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Consulting and Evaluation with Nonprofit and Community-Based Organizations

Author(s): Judah J. Viola, PhD, Assistant Professor & Co-director, Community Psychology Ph.D. Program, National-Louis University
Susan Dvorak McMahon, PhD, Professor, Psychology Dept., Director, Community Psychology Program, DePaul University
Details:
  • ISBN-13: 9780763756888
  • Paperback    340 pages      © 2010
Price: International Sales $90.95 US List
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Overview

The need for consultation and evaluation among non-profits and government agencies has soared in recent years, as funders have demanded accountability and agencies are ill-equipped to provide the types of data-based information needed.

Consulting and Evaluation with Nonprofit and Community-Based Organizations fills a critical gap in the academic literature for non-profit management. This unique text is a collection of advice and voices from a diverse group of successful, practicing consultants who work with non-profits and government agencies. Through surveys and interviews, these experts relate detailed information on how they got started in consulting, what types of services they provide, what types of clients they serve, the biggest challenges they face, and much more. The book also integrates current topics from a wide variety of sources, so that interested readers can easily access important information all in one book.

“As a beginning consultant I sought out a guide such as this but no other source provided such a range of information and experience.  The detailed advice, tools, and examples provided in this book will aid new and experienced consultants alike to begin or grow a successful consulting career. It certainly did for me.” 

—Michelle R. Bloodworth, PhD, Community Psychologist and Educational Consultant with Apex Education

ShowTable of Contents

Preface  
Chapter 1  Before You Begin
Chapter 2  Preparing for Success
Chapter 3  When to Start a Consulting Practice
Chapter 4  What Kind of Business to Build
Chapter 5  Getting Official (Actions)
Chapter 6  Finding Work
Chapter 7  Running Your Business
Chapter 8  A Client-Centered Approach to Winning and Losing New Business: What to do if you get the project (and what to do if you don't)
Chapter 9  From Start to Finish: A Typical Evaluation Project
Chapter 10  Developing and Maintaining Long-Term Consulting Relationships
Chapter 11  Consulting with Small Community-Based Nonprofit Organizations: Insights and Understandings
Chapter 12  Capacity Building with Faith-Based and Community Organizations: Lessons Learned from the Compassion Kansas Initiative
Chapter 13  Organizational Learning Improving Service Delivery and Effectiveness: Taking an Organizational Learning Approach to Consulting
Chapter 14  Consulting in Public Policy Settings
Chapter 15  Grant Writing for Consultants 101
Chapter 16  The Path to Independent Consulting
References  
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ShowAbout the Author(s)

Judah J. Viola, PhD-Assistant Professor & Co-director, Community Psychology Ph.D. Program, National-Louis University

Judah Viola, PhD, manages an independent consulting practice/sole pro­prietorship that specializes in needs assessment, program development, program evaluation, strategic planning, community building, and collab­orative community research. Recent clients have included public school systems, museum and art institutions, social service agencies, and commu­nity development organizations. Dr. Viola also holds the positions of assis­tant professor of psychology and codirector of the community psychology PhD program at National-Louis University in Chicago, Illinois, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology, program evalu­ation, and consulting. He earned his BA in history and psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his MA and PhD in community psychology from DePaul University.

Susan Dvorak McMahon, PhD-Professor, Psychology Dept., Director, Community Psychology Program, DePaul University

Susan Dvorak McMahon, PhD, is a professor in clinical and community psychology at DePaul University where she teaches program evaluation, community psychology, and thesis/dissertation seminars. Dr. McMahon is currently director of DePaul’s doctoral program in community psychology and chair of the University Institutional Review Board. She is also chair of the Society for Community Research and Action’s (Division 27 of APA) Council of Education Programs. Dr. McMahon often integrates consulta­tion and evaluation with her research, and most of her work has focused on assisting the Chicago public school system to better serve at-risk urban youth. Areas of interest include risk and protective factors at multiple levels, inclusive and effective educational approaches that contribute to positive learning environments, and violence prevention. Dr. McMahon has written more than 40 publications and given more than 100 presentations. Her research has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including network television and a documentary. Dr. McMahon received her BS from the University of Iowa and her MA and PhD from DePaul University.

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ShowReviews

  • “Consultants, too, can benefit from expert consulting advice. This book offers wise counsel on every aspect of consulting with community-based organizations.  Viola & McMahon provide not just useful tools and strategies, but dish up generous helpings of practical wisdom for those just beginning as well as consultants wanting to expand their practice and increase their effectiveness.”

    —Michael Quinn Patton, Author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation and Instructor of “How to Build a Successful Consulting Practice,” The Evaluators’ Institute.

  • “I found every chapter fascinating and valuable.  The main reason is the personal reflections of the authors that allow for an understanding of the subtle but important points of consultation processes that are not typically discussed in courses, or workshops… I cannot imagine a professional school of psychology that did not find a place to use this as a text.”

    —Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D. President, Society for Community Research and Action/ Division 27, American Psychological Association, Author of Community Psychology: Linking Individuals and Communities, Director, Developing Safe and Civil Schools, Psychology Department, Rutgers University

  • “Viola and McMahon have written and edited the definitive book on how one becomes a community consultant.  The book offers a hands-on, down-to-earth approach, taking the mystery out of becoming a successful consultant by guiding the reader through each important conceptual and practical step in the process.  Particularly helpful are the “tips” embedded throughout the text that both summarize and clarify key points.  Another highlight is the case studies, written by senior consultants working with a variety of groups and organizations. The book is a fantastic resource for young professionals in various fields of psychology, social work, and public health.  It provides the metric by which all other books on this topic will now be judged."

    —G. Anne Bogat, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University, Past President, Society for Community Research and Action

  • “As a beginning consultant I sought out a guide such as this but no other source provided such a range of information and experience.  The detailed advice, tools, and examples provided in this book will aid new and experienced consultants alike to begin or grow a successful consulting career. It certainly did for me.”

    —Michelle R. Bloodworth, Ph.D., Community Psychologist & Educational Consultant with Apex Education

  • "I can no longer imagine a student--anyone--entering the consulting world without the guidance this book provides--the comforting self-help, the real-life exemplars, the down-home tips, the empirically-driven advice...This is the essential guide for entering and sustaining oneself in the independent realm."

    —Brad Olson, Ph.D., School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University

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ShowAppropriate Courses

Program Evaluation
Consulting - Social Sciences

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ShowSamples & Additional Resources

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