Even the most successful organizations need guidance from coaches and consultants to help get to the next level. An experienced outsider looking in can give new perspectives, make things happen more quickly, and often results in greater outcomes and less resource expenditures.
The phrase “This is how we do it here,” coined by entrepreneurial guru and bestselling author Michael Gerber has lived on for decades and been the basis on which top enterprises, in both for-profit and nonprofit arenas, organize, operate, and flourish.
“We wanted to entrench a team member into the daily inner workings of Hope Reins and get to know the people behind the enterprise, sometimes through osmosis,” explains BrightDot founder Bill Crouch.
The goal? To learn what systems are in place and how the BrightDot team can take an already “well-oiled” machine like Hope Reins and elevate its fundraising SYSTEMS so they can serve more children in more locations.
Hope Reins currently serves 200 children and is home to 17 horses at their ranch in Raleigh, N.C. The horses and children have something in common – they have both faced deep trauma. Working together, they find hope and healing. The stories are as dramatic as they are heart wrenching.
“With guidance, it’s up to the child to choose the rescued horse they will be paired with for their journey,” smiles Kim Tschirret, founder and CEO of the nonprofit. “And sometimes, it’s the horse that chooses the child.”
The two work together using the interactive Faith-Based Equine Mentorship Program Hope Reins has been developing for years. Built based on experiences with thousands of children, it’s a dynamic process that follows a guided, healing journey that’s unique to each child. Kim’s next mission is to develop a platform to teach the program to other organizations across the country.
During this partnership engagement, BrightDot will lead efforts to recruit and place a new Director of Development within the organization, provide thought leadership and strategic thinking on sharing the model of success with others nationwide, and seek to elevate the fundraising efforts to take Hope Reins to the next level of success.
“It’s the SYSTEMS that are put in place that achieve the results we’re expecting,” says Michael Strader, partner and VP of fundraising consultancy BrightDot who was selected to learn from the inside-out about their new client. “Clearly addressing the Who, Why, What, Where, and, most importantly, the WHO is the difference between fledgling nonprofits and those whose mission can and will become a reality.”
“We took a leap of faith when we started Hope Reins in 2010 and it’s our faith that has led our decision-making since then,” Kim explains. “You know when you get that feeling in your stomach when you just KNOW something’s right and is part of God’s plan? That’s what happened when we met with BrightDot.”
