by Anne Hess, CRE Board Member - My husband Craig and I hosted CRE’s 13th Annual House Party fundraiser last month. Several of our clients spoke eloquently about the work CRE had done for them and the impact it had on their organizations. One speaker, Udai Tambar, of South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!) described CRE in a way that I would like to share. Udai talked about the “Three T’s” that characterized his relationship with CRE – Trust, Temperament and Talent.
Udai said that his Trust in CRE came from the fact that we “get” what community-based nonprofits are about. We support their missions, value the communities they serve, and understand the sector in which they operate. That makes the client feel confident that the advice provided will be right for the organization and not just fulfill a pro-bono hours quota or fail to translate from a for-profit client base.
Temperament, per Udai’s definition, referred to having the interpersonal skills to work with and get along with a diverse set of stakeholders and personalities. CRE consultants deal with executive directors, management teams and nonprofit staff members at all levels. We also work with a range of board members from corporate executives to community representatives to program participants, and as consultants, value and include input from all stakeholders in our workplans and work products. In addition, we interact with funders of nonprofits including government entities, foundations and corporate philanthropies. However, CRE’s primary and confidential relationship is always with the client, no matter how the work is funded.
Udai described the final T – talent – as being consultants who were solution-oriented and who offered concrete, implementable recommendations as opposed to lofty ideas. At CRE, we believe that enhancing nonprofit management capacity is achievable; we also understand that implementation is key. We don’t leave clients with a plan that sits on a shelf; rather, we plan for and support our clients during the implementation phase of any consulting assignment.
Thanks to Udai for the “Three T’s"; to our other speakers, Gabrielle Kersaint of the Brooklyn-Queens-Long Island Health Education Center, and Furman Brown of Generation Schools for their encouraging words; and to our clients, friends and supporters for making the event a success.
Ok, so this post included a bit of shameless self-promotion, but click here for a little shameless self promotion humor.
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