There is no textbook for this stuff, no grad school diploma or top ten things to consider while you’re considering.
There are of course case studies and best practices, but those are secondary tools. The meaningful tool in the toolbox is listening. Our primary course of action is to help you better understand what you already know.
Strategy
While we tailor every process to individual organizations, there are a few guiding principles. Meetings should never be scheduled for more than 90 minutes, The committee itself should be small, but diverse in its representation of interests. Notes should be taken and shared. No gimmicks like warm up exercises or talking sticks or anything that makes participants feel self-conscious. Our strategy is to tap into your existing corporate culture, to understand internal relationships and to use language familiar to the organization to create ways defining and understanding short and long-term challenges.
Fundraising strategy depends on the who and the what, but always begins and ends with a deep exploration of existing relationships. We have conducted capital campaigns, individual donor campaigns, annual campaigns, written hundreds of government and private foundation grants. We know how to do this.
StoryTelling
Stories are without a doubt the most powerful form of communication. Shared experiences unite us, and help us to overcome differences. We have a deep aversion to PowerPoint and have many ways of talking you out of using it. We have access to dozens of storytellers and craftspeople who do it for a living.
Relationships
We borrow liberally from Malcolm Gladwell here. We identify people within the organization who are the connectors, the people who tie together resources and opportunities without seeking personal gain. These are the people you want around you, and they are the people you want to nurture and grow.