to establish vision and criteria for selecting next leader
- designing the process for and conducting forums with various stakeholders in a community to create strategies for increasing tourism and economic growth
- working with boards to design and facilitate strategic planning processes and multi-year work plans
- facilitating work group discussions to reach contracts regarding behavior in the workplace
- creating and leading training for conflict management volunteers
- consulting with management team to identify and resolve interpersonal conflict issues
- leading community deliberative dialog sessions