Nolfo Consulting

One of our exceptional skills is our ability to collect, analyze and interpret data from multiple sources. Many projects require the collection of data from existing sources as well as the generation of data from new sources. We are experienced in both approaches and enjoy utilizing our skills working with archival data sets, observation, surveying, focus groups, personal interviews, and our professional networks to identify important trends. Solid analysis and interpretation of these trends is critical for projects ranging from program evaluations to strategic plans to community needs assessments.

We pride ourselves on creating strategic plans that provide a roadmap for critical decision-making. Our data-driven plans are predictive of industry trends, allowing our clients to take advantage of pending opportunities and to avoid missteps. Additionally, we understand that an overcommitted agency is an ineffective agency. That is why our end product will recommend just enough initiatives to focus our clients while maximizing their capabilities. Further, with savvy financial gurus on our team, the recommendations will be achievable, as all planning is highly cognizant of funding opportunities and constraints.

Each plan includes a strategic framework, which is a series of carefully worded statements that assists the agency with deciding which opportunities to accept and which to deny, as the nature of strategy is knowing when to say “yes” and when to say “no”.

Our process respectfully engages the stakeholders that our clients deem to be important in creating and ultimately supporting the final product. This partnership approach involves educating employees, volunteers, consumers of services and other constituents on why this project is something they should care about and how to be meaningfully involved. If appropriate, it also involves a series of training seminars (“learning conversations”) to further their professional development. By having early and ongoing input into the project, greater understanding and ultimately consensus are developed.

We tailor programs and services to fit our clients’ – and their consumers’ – needs. Factors considered in the design process include research and standards of excellence, demographic and other relevant data, cultural needs, and the client’s readiness for change and capacity for implementation and evaluation. There are a number of paths to achieving evidence-based practices, and we can assist with any of them; whether modifications are being made to existing programs and services, development is happening from scratch, or assistance is required in the selection of a best practice, theories of change and logic models are provided to support the rationale for these efforts. (Many funders require these in their requests for proposals.) We are also skilled at designing evaluation tools and procedures that fit your goals and capacity to measure the impact of your efforts. 

Whether it's developing leadership among your Board of Directors or staff, engaging your community, moving toward best practice programming or building your sustainability, nearly every organization is faced with opportunities for growth and development. Fortunately, we have a proven process for success that allows organizations to meet these challenges in a supportive environment. We can help you create a Technical Assistance Coalition in your community to jointly build capacity with several local service providers. This strengthens the individual organizations by providing them with customized technical assistance and training, but it is also a cost-effective strategy to strengthen the community as a whole by developing a network of professionals with a shared vision and shared tools for success.

We specialize in writing complex, multi-year grants that provide large monetary awards.  In the past three years, we have garnered over four million dollars in grant funds for our clients. We have written proposals to develop programs, services and coalitions, often managing their implementation upon receipt of the award.

We view the writing of a grant as just one aspect of a complete capacity building package, and our firm has the expertise to provide all aspects of that package because of our unique combination of strengths and professional experience working in direct service provision, administration, planning, evaluation, and grants management. We bring to the table technical expertise in the social services, budgeting and finance, along with savvy in cultivating funder relationships. Our proposals are not only funded, but successful in their implementation, because they encompass all of these aspects.