ardentCause - Do Good. Do IT Better.

Consulting Services

Consulting Services helps nonprofits completely  transform their information technology systems and operations to achieve their goals.  Services are innovative, use the latest technology, and provide measurable results.  They include:

  • Project Management Services - Providing expert project management for critical information technology and operations projects (including performance improvement and web development)  Consulting Services can handle every possible IT project.   Nonprofit management is intimately involved in the breakdown of each project into manageable segments. Then, a clear communication plan is provided, which supports success for every staff member involved in every project. Projects can include technology "refresh," information security implementation, website development or upgrades, infrastructure updates or replacements...and much more.
  • Operational and Technical Efficiency Services -  Nonprofits have limited budgets, and a need for optimal efficiency within those budget constraints.   Consulting Services offers realistic assessments of current organizational structures, practical recommendations for change, and customized solutions to meet nonprofit requirements.
  • Strategic Planning Services - To effectively fulfill the nonprofit mission, an appropriate information technology strategy must be in place. Consulting Services can develop that for any nonprofit.
  • Performance Improvement and Needs Assessment - Nonprofits achieve velocity by streamlining processes. Consulting Services helps each nonprofit by performing a unique assessment, and designing a customized solution, that allows the nonprofit to expand thoughtfully, and consistently improve.  The methodology identifies the key levers for improving performance in either a specific area, or for the whole organization. Achievable goals are defined.  Important resources are identified, change management techniques are applied, and the most valuable tools are recommended ---- and the nonprofit moves down the path to faster capacity building with a more efficient organization.
  • Grant Writing Consulting Services can supplement the nonprofit's internal grant-writing resources, or write grants for the nonprofit.
  • Training Consulting Services can supply on-demand customized training solutions to fit any nonprofit's needs. 

What Clients Are Saying About Consulting Services 

"The new office practices recommended have greatly improved the management of data records."

 "Our staff is very satisfied with the integration of member management into our updated website." 

"Working with ardentCause has reduced the duplication of data management, saved us time and conserved our funds since no one has to work over time to meet our event management obligations."

"We have increased retention of memberships by 50-60%; and have dramatically increased our association's member satisfaction."

Non-Profit News

NPRNational Public Radio experiences decline in corporate support as L.A. Times gets Ford Grant.

ChiOccupy movement demonstrators are gathering in Chicago to stage protests at this weekend’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.

NewsA federal court has ruled 501(c)(4)s engaged in “electioneering communications” must reveal their donors, but super PACs may have another loophole to avoid transparency.

NewsWhile private giving to foreign development aid has grown rapidly, giving from government entities such as the U.S. Agency for International Development has been more sluggish.

AbaiPolice brought the Occupy Abai encampment in Moscow’s Chistiye Prudi area to a quick close, but can Russian authorities put the genie of civil society back into its bottle?

CuomoNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has released a plan to cap nonprofit executive compensation and administration costs, though the proposal allows some flexibility.

CatThe Caterpillar Foundation has given a $3 million grant to get the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to make Peoria, Ill. its newest office addressing community development.

DomeThe U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing on nonprofits Wednesday was largely a humdrum affair, but for about five minutes, the discussion turned electric.

LarryLarry David releases his first tweet: “I was told by Charity Bribes that if I Tweeted they’d give 10k to the NRDC. Pay up!” Now, will other celebrities play along?

NewsLawyers representing Rajat Gupta, who will be on trial next week for alleged insider trading, are hoping to present his philanthropic activities as part of his defense.

NewsThe Arkansas Community Foundation, in partnership with the Knight Foundation, had supported local reporters in the state, but now the grants have run out.

IronThe International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers has treated officers well while membership has declined, the Kansas City Star reports.

DiversityMaha Freij, the founder of the Center for Arab American Philanthropy, discusses the importance and implications of philanthropy that is identified with specific ethnic and racial groups.

RuthI wanted to make sure that you saw an article we posted online yesterday from the latest edition of the Nonprofit Quarterly journal. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how the demands of leadership may be changing.

YWCAMajor institutions like YWCAs rarely go out of business, much less as precipitously as the shutdown of the YWCA of the Greater Triangle area. What can we learn from its closure?

In September 2010, the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center in Boston began delivering a local program called Capacity Building: Detroit. The program will run for 2 years and supports arts and culture organizations located in Southeast Michigan by providing seminars, web-chat discussions and one-on-one coaching for the 52 participating organizations. The goal [...]
On March 24, 2012 the Fifth Third Bank and Detroit Red Wings service initiative, Students Helping Others Through Service (SHOTS), came to a close. SHOTS was a program that encouraged southeast Michigan high school students to invest their time, talent and treasure in their communities. Groups of up to 6 students and an adult supervisor [...]
These past few weeks have demonstrated the challenges of creating sound, effective budgets at the state and national level. The Michigan and federal budgets, however, paint two very different pictures of the health of their constituents. The recession over the past four years has not been kind, but there seems to be a glimmer of [...]
During my year serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Michigan Community Service Commission, I had the opportunity to see just how important national service funding can be to volunteer engagement in Michigan communities and the impact individuals can have in a community when brought together. In the recent past, people have had to ask more [...]
Wednesday night, Governor Snyder gave his second State of the State address. As he talked about how far Michigan has moved forward in 2011, and his Administration’s priorities for 2012, he continually came back to two key ideas: collaboration and innovation. Collaboration brings with it a sense of community, inclusion, and hope for the future. [...]