Special Expertise
Serving as an Interim Executive Director
If your agency needs leadership between leaders, Kelly Kleiman can offer that. Things going great? She'll keep them on the right path. Things a bit problematic? She'll clear away clutter so the next Executive Director doesn't have to. Things in absolute crisis? She's a turnaround specialist who has the passion to save what can be saved, the courage to pull the plug when there's no other choice, and the wisdom to tell the difference.
What the clients have to say:
Lesley Williams, co-chair, Board of Directors, Open Communities, Evanston, IL
During my 3 years as board co-chair of Open Communities, a fair housing advocacy organization in Evanston, I had the great honor and pleasure of working with Kelly Kleiman, who was our interim Executive Director. Kelly’s sharp intelligence, ethics, management experience, and commitment to social justice make her an ideal candidate for the role of interim Executive Director.
Kelly and I both joined Open Communities when it was in crisis. A long time director had recently left, and the most current director had severely mismanaged staff and budget. Morale was terrible, with staff feeling they had no clear directive or mission and that everyone was pulling in different directions. Kelly immediately turned things around; unloading toxic staff and hiring people with values that aligned with our mission. Within months, she had transformed staff and board, creating a new sense of trust and purpose.
Kelly is one of the smartest, most hard-working people I know. She is a long- time Chicagoan with a finely honed sense of the city's politics and power players, yet she is committed to racial and economic justice and to basic fairness and transparency. She will not tolerate mismanagement, duplicity, or shoddy ethics. Kelly is a straight-shooter, but she is also fair and compassionate and a good listener and communicator. Like any true leader, she inspires trust.
Nancy Meyerson, chair, Board of Directors, Care for Real food pantry, Chicago, IL
Kelly took over as interim executive director of Care for Real at the height of the pandemic. The pantry faced an unprecedented demand for food, staffing issues and safety concerns. In addition to coping with the usual problems facing an interim, she was forced to deal with Covid-related stressors while ensuring there was enough food to feed hundreds of new clients and putting new systems in place to facilitate a smooth transition for the new executive director. As part of this effort, she secured additional space for the food pantry, oversaw renovations to the current facility and revitalized the volunteer program to expand capacity.
Kelly worked closely with the Board of Directors to meet the needs of the organization, the clients and the staff. When she left Care for Real, the organization was in a far better position than when she started. We are very grateful for what Kelly did to sustain us and help us grow during a very difficult period and highly recommend her to other organizations that can use a talented, dedicated professional.
Creating Programs to Use High-Skills Volunteers
If you can't think of anything to do with your volunteers other than have them stuff envelopes--and you've noticed that envelope-stuffing needs are few and far between--you need Kelly Kleiman and NFP Consulting. We'll help you determine what projects you could be getting done if only you had the right person-power; recruit the people to get them done; handle concerns on the part of your staff; and save money and get more done letting people use their skills. Give them the Big MAC: Meaningful Work, Autonomy, Collegiality
Board Recruitment and Training
No one is born knowing how to be a non-profit Board member, and people from the for-profit world accustomed to being paid for Board service may be startled to learn that nonprofit Boards expect their members to pay for the privilege of service. Using the Board Member's Bill of Rights and recruiting documents tailored just for your agency, Kelly can help you attract and retain top Board members and teach them how best to do their jobs.
Strategic Planning That Actually Works
The phrase "strategic planning" has become practically synonymous with "waste of time." But it doesn't have to be that way.
When a group of thoughtful people review "What are we trying to do and for whom? What's getting in the way?"--and when that same group of thoughtful people have Kelly Kleiman of NFP Consulting to facilitate their conversations, summarize their decisions and harmonize their disagreements--strategic planning can be the pause that refreshes for burned-out nonprofit staff and Board.
It doesn't need to take forever, either: Kelly is an exponent of the three-meeting strategic plan. Ask her how!
Workshops and Trainings
Kelly offers half-day and day-long workshops designed to strengthen Boards of Directors, help staff create programs using high-skills volunteers, outline the perfect annual report, and--perhaps most important--teach people how to ask for money. She's presented these programs for the Association of Volunteer Administrators, United Ways, the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management and many others; let her come present to you.
They're Not A Frill If You're Using Them Right: How to Save Money & Get More Done Using High-Skills Volunteers takes agencies from a preliminary thought that volunteers might be nice to a real program
How To Ask For Money: Practice, Practice, Practice! uses role-playing to overcome stage fright
Charge Up Your Board: The Board Members' Bill of Rights outlines everything your Board needs to know about everything your Board needs to do
Wanted Dead or Alive: Soliciting Major Gifts & Bequests how to ask people for gifts now and bequests later