Frequently Asked Questions
We’d love to work with you, but to help you determine if we are a good fit for you, please keep our answers to the following FAQs in mind:
Sheer Strategy LLC will accelerate progress and guide your decisions through comprehensive planning. Through Sheer Growth™ solutions we can help you advance your mission through our consensus building process that cultivates the best approaches for your unique service proposition.
Sheer Growth™ FAQs:
Sheer Growth ™ solutions include but are not limited to strategic plan development, operational/tactical plan development, and fundraising/development audits and plans. Plans are a critical tool, and Sheer Strategy LLC will ensure that plans developed with us will include measurable objectives, a set timeline, and a framework for accountability.
If one thing is constant it’s change, and the best way to manage change is to plan for it. A well-developed plan enables your agency to align efforts among your stakeholders, accelerate growth and guide your decisions as you move forward. Your agency already has the wisdom needed to plan and grow. What’s needed to draw that wisdom out is outside facilitation to maintain objectivity, inspire open participation and foster adherence to the process. External facilitators come without strong predispositions about your agency’s issues and ideas, allowing for every team member to fully contribute.
For Sheer GrowthTM solutions the process is customized to each client’s unique circumstances, objectives and needs. However, the process generally begins with a consultation and includes planning, assessment, and facilitated team sessions as well as individual meetings with company leadership. The process culminates with the completion and distribution of the specific deliverable(s) agreed upon. The consultation consists of determining the issues to be addressed, the timeline, stakeholder commitment and resources. Planning includes discussion of the Sheer Strategy LLC method and review of the process. Assessment includes a data and historical agency information review and stakeholders interviews to assess internal and external factors impacting the agency. The facilitated sessions are interactive, consensus building, and customized to your company’s needs.
For Sheer GrowthTM solutions the time commitment will depend on the project structure and will vary depending on each individual in your organization’s role in the project. Previous experience has shown that any one team member may spend anywhere from 10 to 40 hours over the course of a typical engagement.
Our philosophy is to not only involve your stakeholders but to also excite them and get them vested in the outcomes. Your team will never have more fun working together to meet your goals than with us! You’ll be at the heart of the action, using improvisational techniques and other creative exercises to build consensus, cultivate engagement, uncover important insights and develop your plan.
We pride ourselves in delivering structured plans that are based on measurable objectives and provide specific action steps with corresponding timelines, metrics to monitor progress and additional details. And, to help ensure that you adhere to your plan but also allow for flexibility, all plans include tools for monitoring and amending the plan. We know, however, that plans tend to sit on shelves, so we provide you with a tool to make that easier: a one-page desk-ready graphic snapshot of your established objectives to help easily guide discussions and inform decisions. Plus, we are available to make minor updates to the deliverables, answer questions and offer guidance after the engagement is complete at no additional charge. We don’t just get in and get out, we build relationships.
Written plans have several benefits. They:
- Keep your organization on the right path to a long and productive future.
- Ensure that everyone in your organization is focused on the same priorities.
- Increase morale, as stakeholders see a clear vision for the future of their organization.
- Offering criteria for decision making to determine the best solutions and making sure they are implemented.
- Improve the credibility of your organization.
We will happily provide a full or a partial sample plan for review.
It depends on the project and your needs, but a typical engagement for plan development spans two to four months. The timing is influenced by the level of your participation, the availability and quality of your existing materials, and the complexity of the internal and external environment.
For Sheer GrowthTM solutions in general, we charge a project fee determined by the scope of the project, your specific organizational needs, the quality of your existing materials, the timeline and the complexity of your organization and the environment. Fees can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Travel and other expenses may also apply, and all fees will be mutually agreed to up-front a delineated in a custom contract. Regardless of the size of your project, Sheer Strategy LLC offers high-quality, engaging, and professional consultative services and deliverables. Moreover, it is important to point out that we are available to make minor updates to deliverables, answer questions and offer guidance after the engagement is complete at no additional charge.
We serve clients nationally and internationally. Much of our work is done via online meeting tools and shareable documents, but we find facilitated group meetings are most successful when conducted in-person. That said, we are fully equipped to work virtually during all engagement phases if needed or preferred.
We work with all types of companies from small non-profits to world-class multinational B-to-C and B- to-B businesses.
Yes. We can sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement. This agreement protects both parties from disclosure of confidential information. Our standard client contract provides ample protection that covers most circumstances.
Yes, we will gladly provide references upon request.
Sheer Strategy LLC will listen to and involve your people, your greatest asset. Through our Sheer Leadership™ solutions we can foster stakeholder engagement, strengthen your organizational culture, and educate, energize, and build your team.
Sheer Leadership™ FAQs:
Sheer Leadership™ solutions include but are not limited to group facilitation in the form of retreats, workshops, and roundtables for a variety of purposes such as ideation sessions and team building and employee engagement services such as surveying and in-depth interviews to advance corporate culture.
Sheer Strategy ™ LLC facilitates retreats, workshops, ideation sessions and roundtables of all types. Our facilitation services are rooted in improvisational techniques that offer an engaging, collaborative and dynamic experience.
Sheer StrategyTM LLC provides a number of board development services including but not limited to assessment and recruitment, governance best practices, training and development, and succession planning.
Sheer StrategyTM LLC offers corporate culture assessment, team building, and conflict resolution.
Outside consultants help draw out your organization’s wisdom through inspiring open participation, aligning your stakeholders, and fostering adherence to the process. External facilitators provide objectivity and come without strong predispositions about your agency’s issues and ideas, allowing for a more unbiased perspective.
