Consulting and Evaluation with Nonprofit and Community-based Organizations


Book Description

The need for consultation and evaluation among nonprofits and government agencies has soared in recent years, as funders have demanded accountability and agencies are ill-equipped to provide the types of data-based information needed. Consulting and Evaluation with Nonprofit and Community-Based Organizations fills a critical gap in the academic literature for nonprofit management. This unique text is a collection of advice and voices from a diverse group of successful, practicing consultants who work with nonprofits and government agencies. Through surveys and interviews, these experts relate detailed information on how they got started in consulting, what types of services they provide, what types of clients they serve, the biggest challenges they face, and much more. The book also integrates current topics from a wide variety of sources so that interested readers can easily access important information all in one book. Book jacket.




Consulting with Nonprofits


Book Description

At last! A comprehensive guide to the art, craft, and business of consulting with nonprofits and community groups . . . Nonprofit consulting requires specialized skills and knowledge of how the sector works. This guide gives you the resources and tools to help you provide quality assistance throughout your career: experienced consultants will find it an invaluable reference; new consultants will get oriented to the sector and find step-by-step guidance through the entire process; technical specialists will gain insights into the larger processes that shape nonprofit organizations; for-profit consultants and business sector volunteers will discover how to shift their expertise to match the unique culture of nonprofit and community work; students in public administration, organization development, and nonprofit management will find it a useful guide for fieldwork, service projects, or future career search. With this illustrated guide you get: an overview of the nonprofit sector and unique elements of consulting with nonprofits; the six-stage process of consulting with concrete steps and challenges in each stage; the art of consulting, including roles, dynamics, and ethics; lessons from the field--stories from thirty skilled consultants offering sage advice on common challenges from setting up contracts to cross-cultural consulting to choosing a consulting role that matches the client's needs; when team consulting makes sense; key differences between internal and external consulting; how to run your business; marketing your services; setting fees, estimating costs, and billing; managing your career growth; working with funders; nine worksheets, sample proposals, professional standards, annotated bibliography; and much more!




Diverse Careers in Community Psychology


Book Description

Community psychology is a diverse field. Community psychologists may work for the government, for nonprofit foundations, as researchers or teachers in academic settings, at NGOs, as independent consultants, overseas in international development, and more. Despite such professional diversity, very little information has formally been made available to students and practitioners about the range of careers they can pursue when studying community psychology. Diverse Careers in Community Psychology details a range of potential career paths for someone with community psychology or related social science training, describes the different types of careers (e.g., tasks involved, benefits and challenges, salary range, etc.), and outlines steps one can take to develop such a career. The volume is built on three foundations: (1) a career survey of almost 450 respondents, which provides quantitative information about the different types of settings in which individuals with community psychology training might find themselves; (2) more than twenty chapters by contributors who share their personal stories and guidance on how to select, prepare for, find, and succeed in careers similar to theirs; (3) and interviews with community psychologists, further illustrating examples discussed in the authored chapters. This volume provides both a depth and breadth of information about the possible careers available for someone with community psychology or related training.




Nonprofit Consulting Essentials


Book Description

Consultants are playing an increasingly important role in the challenging world of nonprofits. Yet despite the demand for consulting services, nonprofit professionals often lack the necessary insight into how best to choose and work with a consultant. Nonprofit Consulting Essentials is a vital resource both for nonprofit leaders selecting and working with a consultant to guarantee the best use of their agency’s resources, as well as consultants seeking a clear understanding of the more subtle dynamics that define a successful consulting practice working with social sector organizations. Drawing on Penelope Cagney’s years of experience as a top-level nonprofit consultant, Nonprofit Consulting Essentials is filled with keen insights and in-depth interviews with the founders and leaders of influential consulting firms. Throughout the book, Cagney outlines a number of concrete consulting strategies that can serve as additional tools for managers seeking to resolve complex organizational development issues. Nonprofit Consulting Essentials also offers recommendations to nonprofit leaders and consultants to make their relationship the best it can be. Once a solid alliance is formed, they can tackle complex organizational challenges together, such as fundraising and marketing, governance and management, and organizational development. Cagney explores what it takes to make the consulting experience a success and covers vital topics such as: the key differences between consulting with nonprofits versus for-profit organizations, the primary areas of nonprofit consultation, making the consulting relationship work, the special ethical considerations of consulting in the sector, and understanding emerging trends in consulting. Nonprofit Consulting Essentials reviews the best practices and thinking in the nonprofit consulting practice, providing leaders and consultants a way to ensure a robust organization in the future.




Community Psychology


Book Description

Drawing upon the wisdom of experts in the field, this reader-friendly volume of Community Psychology edited by Victoria Scott and Susan Wolfe explores both foundational competencies and the technical how-to skills needed for engaging in community psychology practice. Each chapter explores a core competency and its application in preventing or amending community problems and issues. With case examples throughout, this book offers a practical introduction to community outreach and intervention in community psychology.




Building a New Generation of Culturally Responsive Evaluators Through AEA's Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program


Book Description

This issue coincides with the 10th anniversary of the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA’s) Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) program. It emphasize core decisions and developments of the GEDI program and feature key participants who have participated in and contributed to the development and implementation of the program. Together, the chapters focus on: Factors that contributed to the design and organization of the program Critical components and aspects of the program that guide its implementation, characterized by the leadership training, mentorship and professional socialization, and the practical project placements Lessons learned, which reveal the opportunities and challenges of expanding pipelines and pathways of diversity and social justice through professional associations. This is the 143rd issue in the New Directions for Evaluation series from Jossey-Bass. It is an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.




Community Psychology


Book Description

This visionary textbook is the third edition of a trusted and highly respected introduction to community psychology. The editors have focused on three contemporary social issues in order to illustrate key concepts throughout the book: climate change, affordable housing and homelessness, and immigration. Featuring a wide range of critical perspectives from international scholars and practitioners, Community Psychology encourages students to consider theories and methodologies in light of how they might be applied to different cultures and settings. It develops students' ability to think critically about the role of psychology in society, and about how the work of community psychologists can aid in the liberation of oppressed groups, promoting social justice and flourishing both for people and for our planet. This book is essential reading for students taking both undergraduate and graduate courses in community psychology and its related fields. New to this Edition: - New chapters on power and racism - Coverage of the latest research in the field, with numerous new concepts, theories, and references - An approach which takes three critical issues as illustrative examples throughout the book: immigration, affordable housing and homelessness, and climate change. Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/community-psychology-3e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.




Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership


Book Description

Nonprofit leadership is messy Nonprofits leaders are optimistic by nature. They believe with time, energy, smarts, strategy and sheer will, they can change the world. But as staff or board leader, you know nonprofits present unique challenges. Too many cooks, not enough money, an abundance of passion. It’s enough to make you feel overwhelmed and alone. The people you help need you to be successful. But there are so many obstacles: a micromanaging board that doesn’t understand its true role; insufficient fundraising and donors who make unreasonable demands; unclear and inconsistent messaging and marketing; a leader who’s a star in her sector but a difficult boss… And yet, many nonprofits do thrive. Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership will show you how to do just that. Funny, honest, intensely actionable, and based on her decades of experience, this is the book Joan Garry wishes she had when she led GLAAD out of a financial crisis in 1997. Joan will teach you how to: Build a powerhouse board Create an impressive and sustainable fundraising program Become seen as a ‘workplace of choice’ Be a compelling public face of your nonprofit This book will renew your passion for your mission and organization, and help you make a bigger difference in the world.




Essentials of Health Behavior


Book Description

Health promotion, education, and prevention programs ultimately focus on changing health behavior. Essentials of Health Behavior, Second Edition provides the groundwork for understanding, assessing, and effectively applying theories of human behavior within the practice of public health. In clear and accessible language, it provides the student with a background of the kinds of social and behavioral theories that guide our understanding of health related behavior and form the background for health promotion and prevention efforts. Filled with real life examples and profiles, the text explores some of the ways in which these theories and approaches are used in applied health promotion efforts. This book will: - Introduce students to the relationship between behavior and a selection of major health issues. - Provide an introductory background to the kinds of social and behavioral theories that guide our understanding of health related behavior and form the background for health promotion and prevention efforts. - Explore some of the ways in which these theories and approaches are used in applied health promotion efforts. The Second Edition offers: - New chapter on multi-level theories and frameworks - Updated examples of application and practice throughout - Additional information on several of the theories presented, such as the Diffusion of Innovations theory and the Social Cognitive Theory Looking for more real-life evidence? Check out Cases 3, 5-11, 13, 18, & 20 in Essential Case Studies in Public Health, Putting Public Health into Practice.




Guidebook to Community Consulting


Book Description

A practical guide to collaborating and consulting with communities to enhance social change.