Situation: The Executive Director of a 50-person organization in Northern Virginia was concerned that he was solely responsible for carrying out the organization’s mission and that the organization’s vision wasn’t understood company-wide. He needed his entire executive team to begin helping him fulfill the mission, and he also wanted to confirm that employees were working towards shared goals.

Solution: After extensive interviews with the Executive Director, Brighter Strategies took on the role of facilitator and met with the staff to ensure everyone had the same understanding of the organization’s purpose, mission, values, and vision. At the conclusion of these meetings, Brighter Strategies developed a communications plan that stated the organization’s vision components and the most effective ways to distribute it. We also performed an organizational assessment to review management practices and determine what was working and what wasn’t. From this assessment, we outlined strategies the Executive Director could implement that would result in stronger “goal ownership.”

Success: The Executive Director was thrilled with the results and confident that his executive team would implement the organization’s strategic vision. The executive staff gained more ownership in the vision and mission, and employees strengthened their commitment to the organization.

Situation: A newly formed five-person organization in Virginia needed a solid foundation on which to grow. At a minimum, they knew they needed a strategic plan, but they also wanted to establish guidelines and standard operating procedures to ensure they continued to work efficiently as they grew and added employees.

Solution: Following several in-depth interviews with the organization’s president, Brighter Strategies prepared an organizational chart to guide human resources and department staffing and developed a plan that outlined the organization’s goals and objectives and financial, marketing, and outreach strategies.

Success: From day one, the organization had a strategic plan to ensure and accommodate growth.

Situation: A newly formed organization in the Washington, DC metro area had to quickly increase their staff when they were awarded a major contract. Without a formal hiring process or clear HR guidelines, their HR procedures and compensation and benefits packages were inconsistent. The disorganization led to serious morale problems when employees discovered big differences among their pay and benefits. When valuable employees began to leave, the organization realized they had to fix the problem or face continual retention issues.

Solution: Brighter Strategies performed a comprehensive assessment that included executive staff interviews, a survey of all employees, and an audit and evaluation of all HR-related materials and documentation. Based on our findings, we developed an HR Employee Manual that consolidated policies, procedures, job descriptions, compensation and benefits levels, and other important HR information into one resource. We also designed a performance appraisal system and identified industry best practices that needed to be incorporated into their HR processes.

Success: Once consistent employee compensation and benefits packages were established and implemented, employee retention and morale increased. The organization now has standardized human resource processes and policies and a firm understanding of and control over all HR-related issues.

Situation: A 35-year-old nonprofit organization in the Washington, DC area began to lose its way. Their leadership team learned that supporters were frustrated with a lack of organization and strategic vision. As a result, donations of time and money were beginning to decline, and their impact on the community was decreasing.

Solution: Brighter Strategies conducted a comprehensive program evaluation audit, examining the organization from a strategic and goal-oriented perspective. We performed interviews with stakeholders and a thorough document review to gain a holistic view of the situation. Based on the evaluation results, we developed a plan to increase staff communications with supporters and the public and realign the organization to meet the changing needs of the community at large.

Success: Not only did the organization begin to run more efficiently, employee ownership of the nonprofit’s vision and values increased significantly. The results of the turnaround were so impressive that the organization received statewide recognition for its top quality management practices.