OUR work
Hillcrest Strategies serves small to medium sized organizations who like us, are working towards a more just, dignified and equitable future. Since our founding in 2020, Hillcrest Strategies has successfully completed 42 projects, enhancing our clients' operational efficiency, financial clarity, and strategic decision-making capabilities. Through tailored support and expert guidance, Hillcrest has empowered organizations to achieve greater transparency, stability, and impact.
Here are some examples of how Hillcrest Strategies has helped its clients.
Transforming Financial Systems for Clarity and Impact
Client Challenge:
A multi-million dollar nonprofit organization faced challenges with their financial systems. Their financial processes were messy and disorganized, with no regular finance team meetings to ensure alignment and accountability. The annual budget did not reflect their programming accurately, so they didn’t know how much it cost to run each program As a result, the leadership team struggled to tell a coherent story about the organization's financial health and its effect on their mission and programs.
Hillcrest Strategies' Approach:
Hillcrest Strategies stepped in to overhaul the organization's financial systems and processes. The first step was to redesign the annual budget to align with the organization's mission, helping to tell a financial narrative that clearly reflected their goals and activities. Hillcrest then established monthly finance team meetings, creating a structured space to interpret financial data and make informed decisions. These meetings became a platform for ongoing financial education, helping all team members understand the numbers and their implications. Lastly, Hillcrest provided comprehensive training and resources to help the client gain clarity on their financial picture.
Impact:
The transformation was profound. With a mission-aligned budget, the organization could clearly demonstrate how their financial resources were being utilized to achieve their goals. The regular finance team meetings fostered a culture of transparency and accountability, ensuring that financial decisions were data-driven and strategic. The leadership team now had a clear, comprehensive understanding of their financial health, enabling them to communicate their impact more effectively to stakeholders, donors, and the community. This newfound clarity and confidence allowed the organization to streamline their operations and amplify their impact, driving their mission forward with renewed vigor.
Seemless Operations Transition
Client Challenge:
A mid-sized nonprofit organization found themselves at a critical juncture when their Operations Director stepped down unexpectedly. The organization had several significant projects on the horizon, including updating the staff handbook, organizing a staff retreat, and hiring for new positions. The sudden vacancy left them struggling to manage day-to-day operations while also tackling these major initiatives.
Hillcrest Strategies' Approach:
Hillcrest Strategies quickly stepped in to provide operational support. We took over management of the day-to-day operations, ensuring that the organization's essential functions continued to run smoothly. Hillcrest also assumed leadership of the major projects, updating the staff handbook, planning and executing the staff retreat, and overseeing the recruitment process for new operations staff.
To ensure a smooth onboarding process for the incoming operations staff, Hillcrest developed detailed transition plans and provided hands-on training. The comprehensive documentation of all operational processes we created helped ensuring continuity and consistency.
Impact:
Hillcrest's intervention allowed the organization to navigate the transition without missing a beat. The staff handbook was updated to reflect current best practices, the staff retreat was a resounding success, and new hires were seamlessly integrated into the team. By maintaining operational stability and advancing key projects, Hillcrest enabled its client to continue pursuing their mission without interruption. The new operations staff members were well-prepared to take on their roles, thanks to the thorough onboarding process. The client emerged from this challenging period stronger and more resilient, ready to tackle future challenges with confidence.
Enhancing Data Management and Staff Engagement with Airtable
Client Challenge:
A nonprofit organization had implemented Airtable to help their staff stay organized, but it wasn't working as intended. There was low buy-in from staff, who found the platform confusing and unhelpful. The Airtable setup was disorganized, making it difficult to track data and generate useful reports. This lack of engagement and clarity hindered the organization's ability to leverage data for decision-making and program management.
Hillcrest Strategies' Approach:
Hillcrest Strategies was brought in to overhaul the Airtable system and improve staff engagement. Our team started by conducting a thorough assessment of the existing Airtable setup, identifying areas of confusion and inefficiency. We then restructured the platform to make it more intuitive and user-friendly, organizing data in a clear and logical manner.
To ensure the revamped Airtable system was manageable for staff, Hillcrest developed comprehensive training documents and conducted hands-on workshops. These training sessions showed the client how to accurately track data, update Airtable, and generate reports that would aid in their daily tasks and strategic planning.
Impact:
The redesigned Airtable and targeted training led to a significant increase in staff engagement and utilization of the platform. The client found it easier to input and access data, leading to more accurate and timely information. The ability to generate useful reports empowered the organization to make data-driven decisions, enhancing their program management and strategic planning capabilities. Hillcrest Strategies' intervention transformed a struggling platform into a powerful asset, helping the organization achieve greater impact and operational success.
Some of our clients include:
