ENGAGEMENTS
Kela Associates has provided a wide range of executive coaching, organizational effectiveness consulting, facilitation, strategic planning and/or other services. This includes work for the following nonprofit organizations, foundations, and community leaders:
Academy 21 (Honolulu, HI): see Hawaii Change Leaders Project -- www.academy21.org
Aloha Medical Mission (Honolulu, HI): planning, facilitating, and preparing summary report for Aloha Medical Mission's Board Retreat -- www.alohamedicalmission.org
Annie E. Casey Foundation (Baltimore, MD): multi-party meeting planning and facilitation for a grantee organization in the community development field that had experienced an unsuccessful leadership transition and resultant financial reverses -- www.aecf.org.
Catholic Community Services (Washington, DC): assisting the executive director and boards of Catholic Community Services and the Catholic Charities Foundation in Washington, D.C. by helping to plan, and facilitating, meetings with the two boards -- one focused on fund raising, the other on providing community services. These meetings were called to decide upon branding of the organization, improve collaboration between the two boards, and encourage increased engagement by the Catholic Community Services board -- www.catholiccharitiesdc.org. See also Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Institute.
Center for Nonprofit Advancement (Washington, DC(: assisting the Center and the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, DC to review published surveys of nonprofit support needs and conduct literature search and conduct interviews to identify leading nonprofit support practices and programs;
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (Washington, DC): providing executive coaching, strategic planning and goal setting support services -- including time management and work-life balance tools -- and organizational design counsel in support of a major foundation initiative on increasing community service for university age Jewish youth -- www.schusterman.org
Community Action Project of Tulsa County --CAPTC (Tulsa, OK): (1) executive coaching for an exceptional leader in the field of early childhood development, affordable housing, and individual and community asset building to alleviate inter-generational poverty; (2) advising about organizational realignment in light of changes in the organization's mission and strategic plan; (3) helping the organization develop improved public policy analysis and advocacy capability and a systematic approach to prioritizing issues; (4) assisting CAPTC's Innovation Lab in design and implementation of a new initiative to end the intergenerational cycle of poverty in Tulsa; (5) coaching the new leader of the Tulsa anti-poverty/innovation initiative; and (6) researching and developing guidance for successful behavior change initiatives; -- www.captc.org.
Community Foundation Land Trust, California Community Foundation (Los Angeles, CA): strategic and business planning; strategic communications counseling; and outreach and partnership development support services -- for an innovative program to promote wealth building homeownership for current and future generations of low- and moderate-income residents of the Los Angeles County area (and other high land cost -- http://www.calfund.org/learn/land_trust.php.
DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (Washington, DC): conducting staff interviews; designing and facilitating an all staff retreat to address future goals and reorganization needs of the Washington, DC area's intermediary organization for support of out-of-school time programs in the Nation's capital; and preparing a report summarizing the results of the retreat -- www.cyitc.org.
DC Vote (Washington, DC): (1) providing coaching services for the executive director of DC Vote, and (2) assisting in planning and facilitating a series of board meetings to reassess goals and strategy, reconcile conflicting viewpoints, and help develop a unified position for the future for achieving full voting representation for the District of Columbia in Congress. -- www.dcvote.org. (Note: the board's consensus position was ratified by the U.S. House of Representatives when in April 2007 it agreed to full voting representation in the House for the District of Columbia again by the Senate in early 2009)
George Kaiser Family Foundation/Tulsa Community Foundation (Tulsa, OK): facilitating a meeting of community, health, and human services organizations to advise the Foundation regarding Tulsa's most pressing community needs and philanthropic investment opportunities likely to produce demonstrable improvements within 2-3 years;
Georgetown University Center on Public and Nonprofit Leadership (Washington, DC): see Jessie Ball duPont Fund
Hauoli Mau Loa Foundation (Honolulu, HI): providing planning assistance for a first meeting with a cohort of the Hope for Kids grantees of the foundation on approaches to evaluation
