July 2015

As all of us in the field soon learn, great programs are never enough; solid nonprofit management requires mastery of a universe of concepts and skills.  With the two newest additions to our senior consulting team, Chanticleer offers unparalleled expertise on two very different ends of the management spectrum: communications and finance.

Rick Meyers

will help Chanticleer clients tell their stories, offering best practices and lessons learned during his long career in communications and marketing. As Northern Kentucky University's first Sports Information Director, Director of Media Relations and ultimately Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Rick led NKU to broad recognition for excellence. Under his leadership, NKU received more than 150 awards from the Kentucky chapter of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and Rick was personally honored as recipient of the 2009 Beth K. Fields Award for lifetime contribution to collegiate advancement. In addition to his work at NKU, Rick served as Sports Information Director of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference from 1987-2005, managing numerous post-season tournaments, leading the development of the conference's first website, and winning seven "Best in the Nation" awards for his conference basketball media guide. He has been named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame, the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, and the Northern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame. 

J. Thomas Lockhart

offers strategy, tactics and coaching to enable Chanticleer clients to maximize their mission by being good stewards of their financial resources. With Tom's help, non-profits, schools and churches reduce operating costs, increase annual giving, and manage their endowment investments. He performs financial assess-ments, internal control and cost reviews, and financial modeling for strategic plans. After eleven years as a revenue-cycle consultant to hospitals and physicians, Tom became Chief Financial Officer of 2000-member Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis, and then CFO at United Theological Seminary. He serves on the investment committee of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. In addition to his work in the philanthropic community, Tom is a Director of Employers Mutual Casualty Company of Des Moines, Iowa, where he chairs the investment committee. He is a graduate of Williams College with an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University. Tom also serves as auctioneer at charity live auctions and is a graduate of the Missouri Auction School.

 

 

Words of Wisdom from Rick and Tom
Time for the two-minute consultant!  What, according to Rick and Tom, are the basic
Words to Live By in their respective areas of expertise?

Rules from Rick:

Always refer back to the same four very simple guidelines:
  • Be honest.
  • Be authentic.
  • Be transparent.
  • Be relevant.
Any organization that lives by these will develop trust and confidence in the brand without a chance of ever being perceived as deceptive in any way.


Tips from Tom:
  • Remember, you are always using other people's money, and their money makes your mission possible.  Good financial management, including expense control, realistic budgets, accurate reporting and reliable forecasts, allows the organization to focus on its mission.
  • Board members should understand their responsibility for financial oversight, including how designated or restricted donations are handled and whether internal controls are sufficient to ensure that the financial reporting process is reliable.
  • Endowments are beneficial in that they can underpin financial stability and can help the organization survive difficult periods. However, over-reliance on endowments or using restricted funds improperly can damage a non-profit.
Chanticleer Consulting 
877-446-1261 
4366 Kalama Court
Cincinnati, OH 45236
13 West Street
Easthampton, MA 01027