An Integrated Consulting Model's Usefulness During a Pandemic

Possessing a doctor of education degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Dr. Ari Betof oversees Organizational Sustainability Consulting in the greater Philadelphia area. Currently pursuing his executive MBA at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, Dr. Ari Betof appeared on the Koinos Podcast, which introduces the perspectives of those taking part in high-profile executive MBA programs.

Asked about the reasons why organizations - whether educational, nonprofit, or corporate - are reaching out to his firm during a pandemic, Dr. Betof noted that his integrated consulting model is increasingly in demand. His firm effectively brings together the organizational and financial sustainability aspects of operations in ways that most consultants are not equipped to achieve.

In particular, he combines qualitative engagement that drives people’s actions with quantitative analysis that boosts the bottom line. Within this matrix of executive coaching and governance, he is particularly aware of the complex ways in which group dynamics need to be navigated in order to attain buy-in from diverse stakeholders.

The disruptive context of COVID-19 makes this of particular importance to small liberal arts colleges and independent schools, which find their “health and vitality” threatened. Finding a way to achieve sustainable growth within a challenging landscape has brought Dr. Betof back to issues that were a focus when he was pursuing his EdD. Taking these practical insights and working with a set of professional cohorts in the executive MBA sphere bring an added dimension and new perspectives to the table.

For the full Koinos Podcast transcript, visit https://medium.com/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof/transcript-koinos-podcast-interview-d3f88edbe345.

 

Dr. Ari Betof - Motivations for an Executive MBA Beyond Grades

Dr. Ari Betof guides Organizational Sustainability Consulting, LLC, and provides nonprofits, private educational institutions, and corporate clients with pathways toward financial sustainability. Reflecting his status as a Cornell Executive MBA candidate, Dr. Ari Betof appeared recently on the Koinos Podcast, which brings together entrepreneurial voices from various executive MBA programs.

Speaking about his motivation in pursuing an MBA, with a graduate degree and significant consulting experience already behind him, Dr. Betof emphasized that his academic work is grounded in self-motivation. With a top-tier program like Cornell’s, which attracts students with established leadership records, he asks, "How much are you going to care about things like grades?”

The approach that Dr. Betof has taken is one of focusing on outcomes, with practical skills that he has defined from the outset as being worth attaining. Having focused on math and physics in his undergraduate studies, he is now exploring content areas that he taught himself during the economic upheaval of the 2008 Great Recession as he was completing his doctoral research on organizational stewardship and financial sustainability..

This basis of the MBA in personal experience informs his rigorous approach to understanding the dynamics that drive contemporary organizational and business decisions. As Dr. Betof puts it, the MBA is a way of “committing [a] career to a deepening understanding and engagement with [an] area of expertise.”

To access the full Koinos Podcast transcript, visit https://medium.com/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof/transcript-koinos-podcast-interview-d3f88edbe345 

Organizational Sustainability Consulting Expands Office, Capacities

As a co-founder and the president of Organizational Sustainability Consulting, LLC (OSC), Ari Betof, EdD, serves as the organization’s lead consultant in areas such as financial sustainability and operational strategy. An executive MBA candidate at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, Dr. Ari Betof’s client base encompasses independent schools and affiliated membership associations, as well as private sector and non-profit organizations.

In June of 2020, Dr. Betof announced the creation of a new OSC office in the Philadelphia area that will enable the consulting firm to satisfy client needs across the Mid-Atlantic region better. Proximate to locations ranging from Washington, DC, to New York, the office is ideally situated for both domestic and international clients.

At the same time as it has evolved its physical presence, OSC has expanded its virtual consulting capacities. This has been necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects an overall trend toward remotely provided services.

Dr. Betof has engaged in several high-profile remote endeavors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include facilitating webinars, appearing on the Enrollment Management Association’s Enrollment Spectrum podcast, and serving as an Independent Schools on the Brink panelist. The latter collaborative webinar was co-hosted by more than 30 member associations spanning the United States.

To learn more about OSC’s new office and remote activities, visit https://medium.com/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof/osc-announces-office-in-greater-philadelphia-bb8f66fd4da2. 

Emerging Markets Institute Conference Marks 10 Years of Progress

Emphasizing thought leadership on how multinational companies and emerging markets influence the global economy, the research and practice-focused EMI attracts academics and practitioners from around the world. One of the organization’s highlights is its annual conference in November. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s conference, which marks EMI’s 10th anniversary after its establishment in the wake of a disruptive global financial crisis, will be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past decade, emerging market economies have made significant progress. With their growth, poverty rates have been reduced, with extreme poverty having been nearly eliminated altogether in some regions. Indeed, companies from countries like Brazil, China, India, Korea, and Mexico have had a global impact and undertaken acquisitions worldwide. In the innovation sphere, emerging market research and development for new technologies has expanded, with patent applications likewise booming.

