Technical Assistance (TA) can be broadly defined as any specialized skill or service that a nonprofit may require to fulfill its mission that isn’t available within the organization’s existing staff or board of directors. The range of services may vary greatly from grant-writing, meeting facilitation, development of a strategic plan, or website development. And how these services may be delivered will vary greatly as well, in terms of the cost, complexity and oversight.
Managed well, technical assistance helps an organization leverage its limited resources to effectively reach new milestones. However, without proper planning and management, technical assistance efforts can drain time and energy, distracting the organization from its core mission.
The following links and articles introduce the basic concepts to help you hire a consultant who will provide technical assistance, while avoiding common pitfalls. If you know of other appropriate articles, please email the link to Justin Sharp, jsharp@denverfoundation.org.
|
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has 3 valuable articles that outline why an organization might hire a consultant in addition to tips for choosing and managing a consultant. http://206.128.27.141/cdb/
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina outlines a suggested 5-step process to follow when choosing a consultant. http://www.cfwnc.org/orgdevconsult.html
Consultants Ontap is a service of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services in Northern California. This site has advice on interviewing, selecting and defining a good relationship with a consultant. http://www.ontap.org/advice.html |