Hawaii Change Leaders Project (Academy 21)/Hawaii Educational Association (Honolulu, HI): providing business planning counsel, coaching, and consulting assistance to help an innovative nonprofit educational leadership development program in Hawaii develop a strategic business plan that would enable it to pursue mission, enhance 21st Century skills acquisition by Hawaii's students, and achieve sustainable profitability no longer dependent principally on philanthropy ; -- http://www.academy21.org/
Hawaii Department of Health, Chronic Disease Management and Control (Honolulu, HI): assisting in designing breakout sessions for the 2011 Chronic Disease Summit, including training facilitators, facilitating the plenary session at the end of the meeting, and in preparing a report summarizing the highlights of the Summit;
Hawaii Electricians Market Enhancement Program Fund (Honolulu, HI): designing and facilitating a strategic planning Summit that is bringing together 90+ electrical contractors and IBEW Local 1186 union electricians to devise win-win strategies and new methods of collaboration to enhance the market and market share for unionized electrical contractors in Hawai'i;
Hawaii Wildlife Fund/Maui Reef Fund (Maui, HI): providing coaching and strategic consulting support to the Executive Director and the members of the Maui Reef Fund regarding vision, stakeholder analysis, and priority strategies to assist leaders in the Maui marine tourism industry protect the coral reefs on which their businesses depend -- www.wildhawaii.org;
Hee Nalu Learning Center/Surfrider Spirit Sessions Program (Kailua, Oahu, HI): (1) providing coaching and consulting assistance to the Executive Director and the Board Chair; (2) assisting in preparation and implementation of a strategic planning grant proposal for an innovative youth development program. This program enables adjudicated teenage girls and boys to learn how to surf, to get college credit for an intensified college level ocean studies course, and in the process develop self-esteem, heightened sense of personal responsibility, new awareness of personal potential, and other important benefits; (3) exploring the feasibility of a pilot project to bring the successful Oahu program to Maui -- www.surferspirit.org; and www.http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/2008/08/27/ help-lets-get-troubled-kids-out-of-court-and-into-college;
Historic St. Luke's Church (Smithfield, VA): providing coaching to the Executive Director to assist in time management, staff management, prioritization, and strengthening the Board's engagement and fundraising -- www.historicstlukes.org;
HKL Castle Foundation (Kailua, Oahu, HI): (1) assisting the Executive Director in surveying near shore communities on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, and Molokai'i to determine their perceptions of community capacity building needs to effectively protect and restore near shore marine resources and help the Foundation develop a dashboard of indicators for which it can hold itself accountable for building needed community capacity; and (2) assisting the Executive Director in surveying programs to increase the motivation of children of low-income families to save for and attend college; -- www.castlefoundation.org;
HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support) (Honolulu, HI): (1) providing executive coaching to the organization's Executive Director to help meet new performance expectations of the Board; (2) facilitating a board retreat on strategic planning and revisiting success criteria and measures for the organization; and (3) planning and facilitating a program evaluation process, including development of new SMART goals for 2010 and beyond -- http://www.hugslove.org
Inglewood Neighborhood Housing Services/The Ford Foundation (Los Angeles, CA): developing a report on a workshop at The Ford Foundation on "Asset Building Services for Moderate-Income Households: Developing an Alternative to Homeownership for Wealth-Building." (Dec. 2005) -- www.homeownershipcenter.com/
Jacksonville Community Foundation (Jacksonville FL): assisting the Community Foundation in planning a Board Retreat to reassess vision and appropriate balance between donor directed philanthropy and community-directed strategic philanthropy -- www.jaxcf.org
Jacksonville Humane Society (Jacksonville FL): designing and facilitating a Board Retreat focused on enhancing Board engagement in support of the organization's capital campaign and obtaining board commitment to re-launch the campaign after its being put on hold during the economic downturn -- www.jaxhumane.org
Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center (Jacksonville, FL): providing executive coaching and business plan development support to the Executive Director and Board Chair -- regarding clarification of success goals, alignment of strategic priorities, marketing initiatives, productivity enhancement, and strengthening the board and senior leadership team; supporting grant writing and fundraising plan development; providing strategic planning coaching, consulting and facilitation support for the board and Executive Director -- http://www.shcjax.org/