With the world now tested by a health and economic crisis of vast global dimensions, the need for EMI to fulfill its mission has never been greater.

To learn more about EMI, visit https://medium.com/@abetof/emerging-markets-institutes-focus-on-research-f60e5933aa0d.

 

Dr. Ari Betof on Significance of Executive MBA to his Consulting Work

Nationally known as an expert in organizational stewardship and financial sustainability, Ari Betof, EdD, serves as the president and lead consultant of Organizational Sustainability Consulting, LLC. Working with companies in the private sector, as well as non-profit organizations, Dr. Ari Betof is particularly focused on the educational sphere. An executive MBA candidate at Cornell University, he was recently a guest on The Koinos Podcast, which features entrepreneurs and executives from leading MBA programs.

Having spent his career considering organizational stewardship best practices, Dr. Betof describes one of the gifts of his current executive education as focusing on practical takeaways and “not caring” about grades. This has to do with not only having completed an earlier graduate degree, but also having gained a wealth of experience over the course of his career.

He applies what he has learned in his MBA program to augmenting his understanding of finance. With an academic background in math and physics, finance is an area about which he taught himself as the Great Recession took hold and the economy faltered. Insights gained through self-study enabled a pivot, from a focus on stewardship to sustainability.

The executive MBA degree program at Cornell has offered Dr. Betof a pathway for putting “real rigor” behind the observations and conclusions he had developed independently. At the same time, the program provides opportunities for building capacities that enable him in a current shift toward consulting clients who increasingly come from the private sector.

To view The Koinos Podcast transcript, visit https://medium.com/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof/transcript-koinos-podcast-interview-d3f88edbe345.

The Top Financial Challenges of Nonprofits

As the founder and president of Organizational Sustainability Consulting, Ari Betof provides consultations and guidance to senior executives in nonprofit organizations. Financial modeling is one of the key areas where he puts his expertise to work. As a consultant, Ari Betof ensures that leaders learn how to handle financial challenges in order to overcome them.

Nonprofits typically have fewer resources and less funding, prompting them to rely on donations, fundraisers, and grants. Finding sources and donors is just one challenge. Managing what little resources they have is another.

Finding a Regular Source of Funding

For nonprofits, it’s common to have multiple funding sources. Executives and board members need to have a clear strategy for maintaining the flow of funding from existing sources while looking for new supporters at the same time. They must be able to determine which sources to rely on for long-term sustainability and which sources are temporary.

Insufficient Collaboration

Many nonprofits tend to become too invested in the mission and forget about what makes fulfilling the mission possible in the first place. More often than not, those in the finance and accounting department are not involved in the client-facing work and may not receive frequent updates. All departments in a nonprofit should have a solid communication and collaboration system to ensure all aspects are handled, especially when planning a budget and distribution of funds.

Misconception on Sustainability

For many nonprofits, sustainability means having resources, no matter where they come from, and this makes them largely dependent on sponsors and grant makers. True sustainability is the ability to reduce reliance on a single source of funding. This diversification can be possible through proper assessment, planning, and optimization.

The Importance of a Growth Mindset to Organizational Success

As founder and president of Massachusetts-based Organizational Sustainability Consulting, LLC, Dr. Ari Betof works with nonprofits, membership organizations, corporations, and other institutions to help develop the skills of new and existing leaders. Specifically, Ari Betof provides top-level consultation on best practices in areas such as organizational change. 

Handling change of any type within an organization can present significant challenges to leadership. Employees at any level - even an institution’s leaders themselves - can be extremely change-averse, and may therefore need coaching to build the kind of growth mindset that is more likely to result in success over the long term. 

Experts note that a growth mindset is key to creating a truly agile, responsive organization, as it serves to edit out practices that no longer serve the mission of the organization and develop those that better support its strategic goals.

Leaders who demonstrate a mindset centered on change and growth are willing to admit mistakes and use them as lessons to make more informed decisions in the future. When an executive takes the time to visit with staff and clients and encourages employees to talk openly about challenges, frustrations, and possible solutions, he or she gains valuable insights that can contribute to the growth of the entire team and organization. 

Facilitating a growth mindset at all levels of an organization can empower employees and executives to implement innovative and far-reaching change, allowing the organization to improve and adapt.