Step #1 - Make your commitment to 'Coaching for a Cause.' Give yourself no more than 15 days to line up a nonprofit client...unless you already have one. Use the handy CFAC Coaches Checklist and the 10-Step process below to help you through the process.
Step #2 - Line up a nonprofit client...
- If you already have a nonprofit client, advance to Step #4.
- If you do not, then make a list of local organizations whose missions inspire you. Think about groups you already belong to, including your church, local chamber of commerce, humane society, environmental society or community center. Either way, it’s best to start with a group whose mission you feel passionate about. This passion will come through during your communications, inspiring the leaders to take action.
- Another way to find a nonprofit might be to attract those who are interested to contact you. There are three basic ways to do this-- 1) reach out to a local government agency that might be willing to share your offer with potential candidates; 2) ask clients or prospects for referrals; and 3) offer a contest. We have two programs (with turnkey landing pages) you should consider: A) CFAC Application Contest or Personal Contact Approach or B) the Quiz2Biz Approach for a cooler market that requires more nurturing. We have prepared social media posts and email templates, as well as a sales letter for each option. The best place to start with both of these approaches is by reviewing the Coaches Instructions in each folder. Click here for the instructions for CFAC Application Process and the Quiz2Biz Process. You can introduce either of these funnels at the end of a 6 Step Presentation or as a dedicated CFAC Presentation (short version) or a longer "Scaling Up Your Nonprofit's Impact" version.
- Once you have picked your group, determine who the best contact at the organization will be. Research the Board of Directors and leadership on their website or call and find out who the best contact is from the Receptionist. If you are already volunteering with the organization, it’s even easier; you will have a better sense of who the influencers are in the organization and who will be the most motivated to accept your offer and advocate for it at the leadership level.
- Once you have the right contact, send them a sales letter or an email that includes the same content.
- Then follow up with a phone call 2-3 days later. This is a good time to introduce yourself, make sure they received the letter and assess their level of interest. It’s also a good time to set an appointment and give a CFAC Recruitment Presentation to all of the decision makers. In most organizations, you want to meet with the Executive Director/CEO, the President or Chairman of the Board, the Executive Committee and/or the entire Board of Directors at their next full meeting. Different countries may use different titles and terminology for these positions. After the meeting, always send ‘thank you’ letters to all attendees. If the group has already expressed an interest and you are able to secure an appointment that includes board members, use the CFAC Leadership Intro Powerpoint as a template to walk them through the process you will be using with them.
Step #3 - Secure coaching agreement using a Program Agreement, like this.
Step #4 - Update your client's Start Date and proceeds on THE COM. Add 'Coaching for a Cause' under the Products dropdown.
Step #5 - Book your first working appointment with your new nonprofit. It's great to do this through Calendly or another appointment-setting software.
Step #6 - Work through your DIAG questions at the initial appointment to determine goals and objectives. Consider using this version customized for nonprofits. Utilize these helpful scripts for your Alignment Consultation and follow-up meetings. And here's a Full Version of the Application you can use to collect data and prepare for your first visit.
Step #7 - Set your nonprofit client up using your standard ActionCOACH Client tracking system.
Step #8 - Implement the program based on the client’s goals and objectives. Use your standard ActionCOACH systems and strategies. Reference Nonprofit KPIs and Nonprofit Growth Checklist for versions that have been modified for nonprofits. When you are ready for your 90-Day Planning, consider the nonprofit version used by Lisa Raggio with her client, Samuel Dixon Family Health Center. You can also use the "14 Attributes of a Thriving Nonprofit" PDF as a helpful questioning tool when meeting with your Board of Directors.
Educating and motivating clients during this phase is key. The standard commitment form for nonprofits assumes six months of coaching pro bono. You can, of course, extend this time after the initial agreement has been fulfilled. You can also decide whether to continue coaching your nonprofit client on a pro bono basis, at a discounted rate or for a full-fee (would only recommend the latter if your nonprofit has healthy, multi-million dollar coffers).
Step #9 - Provide accountability and log the results. Encourage your client to log their KPIs on a monthly basis, including updating the “$ increase in donations as a result of coaching."
In turn, YOU should also update THE COM with your results. Make sure you are tracking your coaching hours, the value of your give back and the increase in donations that result from your coaching. This data is very important to us, as the combined totals of all coaches tell the story of the impact of the worldwide ActionCOACH community.
Step #10 - Promote your successes. When you have successes to share, tell the world. This is how you leverage the time and knowledge that you have donated.
- PUBLICLY...Upload any testimonial videos or comments from yourself or your client(s) to the ActionCOACHFoundation Facebook page. Be sure to include #Coaching4aCause and a relevant photo. Remember that comments here can be viewed by both the ActionCOACH community and the public at large.
- INTERNALLY ONLY...Share any internal insights or new techniques you have discovered with the rest of our ActionCOACH community by sending an email to Karen at team@actioncoachfoundation.org. Karen will upload all relevant best practices and insights to the ‘Coaching for a Cause’ dashboard, where only action coaches can view them. You can also reach out to your fellow coaches directly with challenges or new ideas via the ‘Coaching for a Cause’ Viva Engage feed.
- IN YOUR COMMUNITY...Promote your charity on your own website and social media. Display the charity’s logo and/or blog about the mission of the charity and the successes you have had together. Blogging is a great way to improve SEO for your own website; communicating regularly will boost visibility of ‘Coaching for a Cause’ on web searches. Whenever you can, be sure to include the hashtag, #Coaching4aCause. Be sure to use approved ‘Coaching for a Cause’ logo and graphics.
- IN YOUR COMMUNITY...Send out press releases to your local media sharing the charity’s success and requesting donations for their cause. Make sure your content is pressworthy, not self-serving. See Approved Press Release.
