When many nonprofits in New England closed their doors in mid-March due to state shut down orders, ESC took a step back to assess how best to serve our clients in light of the global pandemic. While some of our clients decided to temporarily pause their consulting engagements, several felt it was a good time continue with planning projects so that they would be ready for what the future would bring.
Knowing that we had to fundamentally change how we work, ESC initiated the transition from a primarily face-to-face, capacity builder to a virtual-driven organization that could effectively provide services to clients remotely. To do this, it was necessary to design programs and trainings that enabled our consultants and fellows to work nimbly in this new, virtual world.
By late April, ESC formed a virtual technology training team and began to develop a series of Zoom trainings that focused not only on the features and functions of this video conference platform, but also on how to plan and facilitate engaging and interactive virtual meeting content. Over the next three months, ESC hosted 30 workshops with more than 170 attendees.
Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate and raise awareness about climate change and its impacts, approached ESC in the winter of 2020 to help with a strategic plan. After careful consideration, the organization decided to move forward with the project in the middle of March. The strategic planning team held meetings every other week for seven months via Zoom and shared documents virtually. They could access and edit content such as goals, strategies, and action plans synchronously during the meeting. The key to the project’s success was organization and on-going communication – which was not impacted by working virtually. “It seemed like we were all in the same room together even though we were scattered around the Boston area. Zoom and the document sharing tools helped facilitate meeting discussions and interactive workshops. After a few meetings, I forgot we were virtual. We kept everyone engaged and the project moving forward,” said Jane Mann, ESC’s lead consultant.
Although in-person meetings have been less common during this period, project teams are finding creative ways to make connections. The Barrington Public Library also engaged with ESC on a strategic planning project. Most of the initial meetings were held online for the first few months. However, in late September, complying with state guidelines, the team conducted a socially distanced, open-air meeting to discuss goal setting by the bank of the Barrington River.
“We focus on meeting our sister nonprofits where they are at. Our goal is to make the projects run smoothly in a way that is most comfortable for the organizations we work with. Whether it is determining the meeting environment, deciding on file sharing protocols, or adapting to schedules, ESC is flexible in working with each client’s unique needs,” said Julie Crockford, President of ESC. “There are some positive aspects to people being at home more. Normally projects slow over the summer but with people traveling less, project teams are getting more done in a shorter time frame.”
Another benefit of working virtually is that it enables ESC to put together the best consulting teams regardless of geographic location. “We have consultants from Vermont to Rhode Island and everywhere in between. In the past, we tended to staff projects with consultants who were relatively local to the client. Now we can use Boston area consultants in northern New England and vice versa. It enables us to put together the strongest teams,” said Lynn Post, ESC’s Interim Director of Consulting and Director of Northern New England.
While the first seven months of the pandemic have been challenging for everyone, nonprofits are continuing to find ways to reinvent the way they work and deliver their services. ESC helps nonprofits adapt during these challenging times. Whether you need help with strategic planning, fundraising, board development, finance, or marketing, our experienced consultants can provide an affordable solution that’s right for your organization.
Photo: Consultants from ESC (Victoria Wicks, Mary Tafuri Ross and Lorraine Hynes) and the members of the strategic planning team from Barrington Public Library in Rhode Island.
