In May 2016, the Standards for Excellence Institute’s Licensed Nonprofit Consultant program celebrated its tenth anniversary and “Ten Years of Advancing Excellence.” The Standards for Excellence Institute promotes fundamental values in the nonprofit sector such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability, all of which are inherently important in the nonprofit world.
The Standards for Excellence Institute offers their Licensed Consultant training program to independent nonprofit consultants who apply and are accepted to participate in an exclusive professional development initiative. The training offers the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to work with nonprofit organizations across the country interested in learning about the Standards for Excellence, implementing the code of excellence, and becoming accredited by the Standards for Excellence Institute.
The Institute has been celebrating this milestone with the #10YearsOfExcellence blog series, featuring a series of blog posts authored by Licensed Nonprofit Consultants and highlighting various standards outlined in the Standards for Excellence code. A reception was also held at this year’s Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant training program featuring a video greeting from Shari Edelstein, the first instructor of the program. P.J. Chambers, a Licensed Consultant from the class of 2015 and owner of WebIXI, gave a presentation on utilizing online technology to promote a consulting business.
The Standards for Excellence has been formally adopted by eleven state, regional and national affiliate organizations, and is supported by over 100 Licensed Consultants and over 100 volunteers with professional experience in nonprofit governance and administration. The Standards for Excellence initiative helps nonprofit organizations achieve the highest benchmarks of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management and operations. The program currently has over 200 individual nonprofit organizations that completed a rigorous application and review process to demonstrate adherence to the Institute’s published code of excellence. Licensed Consultants undergo an intensive, three-day training from the Standards for Excellence Institute in how to work with organizations seeking to implement the Standards for Excellence code.
The Standards for Excellence Institute will offer the next Licensed Consultant program in the fall of 2017. For information on the Licensed Consultant program, visit standardsforexcellence.org/become-a-licensed-consultant.
The Institute, an operating division of Maryland Nonprofits, uses the Standards for Excellence program as its vehicle for effective change. The Standards for Excellence program works to help nonprofit organizations act ethically and accountably in their management and governance, while enhancing the public's trust in the nonprofit sector. To learn more, visit www.standardsforexcellence.org.