Consulting Services

As the leader in the First State’s nonprofit sector, DANA, the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, provides nonprofits with unparalleled consulting services and expertise. Whether it’s a well-established statewide nonprofit or a two-person group, DANA Consulting provides tailored, experienced and expert guidance, offering transformational solutions that enable Delaware nonprofits to plan for the future and strengthen their impact.

Why DANA Consulting?

How We Help You

Our Consultants

Consulting Services

What Others Are Saying

Why choose DANA Consulting?

DANA consultants’ knowledge of Delaware – its structure, the market, the systems – combined with our collective expertise and experience make us uniquely qualified to deliver the changes nonprofits need to succeed in today’s world.

When you engage with DANA Consulting, we can help you develop:

Tools to strategically grow your organization, increase its impact, and guide it into the future.
A clear strategic path towards transforming your organization to meet changing needs and expectations.
Tactics and an actionable plan to achieve your goals.
Standards-based governance practices that increase Board engagement and effectiveness.
Improved systems, processes, and procedures to monitor and manage financial performance.
A strategic path for accessing and leveraging resources to meet your mission.
Improved organizational structures to make your nonprofit more effective and efficient.

DANA sets its consulting rates at below-market prices, which are then discounted for DANA members based on their organizational budget.

How We Help

Whether it’s strategic planning, board governance, staff training, fundraising or another area, our consultant network provides expert guidance and a deep understanding of Delaware systems to transform nonprofits and help them prepare for the future.

Leadership and Governance

Board governance and training
Board and team retreat facilitation
Executive and Leadership coaching
Succession planning

Financial Sustainability

Scenario Planning
Fund development strategy
Financial management

Operational and Strategic Organization

Strategic planning and implementation
Program evaluation
Advocacy and public policy strategy
Operational assessment and improvement
Volunteer program assessment

People and Policy

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Human resources
Policy development

Our Consultants

DANA offers a broad range of services to solve complex problems, providing training, educational support and guidance.

DANA’s network of more than 30 experienced consultants have a deep understanding and knowledge of Delaware – its structure, the market, the systems – making us uniquely qualified to deliver the changes nonprofits need to succeed in today’s world.

Whether board education, fund development, governance, decision-making or strategic planning, DANA consultants are ready to help empower nonprofits to amplify their impact.

Set Up a Meeting with Our Team

Earl Sissell

Vice President of Consulting

[email protected]

Tony Ferlenda

Senior Consultant

[email protected]

DANA’s Standards for Excellence® Program

DANA is a replication partner with the Standards for Excellence®, a national initiative housed within Maryland Nonprofits dedicated to promoting the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations.

Through this partnership, we bring the Standards for Excellence® program to all our member nonprofits so you can build capacity, accountability, sustainability, and excellence in your organization.

This comprehensive framework addresses key areas, including:

Mission, Strategy, and Evaluation.
Leadership: Board, Staff, and Volunteers.
Ethics.
Finance and Operations.
Resource Development.
Public Awareness, Engagement, and Advocacy.

As a DANA member, your organization is devoted to strengthening your infrastructure and leadership to make transformational impacts in the communities you serve. The Standards for Excellence® provides a roadmap for nonprofits to accomplish these goals and amplify your impact.

Become a DANA member to access practical tools, including templates, policies and other resources.

You can also set your organization apart by earning recognition or accreditation through the Standards for Excellence® program. The program provides your nonprofit with the opportunity to demonstrate that you operate with the highest standards of accountability and ethics.

There are three levels of recognition:

Basics: Get strong policies in place for good governance and legal compliance, and a foundation for mission and program impact.
Basics Enhanced: All of the above, plus ensure your organization is inclusive of the community served, board meetings are strategic and effective, and programs are attentive to strategic issues and trends.
Accreditation and Seal: All of the above, plus, your organization creates long-term strategic and sustainability plans, strengthens board performance, and outlines steps to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion.

Ask us how to get started with this national program.

Let’s Talk

Our engagements cover topics in the Centers of Excellence, the foundation to achieve a well-managed and responsibly governed organization.

Workshops, Trainings and Communities of Practice

Receive specific training to help you achieve your nonprofit goal.

DANA provides a series of workshops and webinars based on leading practices embodied in the guiding principles of the Standards for Excellence Institute, enhanced by contemporary leadership and organizational research. We also hold regular communities of practice, online communities designed to foster in-depth learning and facilitate peer networking. We focus on not only what to do but also, more importantly, how to do it.

See Upcoming Trainings