Résumé
Copyright 2003 San Antonio Express-News San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
January 4, 2003, Saturday , METRO
January 4, 2003, Saturday , METRO
SECTION: BUSINESS EXPRESS; Nonprofits ; Pg. 6H
LENGTH: 951 words
HEADLINE: Helping those who help others ;
Nonprofitleaders increasingly turn to business managers to improve efficiency.
BYLINE: Analisa Nazareno
BODY: As the executive director for the nonprofit Alamo Area Resources Center, Jerry Permenter juggled board meetings, applied for funding grants, cut the grass and even swept away cigarette butts.
Meanwhile, the group was paying thousands of dollars a month for use of a moldy building and struggling to meet the mental health and transportation needs of its clients, many of whom are being treated for HIV.
"His time was being picked in so many different ways, he couldn't focus on what he needed to do, which was move the agency forward," said Permenter's consultant and mentor, Tom McGuire. "I would say that at the time, he was in the classic early stages of burnout."
Before his bulb could blow out, Permenter applied for a planning grant from the Kronkosky Foundation and reached out for help. And McGuire was the retired Army colonel and USAA audit executive who arrived at his dusty doorstep to show him how to do his job a little better.
"We were stagnant. We were in a rut," Permenter said. "I felt that if we didn't find the energy and the optimism and determination to go forward, we were going to fall over the wayside as a group."
Increasingly, nonprofit organizations such as Permenter's and their funding sources have been turning to consultants in the for-profit business community to sharpen their business acumen, learn time management skills and improve their overall leadership skills.
"A lot of people in the nonprofit world have come up from the ranks and not gone through any leadership or management courses," said McGuire, who is a grants manager with the Kronkosky Foundation. "And then it's either you have it or don't have it once they get into these management positions."
Though the University of Texas at San Antonio and other organizations long have offered courses on management and finances to nonprofit organizations, funding organizations now are directing nonprofit leaders to consultants who monitor, observe and make suggestions for improvements.
Some directors, such as Permenter, ask for the help. But more often, funding sources advise directors to seek the assistance after reading flat and deficient applications or as they're monitoring existing contracts for services and fiscal efficiency.
The San Antonio Express-News owns the copyright to this story. For a full copy of this story, e-mail Analisa and she will send you a clip via e-mail or snail mail.
LENGTH: 951 words
HEADLINE: Helping those who help others ;
Nonprofitleaders increasingly turn to business managers to improve efficiency.
BYLINE: Analisa Nazareno
BODY: As the executive director for the nonprofit Alamo Area Resources Center, Jerry Permenter juggled board meetings, applied for funding grants, cut the grass and even swept away cigarette butts.
Meanwhile, the group was paying thousands of dollars a month for use of a moldy building and struggling to meet the mental health and transportation needs of its clients, many of whom are being treated for HIV.
"His time was being picked in so many different ways, he couldn't focus on what he needed to do, which was move the agency forward," said Permenter's consultant and mentor, Tom McGuire. "I would say that at the time, he was in the classic early stages of burnout."
Before his bulb could blow out, Permenter applied for a planning grant from the Kronkosky Foundation and reached out for help. And McGuire was the retired Army colonel and USAA audit executive who arrived at his dusty doorstep to show him how to do his job a little better.
"We were stagnant. We were in a rut," Permenter said. "I felt that if we didn't find the energy and the optimism and determination to go forward, we were going to fall over the wayside as a group."
Increasingly, nonprofit organizations such as Permenter's and their funding sources have been turning to consultants in the for-profit business community to sharpen their business acumen, learn time management skills and improve their overall leadership skills.
"A lot of people in the nonprofit world have come up from the ranks and not gone through any leadership or management courses," said McGuire, who is a grants manager with the Kronkosky Foundation. "And then it's either you have it or don't have it once they get into these management positions."
Though the University of Texas at San Antonio and other organizations long have offered courses on management and finances to nonprofit organizations, funding organizations now are directing nonprofit leaders to consultants who monitor, observe and make suggestions for improvements.
Some directors, such as Permenter, ask for the help. But more often, funding sources advise directors to seek the assistance after reading flat and deficient applications or as they're monitoring existing contracts for services and fiscal efficiency.
The San Antonio Express-News owns the copyright to this story. For a full copy of this story, e-mail Analisa and she will send you a clip via e-mail or snail mail.