For Sheer LeadershipTM solutions the time commitment will depend on the project structure and will vary depending on each individual in your organization’s role in the project. Previous experience has shown that any one team member may spend anywhere from 10 to 40 hours over the course of a typical engagement.
Our philosophy is to not only involve your stakeholders but to also excite them and get them vested in the outcomes. Your team will never have more fun working together to meet your goals than with us! You’ll be at the heart of the action, using improvisational techniques and other creative exercises when working with us. Plus, we are available to answer questions and offer guidance after the engagement is complete at no additional charge. We don’t just get in and get out. Rather we aim to build an ongoing relationship.
It depends on the project and your needs. A single facilitation engagement may just span a few weeks of working together where a board development or employee engagement project may span a few months. The timing is influenced by the level of your participation, the availability and quality of your existing materials, and the complexity of the internal and external environment.
Sheer Leadership ServicesTM in general, we charge a project fee determined by the scope of the project, your specific organizational needs, the quality of your existing materials, the timeline and the complexity of your organization and the environment. Fees can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Travel and other expenses may also apply, and all fees will be mutually agreed to up-front a delineated in a custom contract. Regardless of the size of your project, Sheer Strategy LLC offers high-quality, engaging, and professional consultative services and deliverables. Moreover, it is important to point out that we are available to make minor updates to deliverables, answer questions and offer guidance after the engagement is complete at no additional charge.
We serve clients nationally and internationally. Much of our work is done via online meeting tools and shareable documents, but we find facilitated group meetings are most successful when conducted in-person. That said, we are fully equipped to work virtually during all engagement phases if needed or preferred.
We work with all types of companies from small non-profits to world-class B-to-C and B-to-B businesses.
Yes. We can sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement. This agreement protects both parties from disclosure of confidential information. Our standard client contract provides ample protection that covers most circumstances.
Yes, we will gladly provide references upon request.
Sheer Strategy LLC will develop your resources to drive your mission and meet your goals. Through Sheer Impact Services™ we can help you build capacity, diversify funding, develop clear and consistent communications, and promote your distinctive stories.
Sheer Impact™ FAQs:
Sheer Impact™ solutions include but are not limited to comprehensive grants services including research, proposal development, and award management, compelling communication content, and engaging marketing and development collateral.
Consultants are dedicated to the projects you hire them for and are focused on being successful. Unlike an employee, they aren’t weighed down by the other day-to-day duties within an organization, and you can easily to terminate the relationship once the project is completed. In addition, consultants have often worked on a variety of projects with many different organizations, thereby benefiting your organization with diverse experience and a broader perspective.
Sheer Strategy LLC helps you to effectively convey your message, express your vision, increase awareness, and connect with constituents through a strong marketing and development infrastructure. Let us help you “tell your story” through compelling content for your website, a social media strategy that increases followers and engagement, revitalized branding, and engaging marketing and fundraising printed materials and other collateral.
Our expert services include identifying and researching potential funders, grant proposal/application development and/or review, grants training, and grants management, which includes tracking grant submissions and funder cycles, grant reporting, award management, and funder stewardship.
No. In accordance with industry standards, Sheer Strategy™ LLC does not work on a commission, percentage or contingent fee basis and grant preparation costs cannot typically be paid through grants secured.
We have had much success in securing grants and provide all services in good faith, but past success does not assure future results, and we unfortunately cannot guarantee that submission of grant applications or proposals results in funding. To increase the probability of success we will work closely with you to first determine your agency’s “grant readiness” as well as assess the likelihood of funding particular projects.
On average, it takes us anywhere from two to twenty hours to complete a grant proposal or application for a private foundation source. Typically, the first grant for a particular project takes the greatest number of hours, but time spent on each grant will depend on the quality and amount of the material supplied and input provided by the client, the type of questions on the application, the length of application, and the number and type of attachments required. For government submissions the time commitment is much greater and may take upwards of 100+ hours.
We have secured close to $15 million in organizational and individual funding for a variety of organizations. Of that, over $10 million is from foundation, corporate, other organizational and governmental support. Grants secured have included capital, programmatic, and operating and have been for educational, environmental, social services and other projects.
The principals of Sheer Strategy LLC have over 50+ combined years of working with corporate enterprises and other organizations, such as non-profits. We build relationships with our clients, and we bring a diversity of experience, education, and training as well as outstanding communications and creative marketing skills to our clients. Our philosophy is to not only involve your stakeholders but to also excite them and get them vested in the outcomes. Your team will never have more fun working together to meet your goals than with us! You’ll be at the heart of the action, using improvisational techniques and other creative exercises to build consensus, cultivate engagement, uncover important insights and develop you plan.
It depends on the project and your needs. We have worked with clients to produce a single deliverable such as one grant proposal or one marketing brochure that may just take a few weeks, and we have worked with some clients regularly for years.
In general, for Sheer Impact™ solutions we charge an hourly rate, but in some instances, we will agree to a project fee. A project fee is determined by the scope of the project, your specific organizational needs, the quality of your existing materials, the timeline and the complexity of your organization and the environment.
With both an hourly and a project fee, travel and other expenses may also apply, and all fees will be mutually agreed to up-front a delineated in a custom contract. Regardless, Sheer Strategy LLC offers high-quality, engaging, and professional consultative services and deliverables. Moreover, it is important to point out that we are available to make minor updates to deliverables, answer questions and offer guidance after the engagement is complete at no additional charge.
Yes, we will gladly provide references upon request.
