Ashlee and Christopher Kleinert Changing the Economic Outlook for Out Out--of of--Work Senior Executives While Building Sustainable Charities
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EIA is based in Dallas, Texas, but the Kleinerts believe that the program can be duplicated in communities across the country and it's their vision that it will become a reality. The founder of Exceptional People Magazine was delighted to speak with Ashlee Kleinert about their innovative ideas. Monica: Tell me about yourself and your husband and how you came up with the idea about Executives in Action.
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From CEOs and executives, to secretaries, auto mechanics and other professions, it is pretty safe to say that most of us know of someone who has lost their job or who have experienced a cut in pay due to the state of the economy. On the bright side, one couple is determined to change the outlook for unemployed executives. Through their non-profit organization, Executives In Action (EIA), Ashlee and Chris Kleinert’s vision is twofold. They are helping unemployed senior executives to rebuild self-esteem and providing them with hope for the future by utilizing their talents and skills while they are seeking employment. Secondly, they’re helping non-profit organizations become self-sufficient in their mission to sustain their communities.
Ashlee: To give you some background, my husband works in an investment business. So he does some venture capitalist work and investments in small companies and struggling businesses. He often receives resumes from people he knows, or referrals because of the nature of his work. He knows that people believe we may have a source or know of a company that’s looking to hire someone. In November of 2008, an inordinate amount of resumes came across his desk and a lot of them were from people who were hard-working individuals who had lost their jobs through no fault of their own. I serve on a couple of boards in town, and had just come from meeting with a non-profit organization in Dallas. At that time the economy was really starting to tank. The nonprofit agencies in Dallas and elsewhere were really struggling because the demand for services was increasing, while donations were decreasing. One in particular that I was concerned about was a crisis line, a phone line that people call anonymously and especially in times like this. The volume had increased by 30 to 40 percent. They were going to cut a staff member because they didn’t have the funds, the donations were down, and it
With the implementation of two powerful ideas, EIA is making a tremendous difference, by pairing out-of-work senior executives with non-profit organizations. EIA is impacting the unemployment crises, not only on an economic level but also at a grass roots level. The executives are interviewed by non-profit organizations to work on projects. Once they are hired, they work a maximum of two days per week. A project can usually be completed within 90 days. Several executives who have been brought on board have been hired full-time by the non-profits or they have joined the EIA Board of Directors.
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was just tragic. So we were talking about the two situations, and wondered if we could find a way to fund the surplus -- the excess of these great individuals with a lot of talent, and place them with non-profit agencies that had an immediate need but didn’t have the funds to hire anyone. We contacted an entrepreneurial foundation and inquired whether they thought this idea was crazy or if it would work. They thought it would work, and they put us in contact with someone. We did a pilot at this particular crisis agency. It was the first non-profit agency that we worked with. We put an executive there and he did a marketing plan for them, three fund raisers and three mocks. It just blew them away. The board was so impressed, that they hired him. We thought this might work and that’s how it got started. Monica: To date, how many consulting projects have Executives in Action launched and executed? Ashlee: We’re over 200 projects now. Monica: Can you briefly talk about one other example in which and EIA had an impact on an organization? Ashlee: The executives we have attracted to the program have been those that are strong in developing marketing plans, strategic plans and financial audits. But there’s another one in particular that’s a little different, and it was an executive we placed at Genesis Women’s Shelter. Genesis Women’s Shelter is one of two really strong shelters in the Dallas area for domestic abuse, and it houses women and children who have nothing but the clothes that they're wearing and they have to start over. The staff is overworked and understaffed and we had an executive who was interested in helping them. He was a wonderful gentleman who was going to do a marketing plan for them.
