SOAR Management Consulting Group

Now recruiting for our Spring 2025 class! Please share now with your professional and personal networks: Now recruiting for the next class of SOAR Management Consulting Group volunteer consultants. SOAR management consultants work alongside other accomplished professionals to develop fresh and strategic solutions to organizational issues facing local nonprofits and public agencies. Consultants broaden professional connections and grow their own skill sets while making an important difference in communities throughout Greater Boston. Learn more and apply here:?https://lnkd.in/djPZ56dt

If you have interest in our upcoming Spring consultant training class, please fill out this quick form: https://lnkd.in/e7XZRkFC

SOAR Management Consulting Group strengthens the impact of Greater Boston nonprofits by providing?year round expert?pro bono management consulting?services.?In FY24 SOAR?completed 12 projects representing $1,200,000 in free services to clients.?With a unique consultant training program and a new strategic plan, SOAR is poised to further expand its services and support to the nonprofit community.??Check?out our Annual Report to learn more.?#probono #greaterboston #strategicplanning #nonprofit https://lnkd.in/epHd872Q

Recent SOAR Professional Development Event Succession Planning for Mission-Driven Organizations: Insights from Rey Spadoni Last week, SOAR had the privilege of hosting a thought-provoking session with Rey Spadoni, a renowned expert in organizational leadership and author of "Saving Organizations that Matter". Rey shared invaluable insights on how nonprofits can effectively navigate the complexities of organizational culture and succession planning. Key takeaways from the event included: The importance of organizational culture in transformation: According to Rey’s experience, organizations that successfully transform have a strong organizational culture characterized by high levels of trust, respect, transparency, and active listening, as well as a clear and compelling mission. Adapting to external changes: Rey explored the impact of external factors on succession planning and how to build resilience in the face of uncertainty. Thank you Rey and to everyone who attended! Your participation made this event a success.

SOAR is so fortunate to have Virginia facilitate the training for our new consultants! The sessions are engaging and informative, and our “graduates” are ready to hit the ground running. We couldn’t ask for more. Thank you Virginia!

Many thanks to the The Sudbury Foundation for awarding SOAR with a generous grant to support our Professional Development Training: “Demystifying DEI: An Approach to Organizational Change” given by the Wayside Equity Training Center. We are looking forward to learning how we can enhance our effectiveness in our?consulting work with?nonprofits serving increasingly diverse communities.

This week we had our last FY24 quarterly Community of Practice meeting. Our Community of Practice at Project Bread is formed with past and current Community Investments grantees, with the of creating a space for fellow non profit leaders to exchange knowledge, experience, learn together and ultimately increase our collective impact in the communities we serve. At this last meeting, we were honored to have SOAR Management Consulting Group facilitating a discussion around top challenges these non profits faced in the past year. SOAR provides probono management consulting services to small to medium size nonprofits. Thank you Karen Leibold and Marcia Hertz for your wisdom and engaging discussion. We are very grateful for the partnership! Thank you also to CUMMINGS FOUNDATION for supporting SOAR Management Consulting Group and Andrew Bishop for connecting me with them. The conversation was so passionate that we forgot to take pictures of the group. But special shoutout to our partners and gratees who send representatives from far and wide to attend the hybrid meeting in person: La Colaborativa, The Marion Institute, Inc. , Matappan Food and Fitness Coalition, Mass In Motion Fall River, Everett Community Growers, Inc., Mill City Grows and Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Inc. #communityengagement #partnerships #collaboration

SOAR has a great partnership with MWNN! Their Nonprofit Management Certificate Program is not to be missed and they are still accepting applications. It would be a great opportunity for our consultants or clients!

Spotlight: ThinkGive. SOAR Management Consulting Group is the recipient of a $60,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation over three years to support its work providing Greater Boston area nonprofits with pro bono consulting services. SOAR works with small and midsize nonprofits facing challenges associated with organizational growth and change. One such nonprofit is ThinkGive, Inc., a social and emotional learning program in Concord, for youth in grades K-8 to help them develop self-awareness, social awareness and relationship skills. The goal is to inspire young people to use kindness and empathy to engage with their world. “We had such a good experience working with SOAR on our first consulting project that we asked if they would do a second project with us. The work we did together helped transform our organization,” said Penny Austen, the executive director of ThinkGive, Inc. “Our consultants live and work in the communities that our clients serve and see the good work they do day in and day out. One of our key pillars is helping our nonprofits thrive. Our goal is to help them build sustainability for the future. Seeing them succeed is the greatest reward of all,” said SOAR President Karen Leibold. SOAR consultants are all volunteers with significant executive/professional level experience and a broad range of knowledge and expertise including finance, operations, marketing, healthcare, education, business development and more in both private and public sectors. Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, Mass., and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. Additional information is available at https://lnkd.in/eQJ6ByhB. SOAR’s work is done on a collaborative basis that empowers nonprofits to achieve impact in their communities. For more information on becoming an consultant or using these services, please visit https://www.soarmcg.org/. #CummingsGrant #soarmcg #nonprofits #Boston

SOAR Management Consulting Group is the recipient of a $60,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation over three years to support its mission of providing Greater Boston area nonprofits with pro bono consulting services. SOAR specializes in working with small and midsize nonprofits facing challenges associated with organizational growth and change. SOAR consultants are volunteers with significant executive/professional level experience and a broad range of knowledge and expertise including finance, operations, marketing, healthcare, education, business development and more in both private and public sectors. “We are thrilled that Cummings Foundation recognizes the important work we’re doing to help nonprofits with their immediate needs in order that they may serve their communities in the best way possible,” said Karen Leibold, president of SOAR. “This grant will allow us to train more consultants, expand our services geographically and help more people. The need has never been greater.” According to the Cummings Foundation, the $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, plus six communities in Norfolk County: Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy and Wellesley. “Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.” Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, Mass., and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. (See https://lnkd.in/dVqC4AA) SOAR’s work is done on a collaborative basis that empowers nonprofits to achieve impact in their communities. For more information on joining SOAR as a consultant or client, please visit https://www.soarmcg.org/. #CummingsGrant #soarmcg #nonprofits #nonprofitmanagement #boston #managemementconsulting Below: SOAR's Karen Leibold, left, and Marcia Hertz at a recent Cummings Foundation celebration.