The Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce promotes the capabilities, capacity and value of businesses of African descent to Minnesota communities and its economy. The Chamber provides small business loans as well as workshops, networking, and mentoring opportunities. Following significant transitions within the Board and drafting a new strategic plan, the Board Chair, Hillary Swanson, felt it was imperative to invest in leadership development and hired SCC to facilitate a retreat for the Board of Directors. We thank Hillary for sharing some feedback about the experience.

describe the challenges or needs you were facing and why you sought out a consultant?

I was finishing my first year as Board Chair. We had just hired a new President four months previous and we had four new Board members—we needed a retreat! We needed to define our mission, review the purpose/function of a board and president and chart a path forward for the next six months, together. Renae and her team stepped up to the challenge and met our every need.

Which parts of the planning or implementation of the board development retreat, or your work with SCC went well?

I truly appreciated meeting face to face with Renae to go over what we needed in detail. I gave her our Strategy Plan, our Mission and a list of our Board members and their positions. Renae was able to develop hours of beneficial material to help us understand where we were and where we wanted to be. [Renae] is so knowledgeable, flexible, and fun!

What would you change?

We should have scheduled more time with Renae.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I just love you guys. I appreciate the fact you’ve been doing this awhile. I appreciate that you are women. You are so professional. I’ve reached out to Renae afterward a couple times and she was so helpful! If you are looking for experience, knowledge, “smarts” and a savvy view of the function of nonprofits in the marketplace, Strategic Consulting & Coaching is the service for you.