Gifford Foundation
PROJECT: ADVANS Consultation & Capacity Building for Nonprofits
/ CHALLENGE
Nonprofits participating in the ADVANS initiative needed structured support to assess and strengthen their internal infrastructure and long-term sustainability.
/ SOLUTION
Cynthia O’Connor of A&O, delivered Lifecycle consultations(based on the model, Nonprofit Lifecycles Stage–Based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity by Susan Kenny-Stevens) to multiple nonprofits, guiding leadership teams through comprehensive capacity assessments, to identify challenges and develop action plans to strengthen management, board-staff dynamics, governance, finance, and program strategy.
“We are in a completely different place thanks to our work with A&O. What a skillful facilitator Cynthia is . . . she guided some very difficult conversations and moved the agency forward.”
/ OUTCOME
Participating organizations reported transformative shifts in board engagement, leadership clarity, and mission alignment.