Featuring Support the Enlisted Project
What happens when a nonprofit outgrows its mission statement? Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) knows what these growing pains feel like. The organization, originally focused on supporting military service members and their families to achieve financial literary and self-sufficiency, realized its work had become bigger than its mission. STEP was doing more than it ever imagined, creating a ripple effect of deep impact by addressing the root causes of challenges faced by military members. The nonprofit was ready to adopt a more mature version of itself and share its story. A team of SVP consultants collaborated with STEP’s leadership to develop a more accurate representation of its work to appeal to a wider audience and support the nonprofit’s planned expansion.
Lead Partner Alan Sorkin guided CEO & Co-Founder Tony Teravainen to more clearly articulate STEP’s significant role in addressing the myriad of challenges military personnel and their families face: food insecurity, homelessness, mental health issues, and increased risk of suicide. The nonprofit now has a revised mission statement that accurately portrays its work. Teravainen and his team can confidently share this mission and message through a newly developed pitch deck that can be tailored to various target audiences including donors, volunteers, and clients, thanks to Sorkin’s leadership coaching.
Partner Susan Schindelar led STEP’s Institutional Giving Manager, Jennifer Handy, and Marketing Coordinator, Selya Stice, in the process of developing a brand book, helping the nonprofit’s staff effectively and consistently represent its brand across all platforms including print and digital media. Schindelar also supported Handy and Stice as they created a one-page engagement tool that shares STEP’s new mission statement with key messages that represent the nonprofit’s work in a way that appeals to diverse stakeholders.
Equipped with a new mission statement and improved messaging, the nonprofit was poised for further growth, but now needed a team of A-player leaders in place. Sorkin provided additional resources to Teravainen to improve STEP’s hiring process resulting in the recruitment, selection, and onboarding of a leadership team prepared to take the organization into the next era.
“This was a great partnership. All the SVP consultants took the time to learn about STEP, our origin, our culture, our core values, and about the people we serve. Keep it up! True customized one-on-one service.” – Tony Teravainen, CEO & Co-Founder.
STEP is now well positioned to effectively and concisely communicate its deepened impact and outcomes through its new mission statement with a robust leadership team prepared to pave the way toward national expansion.
Support the Enlisted Project believes that all service members, Veterans, and their family members deserve to live to their fullest potential without fear of the next life crisis that financial know-how can solve. The nonprofit addresses food insecurity, homelessness, mental health issues, suicide, and other crises by improving long-term financial wellness.
Comments