KDK-Harman Grantee Consulting complements the Foundation’s grantmaking and is focused on building upon the capacity of our current grantee partners to execute their missions effectively and efficiently. As defined by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, organizational effectiveness is ‘the ability of an organization to fulfill its mission through a blend of sound management, strong governance, and a persistent rededication to achieving results’. In this effort, KDK-Harman Grantee Consulting is committed to top-quality consulting and support offered to our grantee partners, while upholding the highest ethical standards.

KDK-Harman Grantee Consulting provides customized technical assistance to our current grantees in the following areas:

                   • Fund Development 
                   • Volunteer Management 
                   • Communications
                   • Research & Data Analysis
                   • Organizational Development
                   • Facilitation

Below are a few examples of projects that KDK-Harman Grantee Consulting could be involved that tie to the above listed technical assistance areas. The descriptions provided are examples of previous consulting projects. To further inquire about KDK-Harman Grantee Consulting and possible projects, please contact Erica Ekwurzel, the Foundation's staff consultant at 512.328.9400 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

FUND DEVELOPMENT: Creation of an Individual Donor Program

A national service program providing research-based, effective early literacy intervention to young struggling readers in high-poverty elementary schools sought assistance to develop and staff its initial individual donor campaign and event. Utilizing the organization’s chosen fundraising strategy, Benevon Model, consultant assisted in creating and documenting systems and strategies for managing individual donor development, follow-up and engagement. This project and its deliverables appropriately coincided with the program’s expansion of its staff to include a development officer who would manage the campaign along with other fundraising initiatives. The inaugural event raised over $120,000.

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS: Facilitation of Organization’s Strategic and Communication Plans 

A program committed to providing guidance and support for college attainment to low-income students, beginning in middle school, aimed to refine its strategy for program and operational quality improvement purposes. In this effort, the consultant supported the organization’s management team to refine and articulate the agency’s 2010 – 2013 strategic plan as well as develop an organizational communications plan. The consultant facilitated discussions on the strategic direction of the agency, identifying potential opportunities and expanding on action plans and goals; as well as worked with development and communications staff to document a communications strategy aimed at increasing program enrollment, donor relations and community awareness and outreach.  These strategy documents currently provide staff and board a point of dialogue, focus, and evaluation for its daily activities and attainment of larger organizational goals.

FACILITATION: Collaborative Dialogue regarding Nonprofit Scaling & Expansion
A group of nonprofit executives interested in creating a peer discussion regarding how a model program replicates in a thoughtful and organized manner asked for leadership in facilitating group learning opportunities for this purpose. Consultant facilitated group’s meetings, developed and maintained a centralized virtual platform for group’s research and findings on growth strategies, and coordinated speaker’s bureau of practitioners and experts in the field of scaling organizations. As a result of this work, executives across five organizations were able to learn together in uncovering insights to growth challenges and opportunities as well as utilize discussions as lab time to inform their agency’s respective growth initiatives. To date, three agencies have moved forward with their program expansion across Texas and the region.

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & FACILITATION: Management of the Selection of Strategic Planning Firm 
A regional collaborative established to align the education systems of Central Texas requested the assistance of KDK-Harman Grantee Consulting to manage the strategic planning consultant selection process. Creating a thorough framework for this initiative, the consultant researched and recommended a short list of national strategic planning consultants/firms, developed and administered the Request for Proposal and process, as well as assisted with the management of the interview process. In addition to the agency currently laying the groundwork for what its next chapter looks like – revenue model, replication model, staff capacity and associated logistics – with the selected strategic consultants, a catalogue of strategic consultants was created for use of the larger nonprofit and philanthropic community.

FUND DEVELOPMENT: Assistance with Organizational Change Related to Fundraising
An after school program dedicated to providing a safe haven and academic support to low-income children asked for assistance in the design and evaluation of a new Development Coordinator position. In collaboration with the ED and board fundraising chair, the Consultant assessed the organization’s standing development activities and capacity, made recommendations for strategies to approach projected development activities, drafted the job description of a Development Coordinator, along with work plan and evaluation (i.e. metrics) of this position. Additionally, Consultant assisted in marketing the new job opportunity to area nonprofit outlets.

COMMUNICATIONS: A Customized Communications Tool
A program committed to college preparatory services to motivated, economically-disadvantaged students was rapidly evolving in its program reach and infrastructure. The organization asked for assistance in creating an annual report to complement its overall communication tools that ensure transparency, accountability, and awareness of their program goals and activities. The Consultant assessed the organization’s communication plan and set of materials, researched and recommended a set of best in practice content standards and customized an annual report template. To implement the model, the Consultant provided hands-on assistance with the organization’s project managers. The result of this project assists the organization in its accountability efforts.

RESEARCH & DATA ANALYSIS: Assessing Market Opportunities
An organization focused on building literary communities asked to help identify viable strategies for earned-income opportunities. The Consultant reviewed the organization’s existing programs and materials, researched the current field of literary publishing providers, and assisted the ED in creating a fund development blueprint with inclusion of earned-income activities for presentation at strategic planning meeting with the board of directors. As a result of this work, the board implemented a plan geared towards pursuing earned-income and hired a staff member to coordinate such activities.