Following a career as Chief Technology Officer for a large community foundation, I saw an opportunity to continue my work in the non-profit world. So, I began a consulting business to assist community foundations of all sizes with their data management goals. Working as teams, we added new tools, built custom reports, trained staff, provided assessments, and advised with strategic planning. We also migrated many organizatons from old to new platforms while providing continuing on-call support to address critical issues.
If your foundation is researching data management solutions, and you are looking for a consultant to assist you, please consider the following questions:
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Is the consultant skilled and experienced with an in-depth knowledge of community foundations and business practices to help you create a timeline and meet your goals?
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Will the consultant look closely at the details of your day-to-day business to help streamline operations and integrate your process with the existing or new platform?
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Can the consultant engage with each member of your team to help prepare and guide them through a migration, especially in the sticky areas which may include data cleanup, custom financials, donor statements, internal reports, and CRM?
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Will the consultant work closely with the software provider to ensure that you achieve the success experienced by other foundations?
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Will the consultant remain on-call, advocate for you with the software provider, and be ready to assist with any issue going forward?