Why Class V Solutions?

I’ve rafted dozens of rivers, and while that may sound like a country music song, I can assure that it’s not. The whitewater rafting trips that I’ve taken over the last 30 years were on some of the wildest rivers in North America- definitely not for the faint of heart. This adrenaline-charged activity has taught me more about navigating the difficulties of business and life than I could have anticipated.

Running a high-performance organization is just like navigating choppy, fast-moving waters. In order to be successful, you must pick a line, get everyone paddling in sync and hit the hole with purpose and force. If you don’t pick the right line, you’re going smack into the rocks. If you don’t get everyone paddling in sync, you will just spin in circles. If you don’t hit the hole with purpose and force, the waves will push you back to where you started. And you need a guide, an expert who knows how to read the rapids and can help a team execute accordingly. Quite simply, without a great guide, not only will you not reach your destination, but you might even flip the boat.

Much like in whitewater rafting, nonprofit organizations can experience steep drops, big rocks, and fast currents – in the rafting world we call these Class V rapids, and thus the ethos of our organization was born. For nonprofit organizations, these problems can take many shapes: turnover among your best talent, a decrease in program participation, the rise of a new competitor, the loss of a major funder, the Covid-19 pandemic and related-issues. Our team is well-positioned to help teams navigate and thrive in a world of never-ending obstacles.

Class V was formed to guide nonprofit organizations through challenging waters and achieve transformative change. In today’s complex environment, nonprofit change agents have their hands full with a multitude of operational and personnel issues, including optimizing programming, attracting and retaining skilled talent and achieving financial sustainability. To assist these leaders, Class V transcends the standard theory of change; our organization aims for realistic, actionable, and inspiring pathways forward toward your organization's goals. Quite often, strategic plans are propped up by a vision divorced from reality, or fall short of achieving their goals when execution falters. We believe execution- not planning- should be the ultimate focus. Class V helps organizations transform by delivering strategic counsel that provides analytical clarity, decisiveness and results.

With Class V as your organizational partner, you will receive more than a standard consulting plan; you will obtain a winnable game plan and an executable strategy. Where some consulting partners tell you which direction to go, Class V helps you navigate the way forward and get everyone rowing in sync.