He had many different skills, including marketing and editing, and he knew people in the business. Within three months he helped them write the book and he found an illustrator and a publisher. It’s based on a true story of a little boy who lived at the shelter. His name was Noah, and the book is called Noah’s Magic Shoes. He didn’t have any shoes when he arrived at the shelter. He had never owned new shoes. When he arrived with his mom, they gave him a pair of red high top sneakers that had been donated and they were new. He was on the slide on the playground, and the traction of the shoes made him stick to the slide. He called them his magic shoes because they would help him stick. That’s how the name of the book came about. It is expected to bring in $30,000 of revenue that they would not have had otherwise. I’m not quite sure, but it may have brought in $30,000 already. Capital One Bank bought books and put them in the hospital beds at Children’s Medical Center. Every child who checked in over the holidays had a Noah’s Magic Shoes book on their bed. It’s like the community rallied around this book, and that all happened because of this one executive. It was a dream that this executive director always had, to have this children’s book, but they couldn’t hire anybody to make it happen because they didn’t have the resources or the time or the contacts. Monica: That is such a wonderful story. You’re making a difference on an economic, as well as a humanitarian level. Ashlee: Well, it’s everyone doing it. It’s really neat to see – just watching what other people are doing. Monica: How do you find the executives that are unemployed?
But the executive director said, “We’ve had this dream of having a children’s book." Another way to bring finances in -- there are so many agencies that need finances right now. What could be done differently at Genesis to bring more funds in, to tap a group of people that hadn't been tapped? She’d always had an idea of a children’s book. Our executive, Rob Kitesman, said, “I know how to do that. I can help write a children’s book.” Family Outreach—Dallas 68 | Exceptional People Magazine | May-June 2011
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We knew a person who had gone through the program, and whose children were in high school. One was applying to colleges and was concerned about not being able to attend college because the father had lost his job. EIA connected him with a non-profit organization. The father was able to get dressed, go to this project and he received a small stipend. It was like a job and his children thought, “My dad’s employed again.” It gave him purpose. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s enough to demonstrate that their services are valued. Monica: Is this program only limited to the Texas or Dallas area? Genesis Women’s Shelter
Ashlee: That’s a great question. We have a screening process. Sometimes people ask, “Why does it have to be a C level executive? Why can’t it be somebody right out of school or someone that’s not at that level in their former place of employment?” Job title is part of it, but we conduct background searches and discuss skills because the projects that we’re seeking from these non-profits are high-level projects, requiring the expertise of executive level people. There’s nothing wrong with it, but we’re not there putting food in boxes at the food pantry or stuffing envelopes and mailing them; it’s really high-level work that they would not be able to afford or hire out. We do a face-to-face interview with each executive. They are given access to our website so they can review all the projects that are open. If they find any that are of interest and that meet their skill set, then they go on an interview at the non-profit agency. The executive director of the non-profit agency will select whomever they feel would be a good fit for them.
Ashlee: That’s funny that you should ask that. We are in the process of hiring a national expansion director. We were trying to work out the kinks and like any start-up we had kinks to work out. We needed to streamline the system and determine who we are, what we were doing and what we were not doing. We’ve done the strategic plan and we really feel like we’ve got it down now. We are going to be taking it to other cities. It’s not about Chris and me at all. It’s about the fact that anyone can do this. Hopefully, we can present a proven model and share that with others. Monica: There are five pillars that you focus on, business planning, finance and accounting, marketing sales, human resources and technology. Ashlee: Yes. Those are the areas where we’ve found our greatest strengths, and we’ve attracted executives who seem to be able to contribute a lot in those five areas. I think that would be one thing that we could share. Also,
Monica: Once that executive is hired and begins work with the non-profit, they are paid a stipend. Ashlee: Exactly yes. It’s a small stipend, maybe several thousand dollars -- actually a couple hundred dollars a week if they go three days a week. It's not meant to replace a salary by any means, because we don’t want this to become permanent employment. It is meant to help pay some bills, carry over some things, and represent a sense of value for their time and effort. Texas Trees Foundation May-June 2011 | Exceptional People Magazine | 69
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we’re going to focus on some corporate giving. We don’t want to compete with our non-profits, even though we think we can leverage pretty much an average ten-to-one donation. We can make it go very far with the expertise and the level of executive help that they’re receiving. We believe that some corporations could back this, and maybe we could become part of their exit plan. It makes sense as corporate America becomes more involved in the cities and giving back, if our non-profits are stronger in our city, then our city is a better city. Our social services are doing what they were intended to do, uplifting people. We think it makes better sense for the corporations within other cities to become part of the process as well. Monica: What are the requirements for the non-profits to benefit from what you have to offer? Ashlee: That’s a good question too. This is one of the things we learned throughout the process since November 2008. A number of non-profits applied, from those in the backroom of someone’s house to one of the largest one’s in the Gulfport are. So we’ve had projects all over the map, in all different sizes. We can do any size, but we screen non-profits. We’ve started doing on-site visits, so that we really understand what they do, who they’re trying to reach, and where they really need help. Sometimes they’re so underwater and so overworked that they know they need help, but they don’t know what they need. A lot of times it’s a matter of going in and watching, spending a couple of hours and interviewing and saying, “Okay we think we can help you.” We can’t become a permanent staff member, so it really is meant to be a high impact project in which we tell the non-profits if you’ve got something specific like a plan or an audit, we can definitely help because there’s a starting point and an ending point.
