Management Assistance
Since 1987, Boston LISC has provided
a variety of services and programs to help CDCs improve management practices and
meet new organizational challenges.
Strategic Planning Grants: Over twenty CDCs have received grants
from LISC to develop multi-year strategic plans that have enabled them to
address both internal issues and opportunities as well as challenges posed by
the external local environment in which they work. Today, most established CDCs routinely
undertake strategic planning processes every two to four years - a habit
developed in part through LISC's early and ongoing support of this work. In recent years, LISC has funded several
high performing CDCs to develop business plans for diversification or expansion
of their housing development work.
Organizational Assessments: Often a part of the strategic plan, but also a stand-alone activity, CDCs have been supported to review all or a part of their operations to identify areas of need for organizational effectiveness. LISC can assist CDCs in identifying consultants with skills, background and specializations that are best suited to a CDC's particular needs. In 2002, National LISC launched a new Capacity Mapping Tool, designed to help CDCs assess their knowledge and skills along a capacity continuum. Cap Map provides benchmarks for CDC organizational development in a variety of organizational systems including: Board Governance, Financial Management, Management Information Systems, Real Estate Development, Real Estate Asset Management, Fund Development, Human Resources, and Community Connection. The Cap Map tool is designed to be utilized in a collaborative process involving LISC staff working with both CDC staff and boards to look at what the CDC wants to achieve and what kind of organizational changes need to occur in order for them to be successful.
Critical Management Transitions: LISC provides a limited number of small grants to CDCs undergoing a major management transition. Most often the support is to help with an executive director search or to cover a portion of the cost of an interim executive director, when that position becomes vacant. Critical Management Transition grants have also been made available to help organizations rebuild a board of directors, assess options for the organization's future, and address tensions between boards and management.
Initiatives for specific organizational functions: LISC has sponsored a number of special initiatives targeted to specific organizational functions such as asset management, external communications and financial management. LISC support has included training to provide a common framework for CDC staff (and sometimes board members) and implementation funds which enable CDCs to address unique and specific needs.
Customized management assistance: From time to time LISC has accessed funding for organizational management assistance, which has enabled it to provide small grants or engage consultants on behalf of CDCs to address issues that CDCs have identified as immediate management assistance needs apart from special initiatives or comprehensive organizational assessments. Funding from local donors, Living Cities/National Community Development Initiative (NCDI) and HUD Technical Assistance Program has enabled LISC to provide this type of support.