Towne Group Management Case Study: FIRN

For many years, Towne Group Management has been privileged to work with FIRN, a non-profit organization that provides services to immigrants that include interpreter services; citizenship classes; counseling on matters of immigration, employment, and personal finance; adult and student literacy programs; and crisis assistance.

In our initial engagement at FIRN our team undertook to help define the roles, responsibilities and expectations of board members in supporting the organization’s mission and operations.  We conducted surveys and led a full-day retreat where our team was able to define appropriate contributions—on an individual basis—that current board members were reasonably able to make in terms of time and networking participation. We also reached consensus on a tool for  determining the current collective strengths of the board and where they should be supplemented.  We collectively defined the expectations of the board with regard to the Executive Director’s responsibilities and any potential impacts this would have on the composition of the board.

Most recently, Towne Group Management worked with FIRN leadership to launch a search for a new Executive Director. This assignment included interviewing staff, surveying members of the Board, drafting a new position description, placing ads for the search, and preparing letters to the community.  Our team worked with the board to create a search calendar, screening process, and interview questions.  A new Director was hired in approximately four months from the time the process began.