real time cost would be, real money to the agency. That helps us, and it helps them know the value. Non-profit agencies sometimes are not aware of the value of the services they've received, because it was not previously within their realm of possibility. Monica: What is the overall impact that EIA is having on the community from an economic stand point by hiring unemployed executives? Ashlee: I hope from the executives' standpoint that they are feeling valued at a time when they’re out of work because through no fault of their own, all of our executives have been terminated on good terms and good will. So we really hope that it’s an encouragement to them and we’ve heard personal stories from some who say this has changed their lives. They previously never had time to volunteer, never knew how to become involved. They were so busy on their career tracks. We have several people who joined the board of their nonprofits. We have two that have been hired by the nonprofit. So we hope that we’re bridging a gap between the executives who were on the fast track in the business world but are now moving to the non-profit side and are recognizing their value in filling that gap while they’re unemployed; while they’re in transition looking for employment. And then from the non-profit side -- I know it’s a cliché, but a rising tide floats all boats. Some of them are recognizing the value of a business model. A number of these organizations started from a great desire to help people and a lot of executive directors and staff members come from the social services backgrounds. They may not have a business background, so for them to see the value of viewing their non-profit agency as a business, we’re hoping that sticks as well.
Monica: I realize that every non-profit is different, but is there a baseline that's used to measure the results once the project has been completed? Ashlee: We’re working on that right now. We’ll go in and figure out what we did there, and then we'll price our service and determine our value. We have an impact profile that we began keeping for every project. We keep track of the hours, what was done and determine what the 70 | Exceptional People Magazine | May-June 2011
Girl Scouts—NorthTexas
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Ashlee: Correct. We have not turned any agency down unless they weren’t prepared to have someone come in and do a strategic plan or an audit, or if it was because of the capacity versus the mission of the non-profit. Monica: I understand that some executives have become so excited about being able to participate in such a wonderful program that they have turned down their stipend.
Girls Inc.
Monica: What advice can you offer non-profits who are struggling to build sustainable organizations? Ashlee: I think -- and this is just from my very humble experience -- planning and taking the time to road map, plan strategically, know who you’re reaching, know what your goal is, know who you’re trying to reach, and then be purposeful about how to facilitate the process. How do you help the people you’re trying to help? What’s the best way to reach donors? And another thing, during this time when the first things that get cut are marketing, advertising and promotion, it's the time when they really need to be visible.
Ashlee: That’s right. One of our first executives was placed at Girls, Inc., here in Dallas. She was enjoying her project so much and felt that it was such important work that she turned down a job offer. Thankfully she was offered another job shortly thereafter. But she now serves on our board and she has wonderful perspective, because she was an executive who was in transition. She is employed again; she sees it from all sides and has great insight. Monica: I truly appreciate all that you’re doing to help the economy by hiring executives, as well as helping nonprofits that are benefiting others. Your mission and your vision are two-fold. Ashlee: It is. That is exactly right, it’s two fold, yes. Thank you.
Monica: What is your vision for Executives in Action, and how can the public help? Ashlee: Our future vision is that we in Dallas will become stronger and larger and hopefully we will be able to expand to other cities. Any city can do this. So, we’re just hoping to simplify it, make it easier for others and have this concept grow. The way that people can become involved is to refer executives. At this time we don’t advertise for executives, it’s all word of mouth. And we have wonderful people. We have a waiting list right now. If someone’s involved with a non-profit or knows of a non-profit, is on the board of a non-profit or serves as a volunteer where assistance is needed, please consider referring Executives in Action to them. Monica: From the non-profit side of things can it be any type of non-profit? The Family Place May-June 2011 | Exceptional People Magazine | 71