Press Release Details

Contact:
Michelle Gislason
415.541.9000 michelleg@compasspoint.org 

SAN FRANCISCO, September 22, 2003 – Working with a coach is proving to be as successful for nonprofit leaders as it has been for athletes and business leaders, reports a new study on the use of executive coaches. A longitudinal evaluation by Harder + Company, released this week to Northern California Grantmakers, studied new executive directors who worked one-on-one with executive coaches who helped them navigate both personal life issues and organizational leadership matters.

Before coaching began, 67% of the participants agreed that they had the ability to exercise leadership on a daily basis. After completing coaching, 96% of the participants agreed. The significance of this finding is intensified in the context of nonprofit executive tenure: 61% to 78% of nonprofit executives plan to leave within five years, as reported in a national study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

One of the few formal research studies on coaching in any setting, the Harder study examined executive coaching with executives new on the job. “This is a new and promising tool for leadership development for nonprofit leaders who find themselves in an increasingly challenging and often isolated role, ”commented Sylvia Yee of the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, one of the study’s underwriters. “It’s not consulting; it’s not therapy—it’s a fresh approach with remarkable results.” The Harder study showed that coaching an individual leader resulted in stronger organizations, demonstrating the importance of developing and retaining talent at the top.

Participants in the study were drawn from a cohort of nonprofit executives in a coaching program designed and fielded by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, a consulting and training firm for nonprofit organizations. “We were pleased to fund this early coaching work,” said Eric Sloan of the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund. “CompassPoint has been taking a research-based approach to leadership support for longer than just about anyone else, so we knew this work would be carefully studied and its findings put to good use.”

Other findings from the post-test study:

• 100% of study participants reported working effectively with their staff
• 91% of the organizations had staff and board aligned with organizational mission after coaching for the executive than before
• 83% had the ability to resolve conflicts with the organization.
• Two organizations in the study were able to avert financial crises during the study period, successes their leaders attributed to executive coaching

The 25 nonprofit executives in the program each received 40 hours of one-on-one coaching from certified coaches who were screened, matched and monitored by CompassPoint. The study tracked executives over a 12-month period, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants were exuberantly enthusiastic about the experience:

The confidence I gained through coaching spilled over to the agency. We know the agency can do it and that it can serve the community.

There were some major and bold first year decisions I made about reorganization of programs…to save the organization financially. Coaching immeasurably helped me go forward with these decisions, and they turned out to be great decisions.

Coaching more than exceeded my expectations…In the face of really difficult changes in management…I got regular, reliable feedback of how I was doing during this period of change…Now I feel successful…

[My coach] didn’t teach me how to write [grants], but she taught me to just use my gut…when people review grants, they see the heart of what you’re talking about…before I knew it, we had grants coming in.

The success of the project has led CompassPoint to develop a series of ongoing coaching services and expects to work with foundations and corporations on supporting the executives of their grantees. CompassPoint’s Executive Leadership Services are headed by Dr. Tim Wolfred, and more information can be found at http://www.compasspoint.org.

The evaluation by Harder + Company Community Research w

About CompassPoint Nonprofit Services

With offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services is a nonprofit consulting and training organization. Through a broad range of services including consulting, research, information dissemination, workshops, and conferences, CompassPoint strives to provide the best management tools and concepts to help nonprofits better serve their communities. For more information, visit http://www.compasspoint.org/ or call 415.541.9000 in San Francisco or 415.541.9505 in San Jose.

Related Links:
http://www.compasspoint.org/coaching/