Consultation

Board and CEO Recruitment Consultation

One of the most important decisions a non-profit board can make is the recruitment of its leadership- the people who determine and guide the future of that organization! Jake has over a decade of experience serving on and chairing nominating committees in the search for new board members, and has taken part in the hiring of one non-profit executive director, as well as the CEO of a provincial Crown corporation. As an experienced non-profit board member, he has overseen the performance of over a dozen executive directors and CEOs during his time in the sector. Jake’s experience and proven track record of success in doing this important work makes him the perfect individual to support your organization in the search for a new CEO, executive director or your newest board members! Once engaged, he will work with your organization to:

Meet with your board, nominating committee or executive director search committee to identify the needs of your organization, as far as leadership from either an executive or board standpoint.
For boards: Develop a skills competency matrix- which will help you determine what skills, professional expertise, volunteer and lived experience you already have, as well as what you need to recruit for. Jake will then create a customised board recruitment posting for your organization.

For CEOs/executive directors: Work with your board on creating a job posting that encapsulates the role and the needs of the organization.

Strategic Planning Consultation

During his time in the non-profit sector, Jake has taken part in the creation of and the implementation of many strategic plans. His role as a consultant will be to put together and send out Board and Staff Surveys to get direct
feedback on the way the organization functions. He will also work with your board’s strategic planning committee to identify priorities for the new strategic plan, as well as leading a Zoom strategic planning session with the full board to flesh out the final main priorities, KPI’s (strategic goals) and timelines for each one. Based on his advice, the results of these meetings, as well as the Board and Staff Strategic Planning Surveys, he will put together a draft strategic planning document, which will then be sent to the organization’s board for review. Once the board has provided their feedback, Jake will put together the final strategic plan document, which will then be sent back to the board for their approval.

The organization, specifically the executive director and board, will be responsible for creating the strategic plan, with guidance from the JSA Strategies Consulting. Jake will record the Zoom strategic planning brainstorm session, as well as the strategic planning committee meetings.

Organizational DEIA Consultation

Jake has over a decade of experience working with non-profits, arts organizations, local government, public school districts and post secondary institutions around diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives. His expertise in this area has been recognized by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion as a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP) back in 2022. The Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional certification process is designed to assess the existing knowledge and experience of DEIA professionals against the standard established by the CCIP Competency Framework. Earning the CCIP designation provides a formal recognition of an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience in the DEIA field in Canada, standardized by the Competency Framework. As a person with a disability and as a longtime disability rights advocate, Jake brings additional lived experience from his life to the work he does. He worked with the City of Burnaby to establish their first accessibility plan in accordance with the requirements of the Accessible BC Act. In 2018, As a former professional theatre artist. Jake helped develop the Arts Club Theatre Company’s first relaxed performance and co-chaired its accessibility advisory committee for the company’s production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Since 2016, he has been an advisor and consultant around relaxed performances and accessibility to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. He served on Destination BC’s Accessibility & Inclusion Committee (AIC), advising the provincial Crown corporation on making BC’s tourism sector more accessible for people with disabilities. All in all, Jake brings a great deal of experience, passion and expertise to his work around DEIA. He would love to work with your organization to provide the following services:

Working with your executive director, senior management and board to develop an organizational accessibility plan that meets the diverse needs of your staff, clients and the community you serve.
Doing an DEIA audit: This includes looking at every aspect of your organization from hiring processes, community engagement, board recruitment, website design, programming and publications, etc. to assess where the organization is doing well, as well as where improvements need to be made in regards to organizational DEIA. These audits will also take into account the areas for improvement that are identified by the organization’s leadership.

Leading a Zoom workshop with your staff and/or board around equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility within a non-profit organization. These workshops can be tailored to the needs and priorities of a particular organization.