WINDY CITY HERE WE COME: do good opens Chicago office

by Jessica Paulsen, Chicago Metro Office Director, do good Consulting

Over the past few years, the do good team has made several trips north on I-57. We've worked with clients in the suburbs and spoken at conferences in Chicago. Organizations across Chicagoland have turned to do good for advice. Over the past several months, our visits have increased in frequency. We like it so much that we've decided to stay.

On July 1, 2009, do good Consulting's newest office opened for business in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. Organizations across northern Illinois can now access the same full-scope consulting services offered by do good's team of experts in Urbana from an office in their own backyard. With just a quick ride on the Metra or El, our team can bring our show on the road across the Chicago region. You can find our newest office at 4410 N. Ravenswood, Chicago. Or give us a ring at 773-353-3564.

Windy City, here we come!

Meet Jessica Paulsen, Chicago Office Director

by Laura Huth, President & CEO, do good Consulting

In 2006, I made a very big mistake. I missed the opportunity to hire a fantastic woman to lead important work at Habitat for Humanity – to be the Executive Director’s right-hand woman, if you will. I let Jessica Paulsen slip through my fingers.

I’ve been kicking myself ever since, watching this dynamic firecracker of a woman work wonders at a number of other institutions, most recently the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Jess is full of energy, determination, vision, and grit and I was envious: I wanted her on my team. Be patient, I told myself, your time will come.

Originally from New York, Jessica’s experience is vast: she has produced remarkable results with organizations that specialize in the arts, health care, education, financial literacy, and basic needs.

Jess and I stayed in touch, and earlier this year, she called to ask for a meeting. “I have news,” she said.

We met for dinner a week later and she asked if I remembered talking with her about a Chicago office for do good Consulting. As a Chicagoland native myself, the opening of a Chicago do good office has long been in my dreams and plans. “Sure, Jess,” I said. “Why?”

She surprised me with the news that she and her husband were moving to Chicago this summer. She was finishing her MBA at the University of Illinois, while—incredibly—also working as Development & Marketing Director for the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. He was finishing his law degree. “So, shall we get this thing up and running?” she asked. I smiled and nodded. My opportunity to “make right” with Jessica Paulsen had finally arrived.

The plans for do good’s Chicago regional office were born that night on paper napkins over dinner. Over time, the vision clarified, and details formalized. In May, we were ready to sign a lease. In June, we ordered business cards and letterhead. And July 1, we formally open for business with Jessica Paulsen at the helm, serving as Chicago Metro Office Director for do good Consulting.

From a small office in the Ravenswood area of Chicago, Jessica will work with small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations in Chicago proper and the suburbs. With both the state and national economy in a rut, the timing actually couldn’t be better. As nonprofits feel the pinch and are asked to do more with less, they have a true resource in Jessica Paulsen, who has lived in the trenches of small nonprofits for seven years – one of them as an AmeriCorps*VISTA worker. Jess is skilled at helping non-profits help themselves, guiding them to make the most of limited resources by creating and managing successful fundraising, marketing, and public relations campaigns.

My patience paid off: do good is fortunate to have someone with Jessica’s energy, vision, and experiences on board leading such an important effort in our state’s largest city. And while it’s do good’s business card in her wallet now, her new position means she’s now working on behalf of all Illinois nonprofit organizations.

Q&A: Board Fundraising

Dear do good:
I am the Executive Director of a small organization that has a working board of directors – a lot of excited individuals who have great ideas for the organization and a never-ending willingness to work on any number of tasks. But they won’t fundraise! They say that they didn’t join the board to conduct aggressive fundraising, but I really need them to actively engage in fundraising because I have such a lean staff. Can you give me some tips for getting them to step up?
- Frustrated in Park Ridge, Illinois

Dear Frustrated:
Every organization needs a board that is willing to give – in fact, 100% of your board should be making at least one annual contribution. But your question gets at a deeper aspect of Board relationships – one that can have far-reaching effects on an organization. It all starts with this truth: board members are involved in your organization not only because they believe in it but because they also believe they have something of value to offer. Tension occurs when there is a disconnect between what your board members believe they bring to the table and what you think they should bring. As staff, we have a tendency to reshape board roles without really consulting them, and perhaps overlooking the many assets that they already bring.

Think about it this way: you have been working as a software engineer for five years. You enjoy your job, feel comfortable doing it, and have consistently gotten great performance reviews. All of a sudden, your boss calls you into the office and explains that you are now responsible for keeping the company’s books, and that your engineering work is no longer valuable to the company. What’s more, your boss tells you that you must pull a complicated set of financial reports by tomorrow afternoon. How do you feel?

Most likely, you’d feel a mixed bag of emotions ranging from uneasiness to confusion to anger. Consider that feeling when you ask your board to fill new roles – roles all too often defined by staff. All of a sudden the strengths and assets that your board members thought they were contributing to the organization are being perceived as no longer valuable. It can make for some tense interactions.

Obviously, every organization has its own set of needs, and sometimes boards need to evolve to meet them. So how do you shape your board into the best mix of talent, resources, and capacities for your organization without alienating too many key members? Here’s a thought: ask them. Go directly to your Board members with a list of organizational needs in hand. Make sure these are resource needs, skills, or specific functions, and not specific people (e.g., “access to legal advice pertaining to copyright law” instead of “a lawyer”). Then, try an asset mapping exercise with your Board, where each person answers a set of questions designed to tease out their skills, connections, and ideas for filling the needs. You might be surprised to find how much people are willing to re-consider their own contributions to the organization when they are empowered to do so.