Jessie Ball duPont Fund/Georgetown University Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership: (1) helping design and facilitate a set of meetings ("Board Chair-Executive Director Leadership Institutes") between 45 grantee Executive Directors and their board chairs over a three year period to improve board-ED relationships and enhance organizational effectiveness; (2) preparing post-Leadership Institute reports for the first three years assessing overall reactions, beneficial impacts, and ways to improve future Institutes; and (3) providing a presentation on Executive Coaching for nonprofit leaders, including a real time demonstration of executive coaching, and exploration of its value as a tool for reflection, renewal, and performance enhancement. -- http://www.dupontfund.org and http://cpnl.georgetown.edu
Kalihi-Palama Health Center (Honolulu, HI): providing executive coaching to the Executive Director of the Center and helping build Executive Team leadership, improved communication, and an explicit set of shared commitments. -- www.kphc.org
Kamehameha School (Honolulu, HI): assisting in planning and facilitating the formation of the Kaka'ako Community Alliance. This involved a series of meetings between Kamehameha School and the Kaka'ako Improvement Association to develop proactive and systematic responses to a series of public policy issues affecting this neighborhood, including new legislative proposals on workforce housing requirements, transit related issues, and overall community development. -- www.ksbe.org
Kanu Hawaii (Honolulu, HI): (1) planning and facilitating a strategic planning and performance assessment ADVANCE meeting between the Board and senior staff of the organization, including a review of Board roles and responsibilities and how to create more engaging and effective campaigns; and (2) providing an evaluation of lessons learned and Kanu's performance under a Kellogg Foundation grant to assist three nonprofit partners building their community organizing and movement-building capacity using a suite of technology tools and approaches developed by Kanu. -- www.kanuhawaii.org
Kapi'olani Community College/Not for Profit Certification Program (Honolulu, HI): designing and delivering a one-day inter-active workshop on Nonprofit Governance, Board Development and Board-Staff Division of Responsibilities, utilizing real-world cases and small group and large group discussions to learn the principles of sound nonprofit governance, board development and engagement, and co-intelligent decision-making by boards, staff, and joint-board staff work groups.
Kellogg Foundation (Battle Creek, MI): providing national program design consultation, implementation, advice on grantee selection, community outreach and prototype development support, facilitation, and business outreach support for the Kellogg Foundation's "New Options Initiative." This innovative initiative seeks to develop novel partnerships, new pathways, innovative prototypes, and a national credentialing system for market driven employment in line with the aspirations of young people 16-24 years of age who have untapped potential, yet have not succeeded in traditional public school settings. The work for Kellogg includes helping evaluate, recommend, and work with leading youth and workforce development organizations in six cities -- Baltimore, Cambridge, Oakland, Omaha, Pittsburgh, and Tucson -- and their affiliates and replication sites. Each site is developing locally appropriate new models for connecting disconnected youth with market place employment and enterprise opportunities and for connecting business groups with a talent pool of ready, willing and able employees and entrepreneurs. It also includes outreach to leading national employer and business organizations with an interest in employing out of school youth. http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=166&NID=61&LanguageID=0.
Latino Economic Development Corporation (Washington, DC): assisting in designing and facilitating a board retreat aimed at improving internal and external communication and effectively promoting the new branding of the organization. -- www.ledcmetro.org
Montgomery County Community Foundation (MD) and Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, DC: developing a scan of exemplary practices of local governments throughout the U.S. in creating innovative partnerships with the nonprofit sector and mechanisms for enhancing the performance of the nonprofit sector and improving the sector's ability to assist local government in delivering essential services to constituents. This scan was developed for use by the nonprofit sector to brief the new county executive of Montgomery County, MD. and resulted in establishment of a new Office of Community Partnerships in the Montgomery County government. -- www.cfncr.org/page18104.cfm and www.nonprofitroundtable.org.
Na Lei Aloha Foundation (Honolulu, HI): designing the Foundation's new Tables for Ten program to extend the Bridge of Friendship and helping to facilitate two of the initial sets of Tables for Ten -- www.naleialoha.org;
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development -- National CAPACD (Washington, DC): program design for technical assistance and training components of business plan; research, outreach and partnership development support services; assistance in upgrading the organization's foundations relations strategy -- www.nationalcapacd.org.
