Spark Nonprofit Excellence

Ziva Starr Raney was instrumental in completing our organizational strategic plan. She has a thoughtful approach that leaves no stone unturned and examines all aspects of the business. Her logical guidance and proven steps make the process informative, illustrative and dare-I-say, enjoyable! Ziva is wise enough to know that far too many strategic plans are created, never to be looked at again. Her insistence on measurable metrics and periodic reviews means that your work will become a living, breathing document with ongoing relevance. While Ziva is always professional, she is willing to push and challenge all those involved to secure the best outcome. She brings wisdom, smarts and humor to her work, making her an outstanding partner.

Ziva makes the “geeky” world of non-profit board governance understandable – and practical. During a retreat, while I was synagogue president, Ziva led us through the process to develop our very first “board member commitment statement” (or board Brit) that detailed what was expected from each board member and what those board members could expect from professional and lay leadership. She brought us a draft and then guided us as the group collaboratively refined the document into something meaningful (and that we still use years later). Ziva showed us how important having clear expectations is in nurturing board excellence. Her expertise has proved invaluable to our board time and time again.

I’ve had Ziva work with my boards on several occasions, each time with great success. She has the rare gift of mastery of both sides of the non-profit yin-yang: the science and the art. Ziva has a vast knowledge of best-practice processes and also a high emotional IQ that allows her to connect these objective steps to board success with softer, nurturing human relationships. Her work is a holistic learning experience for boards and C-Suite staff that touches all the bases for growth.