Philadelphia Executive Service Corps Joins Nonprofit Center at La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA, December 15, 2006 --(PR.com)-- After 23 years of providing low-cost consulting expertise to the nonprofit community, Executive Service Corps of the Delaware Valley (ESCDV) is being acquired by The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, Philadelphia. 

Faced with financial difficulties for several years, ESCDV approached The Nonprofit Center about creating a partnership that would preserve its mission of serving the nonprofit community via the use of volunteer consultants.

The Nonprofit Center offers a variety of services to nonprofits, including consulting on such issues as strategic planning, fund raising, governance, marketing, human resources, and other aspects of nonprofit management. “When the ESCDV board started looking for options to continue our work, The Nonprofit Center was the logical place to move, in order to share or reduce administrative, marketing and program management costs,” said Adrienne Jenkins, former president of ESCDV. 

Jenkins cited The Nonprofit Center’s 25 years of experience in every aspect of nonprofit management highlighting its significant presence in the community, a diverse range of funding sources, its relationship with La Salle University, and a proven track record specifically in consulting, as factors supporting the new partnership. 

“Trying to deliver high quality services on a virtual no-fee arrangement makes it almost impossible to sustain a small nonprofit,” said Laura Otten, director of The Nonprofit Center of ESCDV’s original business model. “When we counsel nonprofits, we can look at this situation as a case study of an organization that lacked sufficient capacity to build upon to survive,” Otten said, adding, “at The Nonprofit Center, these consulting services will be able to grow because we offer that stability, the balance of funding streams, and the diversity of services.” 

The influx of ESCDV volunteer consultants, many of whom are retired business executives, will expand The Nonprofit Center’s ability to serve more nonprofits, especially smaller ones whose limited resources might have made even a subsidized consulting project impossible. 

“This integration of ESCDV into The Nonprofit Center will have a positive impact on the nonprofit community of the Delaware Valley by enabling more organizations to utilize expert consulting to strengthen their proficiency in critical areas of nonprofit operation,” Otten said. “The result will be a stronger nonprofit community,” she added.

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The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University helps strengthen nonprofit organizations throughout the Delaware Valley so they can better serve their constituents. Through educational programs, board development, training and consulting services and an information and referral network, the Center’s team of experts works with thousands of organizations to enhance their ability to govern, manage and perform more effectively in a competitive environment. Founded in 1981, The Nonprofit Center is a program of the La Salle University School of Business Administration in Philadelphia.

Contact: Joan Mintz Ulmer
215-951-1710