Services

MAKING POSITIVE CHANGE POSSIBLE

MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING

LSS Consulting provides a range of services that enhance organizational success and overall performance. Dr. Lawrence Sykoff’s broad experiences as an institutional leader, board member, advisor, mentor, author, and community leader as the foundation of our work at LSS. Each engagement is tailored to the specific needs of our clients, ranging from personalized mentoring and leadership coaching to the development of governance practices with the Board of Trustees. As a boutique firm, Dr. Sykoff provides the direct professional consulting services to each of our clients.

These professional services are particularly helpful during leadership transitions, at the onset of a major strategic planning process or at the commencement of a comprehensive campaign.

Services are total customized and can range in breadth and depth, from workshops and seminars to full day retreats and retainer-style engagements. Customized retainer-style services are available for strategic planning and fundraising engagements, and leadership mentoring and coaching. Fundraising services include development assessments, annual fund evaluation and management, campaign planning studies, and all-related capital and endowment campaign administration from start to finish.

Each engagement is designed and priced according to the client’s timeline and goals.

ALL SERVICES

STRATEGIC PLANNING:
MISSION & VISION

  • Evaluate an institution’s readiness
    to plan

  • Scan and assess internally to determine the current state

  • Scan and assess externally to analyze national, regional, and local trends and best practices

  • Create a strategic plan with constituency and stakeholder input

  • Identify challenges and emerging opportunities, harnessing cross-
    functional management

  • Uncover distinctive, value-
    added propositions

  • Introduce oversight and
    recalibration strategy during implementation phase

  • Develop milestones and measurements of progress
    and success

  • Produce regular reporting procedures – keeping the
    institution on course

GOVERNANCE & BOARD DEVELOPMENT

  • Create a strategic thinking philosophy – act decisively

  • Develop a forward-thinking mindset

  • Establish committee structures
    and charges

  • Refine the trustee recruitment process

  • Clarify roles and responsibilities

  • Initiate and sustain ongoing professional development programs

  • Enhance the CEO/President/Head and Board Chair partnership

  • Roll-out structured plans to communicate effectively with varied constituencies and stakeholders

  • Maintain balance among fiduciary, strategic, and generative styles of governance

FUNDRAISING ADVISORY:
GENERATING GREATER IMPACT

  • Development office assessments and review of policies and procedures

  • Staffing and job description evaluations

  • Annual fund preparation and planning

  • Planning/feasibility studies

  • Revitalize lapsed donor base

  • Manage capital and endowment campaigns

  • Create gifting and accounting policies

  • Establish legal guidelines for gift acceptance documents

  • Assist with search and placement of key leadership positions during engagements

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN & REFINEMENT TECHNOLOGIES

  • Assess campus planning for current and future expansion

  • Employ marketing and branding strategies for increased institutional awareness, higher admission rates and stronger fundraising results

  • Provide guidance for financial forecasting and policy formation to achieve higher endowment yield

  • Evaluate cost control through economic efficiencies

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP &
MANAGEMENT COUNSEL

  • Executive mentoring and coaching

  • Training workshops

  • “On Call” – retained service for continuing communications and counseling discussions with leadership

  • Increase communication with stronger connections to community

  • Enhance the mission-message through effective dialogue and consistent constituency outreach