INTRODUCTION

Thank you very much for your interest in applying for a Compass pro bono consulting project. Your time is valuable and we aim to make this process as efficient as possible for you. To that end, please read this section carefully before proceeding to the application.
 
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, June 7, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. CT

CHECK YOUR ORGANIZATION’S ELIGIBILITY
Please be sure that your organization meets each of Compass’ eligibility requirements. If you are not certain you qualify, please contact Compass before proceeding.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
  • Registered IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
  • Local mission – benefits Greater Chicago.
  • Mission does not promote specific religious beliefs or political party/movement.
  • Minimum of three full-time staff.
  • Active Board of Directors.

INTRODUCTION
Compass grants pro bono consulting services to nonprofits that benefit the Greater Chicago community. Each nonprofit client receives up to $250,000 of strategic consulting services - free of charge. We encourage you to set up time to discuss your organizational priorities with us. We welcome the opportunity to provide input and simplify the application process for you.
 
SELECTION CRITERIA: Compass looks for indications that a potential consulting engagement will be completed successfully and have lasting, meaningful impact. These indications include financial stability, regular Board meetings, capacity of the Executive Director to participate in the project, an engaged Board Chair interested in the proposed project, a well-defined and realistic project scope, and a track record of community impact. When selecting the final roster of clients, Compass considers many factors including service line diversity, racial diversity of leadership & population served, and representation of a range of issue areas.

Compass does not undertake projects with organizations who anticipate working with other pro bono or paid strategy or management consultants during the Compass project.

CLIENT SELECTION AND PROJECT TIMELINE: Compass representatives will contact and interview the Executive Director and Board Chair of applicants that meet the required criteria. We will announce final client selections in late August. Project Leaders begin working with clients in early October, and teams are formed, trained, and begin working in late October. Projects are completed no later than May 31, 2022.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & SUPPORT
Before you begin this application in SurveyMonkey, please download the PDF and Word versions of the application. We recommend filling in the Word version of the application and then copying into SurveyMonkey in one sitting to avoid losing your work.
  • PDF Document: The PDF version allows you to read the entire application, including all project descriptions, without completing and advancing through various pages (as required in SurveyMonkey).
  • Word Document: Sometimes applicants like to work on the application off-line for easy editing and sharing internally, so we provide a Word version. If you use this, please copy and paste your responses into the SurveyMonkey application as we cannot accept the Word version as your submission.
Please contact Melissa Lapica (mlapica@compasschicago.org) with any technical problems or questions.

THANK YOU
Thank you again for your interest in Compass. We hope you will not hesitate to reach out to us!

Melissa Lapica
Managing Director, Consulting Programs, Compass Chicago
mlapica@compasschicago.org
(201) 838-7510

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