About EIA
Executives in Action is a 501(c)(3) public charity that delivers high-impact, pro bono consulting to other charitable organizations.
Mission
Executives in Action builds the community by strengthening other nonprofit organizations. To achieve this mission, Executives in Action engages experienced leaders from the business sector as pro bono consultants to charitable agencies that could not otherwise access such talent.Impact
Every $1.00 donated to Executives in Action makes at least a $10.00 impact on our community through the enhanced capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of the organization’s partner nonprofits. See below for details.10X Return on Investment
A conservative estimate of EIA's return on investment (ROI) is 10-to-1 based on the following:- EIA offers its executives a modest honorarium of $125 per day; however, these executives have a billable rate of upwards of $150/hour on the private market -- effectively delivering over $1,200 worth of consulting for around 10% of the cost.
- Additionally, over 40% of these honorariums are waived -- effectively, the executives believe so firmly in the impact of the organization that they willingly donate their payments back to EIA. Therefore every dollar invested in EIA goes even further.
- EIA's founders are committed to covering 100% of the organization’s operating costs: not just its overhead, but all costs associated with running its programs. Therefore, every dollar that is donated to EIA is used exclusively for delivering consulting; 0% will be used for EIA itself. For more information, click here
Innovative Model
EIA achieves this substantial ROI by engaging highly skilled executives out of the business sector rather than relying on career nonprofit consultants. This enables EIA to deliver the same level of high-quality consulting at a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, this model provides EIA's nonprofit partners with access to a high-impact leader who can become a strong ambassador for their work.In this way, EIA's model blends the heart of volunteerism with the impact of paid consulting.
Executives
EIA works exclusively with seasoned professionals who have 15+ years of management experience and a history of holding VP-level positions in the business sector. Although we are currently focused on recruiting executives who are in an employment transition, we fully expect that our mission will grow in the future to include retired and actively working executives.Some examples of previous placements include:
- Veteran Chief Financial Officer who revised a nonprofit’s financial reporting structure—generating more accurate cash flow projections and margin analyses
- Former CEO who helped a nonprofit launch a for-profit social enterprise to increase earned income
- 15+ year Chief Technology Officer who developed a three-year technology plan to enable the organization to grow in a sustainable fashion
- Sr VP of Marketing who conducted a brand audit and donor analysis to strengthen an organization’s overall marketing program
Nonprofit Partners
EIA appoints executives to high-caliber nonprofit organizations that have been thoroughly vetted by EIA staff. These nonprofits have a demonstrated capacity to provide executives with high-yield service projects and the support that they need to deliver meaningful results. To see our current list of nonprofit partners, click here.Projects
A typical project can be completed within 90 days. Executives work a maximum of two days per week on the project, while focusing the rest of their time on their career move. In recognition of their service, executives receive an honorarium for each day that they volunteer as a consultant to a nonprofit (usually around $125). The program is offered at no cost to nonprofit organizations.How It Works
EIA's model activates the dormant talents of out-of-work senior executives for the benefit of local neighborhoods.
This process -- which is outlined here -- involves EIA's staff interviewing both the nonprofits and the executives, facilitating a match-making process between the two and supporting the executives throughout their engagement.
EIA's engagements focus on the following areas, referred to as the "Five Pillars":
- Business Planning
- Finance/Accounting
- Marketing/Sales
- Human Resources
- Technology
Within each of these pillars, EIA's conducts both strategic projects (i.e. planning) as well as operational/tactical projects (i.e. implementation).
In recognition of their contributions, EIA's offers its consultants an honorarium equivalent to $125 per day. To date, over 40% of these stipends have been waived, as our Executives have donated it back to EIA to support the continuation of our work.
Our Team
Public Impact – ROI
- $1 donated to EIA generates more than $10 of consulting for a local NPO
- EIA consulting returns an exponentially greater ROI for the community through the enhanced capacity and impact of partner NPOs
- Documented savings for some projects increase this ROI to above $20-to-1
To learn how you can equip EIA's growth, click here.