Yesterday, I had Account Director training as a follow-up to the Taproot consulting orientation I had (where I posted notes and impressions here: http://managementconsulting.posterous.com/key-impressions-and-notes-from-taproot-founda ).

As backdrop, an Account Director position plays a functionally similar role to that a partner in a traditional consulting firm plays with respect to client account ownership and oversight of engagements. Process-wise there were a couple points that either differ from commercial consulting or were notable:

• Site Visit - in the Taproot process, because the nonprofit clients are essentially receiving a grant for services, the Account Director attends a pre-project meeting to get "pitched" by the client organization (e.g., including executive sponsor, Board members, day-to-day client specialists) to weigh final approval of grants. The Account Director is essentially doing some final due diligence on the client organization to determine whether the client is able to make use of Taproot consultant services effectively (this also helps to make sure that Taproot resources are used appropriately).
• Staffing - given the economic climate, there are many more consultants (at all levels) compared to qualified projects. As the Account Directors are interviewing consultants for projects, sensitivity and professionalism are required. For example, there are some people that are either unemployed or underemployed. There are fully understandable anecdotes of consultants that get discouraged not only because they can't find work or jobs but also because they get declined for pro-bono work. Getting declined does not necessarily reflect on the consultant declined. First of all, there many more consultants than projects. Secondly, the Account Directors are putting together teams serving a difficult geography. Getting a team to gel isn't about a single individual, his/her credentials, and track record. It's about how the ingredients fit together for the specific situation.