At Praxis, we know that nonprofits have ambitious goals for the impact they want to create, but face distinct challenges. Since 1996, we have partnered with hundreds of nonprofits to strengthen their capacity to make change.
We start by listening. We aim to understand your organization’s origins, where you are now, and where you want to go. As organization development experts, we look at the whole picture and partner with you to chart a path towards strategy, culture, practices, and policies that reflect your values and goals.
We know from experience and from research that organizations are more effective and resilient when people from all backgrounds feel welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. Many nonprofits aim for equity at all levels and want their internal policies and practices to resonate with the change they hope to make in the world. We help you elevate DEIB in your organization in alignment with your mission and values.
Through a collaborative partnership, we'll identify your key priorities, develop a customized roadmap for achieving them, and assemble the best team from our staff and partners. Our services include:
Leadership and Team Development
We facilitate team building and custom leadership development programs for senior leaders, managers, and staff at all levels to develop skills and relationships to support greater responsibility for mission impact.
Governance & Board Development
The best governance systems ensure proper oversight and reflect core values. We design structures, establish charters, clarify roles, and provide training for successful governance. We support executives and boards in strengthening governance practices. Our services include board training, board assessment, and retreat facilitation. We also assist boards in examining their board composition and redesigning governance systems to reflect the organization's core values.
Succession Planning and Executive Assessment
We guide organizations to create leadership and succession systems that continually identify, assess, and develop good leaders who can sustain long-term success for the organization. We determine current and future leadership needs for critical roles, assess internal candidates, develop talent, and support successful leadership transitions at all levels.
Coaching
We provide one-on-one coaching for individuals and group coaching for leadership teams. The process generally includes a 360° assessment process, regular coaching meetings, and goal-setting that is shared with one’s manager or team, in order to support collaborative learning and growth.
DEIB Trainings and Assessments
Fostering a culture where people of all backgrounds can feel welcomed, valued, respected, and heard is essential for supporting a thriving organization. We partner with organizations to determine how they want to integrate DEIB into their organization, facilitate learning workshops, and support the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
Staff members who work most closely on your programs and operations often provide the best ideas for improvement and efficiency. We build a staff-focused innovation system that drives change from within, enhancing processes and fostering a creative, high-participation culture.
Culture
We help organizations define the type of culture they want in support of their desired impact and strategy. We assess what’s already working and guide nonprofits in developing and implementing a collaborative plan to strengthen behaviors, structures, and processes that build a compelling culture.
Strategic Planning
An effective planning process defines an organization’s purpose and future direction, sets clear priorities, and motivates people to action. We facilitate planning processes that engage staff, board and other key stakeholders in order to tap into their ideas and insights and build commitment to the final plan. We can lead a full strategic planning process or provide targeted support with retreat facilitation. We also guide leaders in setting up structures and practices for implementation.
Organizational Structure and Organizational Design
Structure supports strategy. Through thoughtful stakeholder engagement, insightful analysis, and creative design exercises, we help nonprofits to refine and reimagine their organizational structure, including establishing new reporting relationships and role descriptions.
Meeting Facilitation
Our interactive meeting facilitation supports learning, idea-generation, problem-solving, planning, conflict resolution, and decision-making. These meetings can be large or small, hybrid, virtual, or in-person.
Change Management
Change is necessary for implementing your strategy and thriving in today’s dynamic environment. We support the plan development, stakeholder engagement, communication, and training for adapting to the future.
We supported an LGBTQ+ elder advocacy and service organization with a wide range of organization development needs, including leadership competency development, leadership development program crafting, senior team development, organization structure advising, and coaching.
We have a long-term partnership with a large nonprofit home healthcare agency in which we focus on developing stronger leadership in their clinical staff, including the establishment of an internal coaching program.
We supported a healthcare advocacy organization plan a results-oriented culture change effort, including senior team development, leadership development, board/staff retreat facilitation, and project management system design.
