Organizational Consulting

At CEN, we've seen firsthand that the most impactful organizations are those that have representative leadership, build strong board-staff partnerships, support staff development, and are guided by inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and liberation (IDEAL) principles. Our organizational consulting program combines these principles with leading practices to offer tailored consultations that meet your organization's unique needs. Whether you are looking for a basic refresher on board roles, a custom-designed staff or board retreat, or a long-term engagement on organizational effectiveness, CEN can provide an engagement that meets your needs and your budget. Interested in working with one of our consultants? Please view the options below to explore either a customized engagement or to bring one of our "out-of-the-box" workshops to your staff/board team.

"[CEN] helped Pedrozzi Foundation board members fully understand and internalize its role and responsibilities. Through an informative and engaging session, [CEN] explained the various roles the board performs, the relationship between board and staff, and the difference between speaking as a Board versus as an individual board member and volunteer. During an additional training, [CEN] guided board members through a more in depth discussion of their important role in fundraising - from making personal donations to encouraging others to do the same. Strong organizations have strong boards, and the insight gained from CEN's consulting services is a valuable tool for the Foundation."

-Carolyn Siegfried, Executive Director at Pedrozzi Foundation

Customized Organizational Effectiveness Consulting

We believe a successful consulting engagement starts well before we step into your office or board meeting ... or sign onto Zoom. CEN's consultants will identify your organization's unique struggles and opportunities ahead of time and then design a custom plan to meet your goals. In order to do so, we have developed a comprehensive intake form that we ask both executives and board chairs (or project leads, depending on the scope of work) to complete before entering into an engagement with CEN. Each in-depth engagement is customized for our clients to fit the scope of work and is conducted by CEN nonprofit experts to involve the entire staff, board, and constituency in an organizational evolution.

Customized Consulting Intake Form

IDEAL Consulting Intake Form

Bring CEN Workshops In-House

Are you interested in bringing one of CEN's core workshops in house? CEN can deliver our out-of-the-box facilitations to your group (staff or board teams, grantees, etc.) on-site or via zoom. To connect with our staff about dates and pricing, please fill out the brief CEN Workshop Request form below. 

CEN Workshop Request Form

Popular Topics

• Organizational IDEAL Work
• The 10 Basic Board Responsibilities
• Management 101
• Board Building & Diversity Strategies​

• Board Self Assessments
• Developing a High-Performing Team
• Fundraising
• Strategic Thinking and Planning

For questions regarding custom training, contact information@cen.org or (650) 517-5855. ​

"[CEN] provided a most excellent day which was filled with professional development of the board members, strategic development activities, and a truly effective visionary planning session. [They] kept the board members very focused with positive supportive guidance. I found [the] sense of humor, empathy, and facilitation skills to be so effective and impactful for our leadership team, and I would definitely recommend CEN to any nonprofit team wanting to take their game to the next level."

-DeAnna Pursai, Executive Director at College of Adaptive Arts