Doing Good for Good Organizations
Between tight budgets and program demand, your organization has to do more with less – and do it well no matter what because so many people are depending on you.
If your organization is undergoing a big change in leadership or workforce structure due to a merger, funding change, restructuring, retirement, or new initiative, you have even more on your already full plate.
Brighter Strategies will help you make the most of your people, processes, and plans so you can deliver on your promises and perform at the top of your game. We do that through customized organizational development and change management work.
Our Approach
We Implement Real, Meaningful Change
Organizational development and change management can have an incredibly powerful effect on your ability to meet your social mission.
Our approach is built around a core People, Planning, Process, Performance philosophy.
We believe that effective organizational development and change management requires a deep understanding of three key areas of your organization: people, plans, and processes. Improve them, improve your performance – it’s as simple as that.
What to Expect
We will start with extensive interviews to understand where you are and where you’re going, and, when needed, we’ll use organizational assessments to:
- Understand Your People: When your organization’s people (your most valuable asset) are working to their full potential, the entire organization wins.
- Create a Plan: A detailed plan of action coupled with the means to execute and evaluate it puts your organization in the driver’s seat.
- Uncover Better Processes: With the right systems and tools in place, you can do more with less – and do it better.
People are an organization’s most valuable asset, and when they are working to their full potential, the entire organization wins.
A comprehensive plan equips your organization’s leaders and employees with a map forward.
Internal evaluations help your organization put into place the systems that can ensure success.
Finally, we provide you with an overview of your current performance and strategies for improvement.
People
People are an organization’s most valuable asset, and when they are working to their full potential, the entire organization wins. Diverse teams lead to better outputs and increased productivity.
Brighter Strategies uses tools such as the Strength Deployment Inventory and teambuilding activities to unlock the talents, capabilities, experiences, and expertise in all employees. In addition, we use strategic communications planning to help your organization build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with your employees and to measure the success of your communications efforts.
We work with you to improve employee relations, talent management, staffing, compensation and rewards, and strategic human resources management. We employ a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) lens to our work and identify the appropriate resources that support equitable and inclusive workplace practices. Our goal is to help you create an equitable, efficient, motivational work environment; increase productivity, and ultimately drive your organization towards growth and success.
Sample projects include:
- Employee Relations/HR Support
- Employee Engagement Surveys
- Human Resources/DEI Audits & Asssessments
- Human Capital Planning
- Influence Mapping
- Job Redesign/Analysis
- Organizational Restructuring
- Succession Planning
- Talent Management
- Training
Planning
To achieve strong results, you need a detailed plan of action.
Brighter Strategies works collaboratively with you to design a comprehensive plan that equips nonprofit and public sector organization leaders and employees with the organizational development tools needed to establish patterns of success.
After gathering input from collaborators, community decision-makers, clients, other partners and supporters we will help you develop a clear vision for your future and set the direction for a sustainable strategic plan.
Our planning work focuses on developing long-term strategic principles and priorities that can guide your organization in adjusting to opportunities, obstacles, and challenges as they arise. Our goal is to help you help you define a vision and an executable plan that supports your culture, history, and values, while helping you achieve a meaningful impact in the community.
Sample projects include:
- DEI Assessments
- Needs Assessments
- Offsite Facilitation
- Stakeholder Perception Analysis
- Strategic Planning
- Visioning Work
Process
When an organization is working effectively and efficiently, it is in full control of its current direction and future development regardless of the regional, national, and global climates.
Brighter Strategies provides internal evaluations to help non-profit and public sector organizations put into place the systems that can ensure their success. We use workforce planning, workflow mapping and analysis tools to suggest system and process improvements, and we develop plans for performance and change management, job design, DEI organizational assessments, and team development. Finally, we use performance metrics to carefully monitor and evaluate the new programs for effectiveness.
Sample projects include:
- Business Process Re-Engineering
- Change Management
- Capacity Building
- Logic Model/Theory of Change Development
- Organizational Assessments
- Performance Management
- Process Mapping
- Program Evaluation
Performance
Successful, high-performing organizations have two things in common: they continually evaluate how they’re doing, and they make informed decisions to guide their daily operations. In other words, they have strong performance management processes, metrics and tools in place.
Brighter Strategies provides clients with an overview of their current performance and strategies for improvement. We use the appropriate assessments, selection tools, and performance appraisal systems to see where your nonprofit organization is now, and based on our findings, we suggest solutions that will benefit the entire organization over both the short- and long-term.
Sample projects include:
- Competency Model Development
- Coaching and 360 Assessments
- Leadership and Team Assessments
- Performance Management
- Metric/Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Development
- Team Development
Testimonials
After attending their training workshop, I decided to hire Brighter Strategies to help my agency develop a logic model for a challenging grant application. Thanks to their help we got the grant! The consultant I worked with is experienced, knowledgeable and responsive. I confidently recommend them to anyone in need of nonprofit planning and management consulting.
David Neumeyer, Executive Director, Virginia Legal AidAs a nonprofit, we needed an outside expert who understood our unique structure as well as the services we provide. Brighter Strategies facilitated our strategic planning, empowered us to focus on quality and service while exploring our broader vision and delivered results. Their expertise has helped our organization measure success as we have moved forward in meaningful ways.
April Pinch-Keeler, President, MVLE, Inc.Brighter Strategies uses innovative tools to help us examine how our team is developing professionally and achieving our organization’s goals. We’ve had many ‘aha moments’ during our sessions using their ideas throughout the year to improve how we accomplish our work—from healthy group dynamics to understanding and mitigating conflicts to planning new initiatives.
Nathalie Lummert, Associate Director Children's Services, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Migration and Refugee ServicesIf you seek a partner who takes a fresh approach to your organization’s leadership concerns, goals or vision – there is none better than Brighter Strategies. Their approach to group process is so engaging that the very people who resisted will thank you for the learning opportunity.
Sabrina Sojourner, Executive Office Coordinator Office of the President & CEO, InterActionBrighter Strategies was a perfect match for our Rotary Club by providing excellent coaching for our Strategic Planning Process as well as enabling us to achieve a polished product in a very efficient manner. The Brighter Strategies team was always available for guidance in each step of our process, provided impartiality that was greatly needed among our very diverse thinking membership and led two very fast moving productive workshops resulting in our Club Vision and Goals for the year. Many kudos to a great organization!
The Rotary Club of Carroll Creek, Frederick, MD