National Council for La Raza -- NCLR (Washington, DC): providing a third party evaluation of measures undertaken to ensure financial stability (and optimal methods for oversight) of a subsidiary project of NCLR -- Democracia USA, and identifying and assessing options for NCLR's future relationship with DUSA; -- www.nclr.org;
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, DC: (1) assisting in designing a series of focus groups among members and staff -- and facilitating meetings of the board -- to identify highest priorities for future program focus of the Nonprofit Roundtable and help develop its next generation strategic plan; (2) serving as lead coach and helping design the 2007-8 Roundtable Fellows program for "Executive Leadership Beyond the Walls"; (3) preparing a report summarizing surveys of nonprofit support needs that have been published and reviewing leading practices of nonprofit support organizations for the Roundtable and the Centers for Nonprofit Advancement; and (4) assisting in team building and development of shared commitments by the staff of the Roundtable; -- www.nonprofitroundtable.org
Old Swedes Foundation and Historic Site (Wilmington, DE): assist in designing and facilitating a board retreat to deepen board engagement, develop a fund raising and communications/ marketing plan, and identify needed capacity development for the organization; -- www.oldswedes.org;
Omaha Street School (Omaha, NE): providing a preliminary needs assessment with specific recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of the school, ensuring its sustainability, and strengthening its infrastructure; providing executive coaching in implementing the recommendations of the needs assessment and strengthening community partnerships, and succession planning -- www.omahastreetschool.org.
Presbyterian Home and Family Service (Lynchburg, VA): (1) providing coaching to the CEO (and others on the senior leadership team) on organizational realignment, board relations, and a new strategic plan to increase income, endowment, reach and impact of the organization; helping shift the paradigm of service to better assist people with mental and other disabilities in the face of new public policy trends; coping with the economic downturn of 2009; (2) providing independent analysis of and coaching support for a potential merger with another human services provider in Virginia; (3) assisting the leadership team in developing shared commitments to one another for improved performance and supporting the integration of the PHFS and its new merger partner, the Family Alliance; and (4) providing coaching and consulting re effective integration of the two merger partners -- www.phfs.org.
Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities (Washington, DC): facilitating a joint Board-staff retreat to clarify the Trust's vision of success -- how the lives of individuals with disabilities would change if the Trust were successful in executing its vision; providing follow up planning and coaching assistance to the Executive Director -- www.dcqualitytrust.org.
State Church Leader: providing executive coaching services to assist in evaluating a significant national professional opportunity, to weigh pros and cons, and explore how to optimize the likelihood both of receiving the offer and negotiating terms and conditions which would make this substantial life change attractive (taking into account a range of personal, family, professional, and spiritual goals and responsibilities).
Surfrider Spirit Sessions (Kailua, Oahu, HI): providing a variety of executive coaching for the Executive Director of this successor organization to He'e Nalu, including board building, fund raising, outcomes clarification, partnership development, and staff management: -- www.surferspirit.org
Tree of Life Guardianship (Seattle, WA): providing coaching to the executive director of a nonprofit organization of Native American elders regarding fundraising, organizational development, partnership creation, and other matters; -- www.treeoflifeguardianship.com
University of Hawaii, School of Accountancy (Honolulu, HI): designing, facilitating and reporting on a strategic planning session involving students, faculty, and practitioners for the School of Accountancy;
USS Missouri Memorial Association (Honolulu, HI): designing and facilitating a staff retreat to explore and make recommendations for improving the visitor experience for those visiting the USS Battleship Missouri in Peal Harbor, while retaining the ship's historical authenticity, memorializing those who served their country, and enhancing the financial sustainability of the organization that preserves the ship. -- http://www.ussmissouri.com/
Waioli-Nuhou Corporation (Lihue, Kauai, HI): designing and facilitating a strategic and business planning process for (and with) the board and Executive Director to help bring organizational expenses and revenues into alignment and to ensure the long term preservation of the historic lands, buildings, and collections left in trust for the people of Kauai by Ms. Mabel Wilcox -- www.grovefarm.net;
What's Your Issue Foundation (Los Angeles, CA): providing fund raising and strategic consulting to the Executive Director of the organization -- www.filmyourissue.org