C06 Session: Serving the Faith-Based Sector

Strategies for Serving the Faith-Based Sector

Friday, August 4, 10:45am - 12:15pm

Track:  Cultural Competency

Presenters

Chester A. France, The C. Whitney Group, LLC; Naomi Takeuchi, 1000 Cranes Business Consulting

Description

Faith diversity and freedom of religion are cornerstones of American history.  As a consultant, understanding the needs of faith-based organizations is crucial in better serving nonprofit communities of different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and theologies.  This session will provide strategies to enhance the consultant's ability to serve and market to the faith-based sector.

About the Presenters

Chester France, The C. Whitney Group, LLC

Chester A. France, Jr., M.Div., MSW, is President of The C. Whitney Group, LLC established to provide Fundraising Resource Development and Organizational Capacity Building for institutional and community-based nonprofit organizations. Mr. France has over thirty years of professional experience in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. His business experience covers a wide range from sales and marketing to establishing several non-profit 501(c) (3) corporations. Prior to starting his own consulting firm, Chester served as Fund Development Officer for the University of Maryland School of Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS), focused primarily in Special Events and Annual Giving. He has also served as the Executive Director of several community-based nonprofit organizations and as Senior Vice President of a nonprofit organization to develop faith-based economic development initiatives in the Baltimore metropolitan region.

He has provided workshops on Board Development, Developing Your Organization's Fundraising Capacity, Strengthening the Organization: Enhancing the Leadership, and Working With African American Faith-based Organizations at the national conferences of The Alliance for Nonprofit Management, Christian Community Development Association, and the Center for Nonprofit Resources.

Chester is a graduate of Morgan State University, with a degree in Business and Marketing. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Howard University School of Divinity, and is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Social Work with a Management and Community Organization concentration. He is a 1999 graduate of the Summer Leadership Institute for Church-based Community and Economic Development sponsored by the Harvard University Divinity School, Center for the Study of Values in Public Life.

Chester is a member of The Alliance for Nonprofit Management, BoardSource, The National Center for Black Philanthropy, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and The Leader to Leader Institute (formally The Drucker Foundation), and formal member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Naomi Takeuchi, 1000 Cranes, LLC

Naomi Takeuchi is President of 1000 Cranes, LLC, a private consulting firm specializing in business consulting, strategic planning, and financial analysis for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Takeuchi has over twenty years of professional experience in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Prior to starting 1000 Cranes Business Consulting, Naomi served as a Cisco Community Fellow through the Cisco Systems Foundation and has worked for higher education organizations and information and biotechnology focused for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Her specialty is in business planning, strategy formation, financial analysis and Federal grant writing.

She has been an active instructor for the last four years for the Duke University Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management and has provided workshops on Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Grant Writing, Operational Efficiencies and Financial Reporting. She is an active member of the Yale/Goldman Sachs Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, the National Association of Asian-American Professionals, and the Social Enterprise Alliance.

Naomi is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Genetics and Microbiology. She earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also works closely with the Kenan Institute for Sustainable Enterprise. Naomi has also earned her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.