Each NeighborWorks America district office is staffed with a management consultant with specialized skills and experience in each of the six categories below. The examples listed in each category illustrate common types of technical assistance services staff have provided to NeighborWorks organizations within these general categories. The assigned lead management consultant can assist organizations in assessing how various types of technical assistance might meet its needs and objectives. Specialized district staff are frequently involved in responding to requests for technical assistance and providing these services. Additional resources (NeighborWorks organizations, consultants, training sessions, outside resources) may also be involved in providing assistance coordinated by the district.

The following demonstrate various levels of technical assistance available to NeighborWorks organizations:

Organizational Development
Resource Development and Marketing
Community Revitalization and Business Planning
Management Systems
Single-Family Housing and Lending
Real Estate Development and Management

Organizational Development

Planning and Oversight

• Assistance in board retreat planning and facilitation
• Consultation in organizational strategic planning and goal setting

Geographic or Programmatic Expansion and Growth

• Support for organizational strategic thinking and planning activities
• Assessment and feasibility analysis assistance
• Assistance in new program initiatives planning and transitioning
• Geographic expansion process support and consultation
• Support in assisting and pursuing strategic alliances such as mergers, collaborations, and acquisitions
• Assistance in developing and implementing strategies for building board and staff capacity for growth
• Guidance and support in recruiting and orienting new board leadership

Leadership Development

• Assistance in using leadership skills assessment tools activities
• Conducting leadership skills building training for residents, business and government representatives
• Support in designing and implementing resident leadership development strategies
• Training and assistance in community building methods and strategies
• Chairperson and office orientation and training

Board Building and Development

• Assistance in board assessment tools and activities
• Consultation in board reorganization or restructuring
• Information and training on board governance models
• Support in the recruitment, selection and retention of board members
• Assistance in board orientation and training

Human Resource Management and Staff Development

• Assistance in staff retreat planning and facilitation
• Guidance in staff orientation and professional development planning
• Consultation on recruitment, selection and retention practices
• Support for team building in a growth environment

Executive Director Recruitment, Selection, Orientation, Evaluation and Development

• Executive Director transition process support for the board
• Assistance in systems for evaluating the executive director and the board
• Consultation on leadership assessment for executive director
• Support of coaching and professional development planning

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Resource Development and Marketing

Assessing and Building Organizational Capacity

• Conducting assessments of organizational capacity for resource development
• Evaluating resource development efforts and materials
• Assistance in developing and mobilizing the resource development team of staff, board and other volunteers and consultants
• Support in implementing administrative systems for resource development, including office systems, policies and procedures, fundraising software and regulatory compliance
• Facilitating learning opportunities:
• Peer support, including models of best practices
• Trends and new opportunities in philanthropy
• Guidance in developing integrated resource development plans
• Assistance in developing and using case statements

Building and Sustaining Relationships with Partners

• Assistance in identifying and researching diverse funding opportunities
• Guidance in building and maintaining relations with partners; models of success
• Facilitating opportunities for establishing new partnerships

Funding Strategies
Support and guidance in various funding strategies, including:

• Annual and capital campaigns
• Individual and corporate fundraising
• Grantsmanship, including private and public sources
• Special events
• Fee income generation and business ventures as components of integrated resource development

Developing District and Regional Collaborative Funding Approaches

• Assistance in creating and using collaborative structures and models
• Guidance in developing strategies for cultivation of key resources and new partnerships

Marketing Your Organization and Programs

• Assistance in developing and using integrated marketing plans
• Support in developing and selecting the marketing team, including staff, board members and consultants
• Assistance in implementing a marketing plan:
• Evaluating materials and communication pieces
• Identifying target audiences and tailoring messages
• Media and public relations tools and techniques
• Advertising campaigns for maximum impact
• Developing unified graphic design for all marketing and promotional materials

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Community Revitalization and Business Planning

Community Revitalization

• Assistance in planning geographic/programmatic expansion in conjunction with revitalization strategies
• Guidance in assessment of organizational readiness to undertake identified revitalization strategies
• Assistance in the evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of current revitalization strategies
• Board and staff training on revitalization strategies
• Consultation on the steps to identify, select, and implement revitalization strategies
• Consultation to facilitate geographically focused revitalization process
• Assistance in linking housing and nonhousing revitalization strategies

Business Planning

• Facilitate business planning process
• Assistance in program budgeting to support business planning
• Support in developing financial strategy in conjunction with business planning
• Guidance, training and assistance in developing both organizational and programmatic business plans
• Assistance in assessing organizational readiness to complete business planning process
• Board and staff training in components of business planning

Planning Models and Tools

• Assistance in linking strategic, community, neighborhood and business planning processes
• Guidance and support in developing outcome-based performance measurements to link programmatic impact with geographic service area to measure success
• Facilitate qualitative and quantitative data gathering, analysis and interpretation for internal (business plan) and external (neighborhood/ community/ citywide/ regional/ state revitalization strategies)

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Management Systems

Financial Management

• Financial management systems assessment and analysis
• Board and staff training in financial management roles and responsibilities

Technology and Automation

• Computerization and automation systems assessment and analysis
• Software and networking options review
• Independent review of consultant and vendor quotes

NWorks 2000 Customer-Tracking and Reporting Software

• NWorks 2000 Customer-Tracking and Reporting Software training and support
• Technical support for NWorks 2000 installation and use
• Service delivery systems technology support

Management Systems Diagnostic

• Diagnostic assessment of organization’s management systems (information systems, financial management systems, automation)
• Identification of possible management systems improvements

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Single-Family Housing and Lending

Full-Cycle Services

• Single-family homeownership program development assistance
• Basic market analysis tools and strategies relating to home ownership programs and products
• Homebuyer education and counseling program development assistance (pre-purchase and post-purchase)
• Support in the development and use of customer tracking and pipeline management systems
• Analysis and recommendations for automation of single-family activities
• Support for rehab construction processes and procedures
• Diagnostic assessment of homeownership and lending programs

Mortgage and Rehabilitation Lending

• Assistance in establishing lending processes and procedures
• Support in developing and implementing loan servicing and collection processes and procedures
• Loan product development assistance
• Guidance and support for secondary market sales (NHSA)
• Regulatory compliance training and information

NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers

• Advice in homeownership center planning and development
• Support and assistance for homeownership center operation

NeighborWorks Campaign for Home Ownership

• Campaign-related support and information

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Real Estate Development and Management

Staff and Board Training on Related Topics

• Real estate development processes
• Low income housing tax credits
• Bond financing
• Affordable housing program (AHP)
• Property management and asset management
• Resident services models and strategies
• Oversight roles and responsibilities of the board or staff in the development process
• Issues of partnership agreements in low income housing tax credits

Real Estate Project Development
(for multifamily and single-family housing – rental or sale, mixed-use and commercial development projects)

• Assistance in project conceptualization and relation to network organization's mission and plan
• Consultation in developing and assessing financing strategies
• Support in developing zoning and design strategies
• Assistance in construction management process and flow chart
• Guidance in reviewing projects in relation to NeighborWorks America ’s capital grant guidelines
• Project analysis at various stages of development
• Site analysis support
• Market analysis review
• Consultation on overall project management

Project-Related Resource Development

• Guidance in developing financing applications including NeighborWork America ’s capital grant applications
• Assistance in selecting professionals for real estate development teams

Property Management and Asset Management

• Analysis of property management systems
• Assistance in developing asset management systems
• Development of strategies for property management and asset management problem solving (e.g., portfolio restructuring)
• Analysis and identification of refinancing options
• Development of staffing models to support property management and asset management function