As circumstances are changing on a daily basis, we want to update you on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our number one priority is the health and safety of our staff, consultants, fellows, volunteers and clients. To that end, we are following federal and state guidelines and recommending practicing social distancing in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19. In light of these developments, this update outlines how ESC’s operations have changed, and our new guidelines for your work with your ESC clients:
ESC Office:
- Our physical office remains closed for the foreseeable future.
- All staff are currently working remotely. Full-time staff (Julie, Miles, Christine and Nadéla) are available during regular business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- ESC staff are now only holding meetings via phone or videoconference until further notice.
- The best way to initially reach staff is by email. Calls can be arranged easily and quickly.
- Some of our part-time staff work on specific days. Please reach out to specific staff members to find out his/her availability.
Meetings with Clients:
- ESC strongly urges all consultants and fellows to only hold meetings via phone or videoconference until further notice.
- Consultants and fellows are encouraged to set up an account and use www.freeconferencecalling.com for calls with multiple participants. When document slide deck presentations are necessary, we encourage the strategic use of ESC’s videoconference tools Zoom and Go-To-Meeting (GTM). ESC’s Zoom and GTM options require reservations. Please email ReserveZoom@empowersuccesscorps.org well in advance to secure a videoconference account for use. Please reach out to Miles, Christine or Donna if you need additional assistance with any type of virtual meeting setup.
- If you experience pressure from clients to participate in a meeting in person, we are here for you. Please reach out to an ESC staff team member and we’ll deal with the situation on a case-by-case basis.
- These guidelines will be in effect for the time being, and we will continue to communicate with you regarding any changes – depending on guidance from public health officials and as circumstances change.
- We encourage you to communicate directly with your clients to share how changes will affect your specific engagements and interactions.
Consulting Engagements:
- If you are currently on an engagement, please reach out to Miles, Julie or Lynn if you have questions or they can be helpful.
- Please share with Miles, Julie or Lynn anything you think we need to know about your client and the engagement – e.g., client wants to move start date or end date, client’s staff are all remote now, client is shut-down temporarily, etc. – and share the impact of this change on the engagement.
- While it’s very understandable if a client needs to put a pause on engagement, if you get such a request, please contact Miles, Julie or Lynn directly so that they can have follow up discussions with the client concerning next steps.
- Project leads should coordinate with their teams and clients to determine the best way to move forward – by phone, Zoom, email, or postponement. Please check on the comfort level with everyone involved for how best to communicate and conduct meetings. To the degree possible we hope engagements can continue as previously scheduled, but know this will vary by type of engagement and by client.
- Appoint one person from your project team to be your Zoom, Go-To-Meeting or conference call “coordinator” – preferably someone who really understands how these services work and can teach and build comfort on the team.
Institutes, Cohorts and Trainings:
- Upcoming ESC trainings, such as new consultant on-boarding trainings, and institute and cohort sessions scheduled for March and April, are being either postponed or moved online.
- If you are a consultant or fellow involved in one of these trainings or institute or cohort session, you’ll be receiving more information directly from Donna, Miles, Lynn or Julie.
- As of today, the Celebration of Service (scheduled for May 4th) and consultant/fellow trainings that we are scheduling for May will proceed as planned. However, as you may know, circumstances can change on a daily basis.
During this difficult time, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing the best customer service possible to our nonprofit clients, and to making the greatest possible impact on the region’s nonprofits. We will continue to monitor developments in order to best support each other, our nonprofit clients and the communities they serve. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us with your questions or concerns. On behalf of the entire ESC staff, we wish you and your loved ones full strength and good health as we weather this uncertain time together.
Kind regards,
Julie
Julie Crockford
President
Empower Success Corps
176 Federal Street, Suite 5C, Boston, MA 02110
617.357.5550 (office) 857.204.9923 (mobile)
jcrockford@empowersuccesscorps.org
