Organization / Executive Consulting
Across a 35-year career I've made a tremendous number of well-meaning mistakes peppered with enough successes to:
a) keep my job,
b) expand a variety of organizations in a variety of ways,
c) innovate / re-engineer organizations to deliver greater impact, and
d) quite recently, turnaround an organization from near ruin while maintaining its mission.
My passion: "I love to help people who help people."
a) keep my job,
b) expand a variety of organizations in a variety of ways,
c) innovate / re-engineer organizations to deliver greater impact, and
d) quite recently, turnaround an organization from near ruin while maintaining its mission.
My passion: "I love to help people who help people."
My journey of learning and leadership
Nonprofit leadership experience: A university board, a mega-church, a small church, an international church association, two cause-driven national organizations, a large international organization, and a few short-term mission trips.
Also: A dozen years writing leadership columns for a well-known media outlet, a 13-year fortune 500 marketing career, a stint as an upper-division university marketing professor, Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth College) certification in innovation leadership, completed multiple executive education courses at Booth (University of Chicago) and Ross (University of Michigan), and several years of quarterly silence and solitude retreats.
Specific roles I've served in: President & CEO, Interim Executive Director, Consultant to the Board, Team Development Pastor, Ministry Director, Adjunct Professor, Communications Director, Board Chair, Author, Columnist, Senior Editor, National Spokesperson, Marketing Director, Business Unit Manager, Product Manager, Salesperson.
experience i bring to you
|
Growth, turnaround, re-engineering, organizational collaborations, ministry expansion, capacity building, founder & long-term leader transition, repurposing, launching new markets, high-efficiency expansion (aka low cost growth), sustainability planning, organizational voice, effective communications, fundraising, personal growth, avoiding burnout, church partnerships, public school partnerships, working with a board.
|
passion areas
Walking with organizations to help them turn great dreams into reality, compassion to the hurting, outreach to the lonely, a voice for the overlooked, children's ministry and faith development, effective parenting, all aspects of volunteerism, and strong communications. Very strong.
intangibles I'll help you re-discover
Focus, sustainability, transparency, integrity, common sense, passion, curiosity, learning, empathy, realism, reality-defining, and collaboration.
effectiveness is greater than cleverness
I possess the breadth of experience to work with organization leaders and ask the right questions, listen for important information, extend unique empathy, and offer seasoned suggestions when appropriate. The perspective I will bring to others is exactly what I longed for someone to provide when I served in nonprofit leadership.
I've lived in the tensions that many nonprofits experience, especially thin distinctions between critical functions. So, marketing efforts must consider operations realities, programmatic changes might cause fundraising challenges, leadership priorities require weighing the needs found in every area, and collaborations effect all. Fluency across the organization, and familiarity with how areas impact one another, results in greater overall effectiveness.
Interested?
Sometimes a new eye, a fresh perspective, and/or a co-conspirator are needed. I'll partner with you and your team, your organization, your board - or just you.
Others' Comments
Transforming Center (Consultant, Interim Executive Director)
“We hired David as an internal consultant to lead us in a reengineering process that actually saved our organization. David’s work in this restructuring was nothing less than brilliant, focused and self-sacrificial.
“In David’s work with the Transforming Center he brought vision, initiative, strategic thinking, and relentless positivity—even in the face of great difficulty and unexpected challenges.
“David knows not-for-profit leadership through and through. He understands and provides strong leadership in the areas of organizational development, supervision, governance, finance, human resources, communications, donor development and fundraising. He is a charismatic leader who cultivates self- and other- awareness in such a way that team members trust him and follow him. He instills confidence both in his up-front communication as well as in his interpersonal communication. He is a person of integrity who is highly principled in everything he does and every decision he makes.”
(Ruth Haley Barton, CEO, March 2020)
“In David’s work with the Transforming Center he brought vision, initiative, strategic thinking, and relentless positivity—even in the face of great difficulty and unexpected challenges.
“David knows not-for-profit leadership through and through. He understands and provides strong leadership in the areas of organizational development, supervision, governance, finance, human resources, communications, donor development and fundraising. He is a charismatic leader who cultivates self- and other- awareness in such a way that team members trust him and follow him. He instills confidence both in his up-front communication as well as in his interpersonal communication. He is a person of integrity who is highly principled in everything he does and every decision he makes.”
(Ruth Haley Barton, CEO, March 2020)
Kids Hope USA (President & CEO, Board Member)
“David Staal’s decade-plus tenure as our leader has been nothing less than transformational,” said Douglas Ruch, Kids Hope USA board chair, in a news release.
“We grew from mentoring a few thousand students primarily in West Michigan to now reaching over 25,000 students across 36 states. Based on demand, our best days are still ahead; thousands of additional schools now wait for our program.”
(Holland Sentinel; April 27, 2019)
“We grew from mentoring a few thousand students primarily in West Michigan to now reaching over 25,000 students across 36 states. Based on demand, our best days are still ahead; thousands of additional schools now wait for our program.”
(Holland Sentinel; April 27, 2019)
Grand Valley State University – Kirkhof College of Nursing (Board Member, Board Chair)
“David is an invaluable member of our advisory board. As chair, he leads with a distinct ability to identify and embrace opportunities to advance our work,” said Cynthia McCurren, dean and professor at the Kirkhof College of Nursing.
“He believes students should receive more than a textbook education and that our communities deserve more than textbook prepared nurses. This is directly in line with the philosophy of KCON, and we are grateful for his leadership.”
(GVSU.edu; May 27, 2016)
“He believes students should receive more than a textbook education and that our communities deserve more than textbook prepared nurses. This is directly in line with the philosophy of KCON, and we are grateful for his leadership.”
(GVSU.edu; May 27, 2016)