Recession Tool Kit
Empowering nonprofit leaders to navigate effectively in the new economy

    This Recession Tool Kit is a 5-Step process that focuses organizational leaders’ attention on articulating the recession’s impact on their organization and provides a framework for planning realistically for the future.

      Step 1 - Get Grounded - Revisit your mission, vision, and values -- so that they are the compasses by which the board and staff will make strategic decisions.
      Step 2 - Collect Data for Strong Decision Making - Assess the recession’s impact on your finances, programs and human capital with attention to both the internal and external environment.
      Step 3 - Analyze the Data and Trends - Identify the most critical issues to the organization in overcoming recessionary pressures.
      Step 4 - Identify Solutions - Conserve your limited resources and make them go further.
      Step 5 - Adopt an Action Plan - Move forward deliberately and with confidence.
    In addition to the 5-Step process guide, this initiative includes a RTK Resource Guide with the best available information on how nonprofits can retool, strengthen their capacity, and make wise decisions for tackling the new economy.

    Get the Do-It-Yourself RTK Workbook

    Get Training

    Engage Us

      Group Coaching & Training Group training has several advantages for your organization: you learn from your peers; consulting costs are reduced for each organization; and we can help more nonprofits in a shorter amount of time. There are two ways to access this kind of training:
        Group Coaching
        • Series of 4 two-hour sessions to guide a group of 6-8 executive staff through RTK process
        • Services include email coaching and worksheet templates that can be customized
        • Clients would lead the work within their organization
        • Individualized coaching between sessions

        Workshops sponsored by your association to help your members weather the recession successfully.
        • Three-hour workshop providing an overview of the Recession Tool Kit process
        • Your association would be involved in planning the workshop
        • Coaching to the association itself

      One-on-One Consulting
      Some nonprofits are poised to use our consulting services to work with their own team. To this end, we offer these services:

        Full Engagement: Recession Tool Kit process facilitated by a team of two consultants over a three-month process, with most of the work happening in 6-10 weeks. Our team will determine your recession planning needs and a create process to meet them. Consultants will guide the process from A to Z, including:
        • Facilitating meetings
        • Keeping you and your staff on task
        • Summarizing the results of planning sessions
        • Writing and editing a Recession Tool Kit Action Plan – summarizing process & next steps

        Coaching: For organizations to facilitate the Recession Tool Kit process on their own, with coaching by an RTK consultant.
        • Consultants would provide assessment of the client’s recession planning needs
        • Introductory session on the tool kit with the organization’s team
        • Coaching through the process with several meetings facilitated by consultants
        • Email and phone coaching

      Engage Maryland Nonprofits Consulting Services

    RTK Team

      The Recession Toolkit is the result of a partnership between Maryland Nonprofits, Julia Pierson, and Kathy Shulman.