- by Cheryl Middaugh, Organizational Development Specialist, do good Consulting

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, July 15

do good Consulting is three! In the last 36 months, we've helped dozens of organizations across Illinois and throughout Champaign-Urbana raise money to support their missions, develop strategic plans to guide their work, develop cool marketing tools, and a whole lot more. And on our third year anniversary, we expanded to open an office in Chicago.

To celebrate the last three years, our new office, and things still to come, we are treating you – the public, our clients, volunteers, kids – everyone! On Wednesday, July 15 from 11AM to 2PM, do good's team will be giving away FREE ICE CREAM from the regionally famous Sidney Dairy Bar (for those who haven't seen the Moo-Mobile, this is not to be missed). We will also have a massage therapist to giving FREE BACK RUBS, and a raffle for some great prizes including some wonderful wines from the Corkscrew Wine Emporium, gift baskets from the Common Ground Food Co-op and Mary Kay costmetics, gift certificates from Cafe Luna and the Great Impasta, and more.

The festivities on Wednesday, July 15 will take place from 11AM until 2PM at do good Consulting's main office in downtown Urbana (201 West Green; the southwest corner of Race and Green). So plan to grab lunch in downtown Urbana on Wednesday, July 15 (downtown Urbana visitor's guide here), then join do good for free ice cream, a back rub, and a chance to win some great stuff!

So mark your calendars now for July 15: rain or shine, we're giving away FREE ICE CREAM until we run out! See you there!

Group Profile: STREETWISE

by Jessica Paulsen, Chicago Metro Office Director, do good Consulting

It’s Tuesday morning and the StreetWise office is bustling as vendors stop in the downtown office to buy their inventory. Voices echo through the magazine’s open office as a staff member trains a group of new vendors in an office down the hall. Another group will be trained later this week. They will soon be among the 180 vendors selling the magazine across Chicago everyday.

The magazine began as a monthly paper in 1993. Its latest editions are printed weekly as a glossy, full-color magazine. The content remains gritty and real, providing perspective on some of today’s most important issues. The magazine’s vendor program gives low-income men and women across the city opportunity at steady employment and a chance to work their way out of poverty. At the time they enter the program, 80% of StreetWise vendors are homeless and unemployed.

“Our vendors are the ones that have been turned down by all of the other programs,” said Bruce Crane, executive director of Streetwise. “They can be the toughest to help.”

StreetWise provides steady income and a chance to become self-sufficient. Vendors purchase the magazine for 75 cents, selling it to readers for $2. They pocket the difference and use it to provide for their needs, including purchasing the inventory that will allow them to continue earning. The organization provides its vendors with meals, clothing, toiletries and other basic needs along with education on topics such as money management and computer skills. Remarkably, after just three months with StreetWise, only 25% of vendors report being homeless.

Many vendors use StreetWise as a stepping stone to help build skills and experience they can use to find permanent employment. Vendors use their earnings to make ends meet during a difficult time, acquire better housing, or put themselves through school or vocational programs to access better job opportunities. Less than half of the magazine’s vendors stay with StreetWise long-term; more than 8,000 men and women have become self-sufficient thanks to the magazine’s vendor program.

Next time you see a StreetWise vendor, remember how empowering this organization is to the people selling this magazine. By purchasing a copy for just $2, you'll get great information and provide that vendor with a hand-up throught a tried and true nonprofit organization.

For more information on StreetWise, see www.streetwise.org or call 312-829-2526.

And The Winner Is: THE MAHOMET AREA YOUTH CLUB

Congratulations to the Mahomet Area Youth Club, the 2009 winner of do good Consulting's 2009 GREAT LOGO MAKEOVER.

Based in rural Champaign County, the Mahomet Area Youth Club has been providing a safe place for children to learn about arts, career development, sports, health, and community service since 1994. Participating youth join in after-school, evening, and full-time summer activities and programs focused on character and leadership development, life skills, health and nutrition, creative arts and expression, and sports and recreation.

With the help of the visual communication experts at Midnight Graphics and do good Consulting, the current logo mark of the Youth Club (which you can view here) is being transformed to more accurately reflect the important work the organization does. One of the sketches from the early stages of brainstorming a new design is above at the right.

The Great Logo Makeover is a program of do good Consulting and Midnight Graphics. Our work with the Mahomet Area Youth Club, valued at over $2,500, is being done at no charge to the Club. Each year, one qualifiying nonprofit will have the chance to win a free logo makeover from do good and Midnight Graphics. Check back in April 2010 for your chance for a free logo makeover!

Watch do good Consulting's webpage and our Doing Good e-newsletter for updates on progress and to see samples of our work with the Club over time. The Club's new logo will be unveiled later this summer. For more information on the Mahomet Area Youth Club, go to http://mayc_online.home.mchsi.com.

Champaign-Urbana          Springfield          Chicago

do good Consulting
URBANA OFFICE
201 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
217-778-1687
dogood@dogoodconsulting.com
www.dogoodconsulting.com

do good Consulting
CHICAGO OFFICE
4410 N. Ravenswood, 1st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60640
773-353-3564
dogood@dogoodconsulting.com
www.dogoodconsulting.com