History
The Association of Nonprofit Specialists grew out of the New York Technical Assistance Providers Network (NYTAP), which was formed as an unincorporated association in 1993 by representatives of several nonprofit management service organizations providing training and consulting to other nonprofits.
NYTAP founders and early members included Folkworks (now Cause Effective), whose then ED became NYTAP’s first president, Community Resource Exchange, the Foundation Center (now Candid), Nonprofit Finance Fund, The Support Center for Nonprofit Management (now Support Center), Lawyers Alliance for New York, the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (now Nonprofit New York) and NYU’s Milano School. Initially, NYTAP was intended to encourage collaboration and learning among leaders of nonprofit capacity-building organizations, but it drew increasing interest from consultants, who were admitted as associate members. Representatives of foundations and the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers also participated.
In addition to formal bimonthly meetings with speakers focused on key issues in capacity building, NYTAP sponsored public symposia with authors Barbara Blumenthal and Paul Light. It worked with the Community Service Society to produce a print Technical Assistance Guide, and later consulted with Bailey House on the production of an early database of capacity builders.
Over time, competing priorities, changing membership, and the difficulty in recruiting new leadership made the original labor-intensive model unsustainable. After a long hiatus, a small group of former members and other consultants revived the organization in 2009, creating new bylaws, a board and an advisory group. It remained unincorporated and without a membership program while continuing to offer public programs and build strategic alliances. Meeting space and administrative services were provided by Support Center. In the following years, the board began rethinking the organization’s purpose and started shifting its focus to more purposefully support consultants.
In 2011-2012 it developed the prototype for its signature program, the Nonprofit Consultants Institute, officially launched in 2013. In 2012, networking events for consultants were introduced and the Association began its program partnership with the Foundation Center. In 2013, NYTAP was formally rebranded as the Association of Nonprofit Specialists (Nonprofit Specialists).
In 2014-15 Nonprofit Specialists applied for and was given 501(c)3 status by the IRS and is currently registered as a nonprofit organization with New York State. Having moved its meetings from Support Center to Cause Effective, Nonprofit Specialists hired its first administrative consultants in 2015 and its first grant was secured in 2015.The first newsletter was launched in February 2017. With a view to sustainability, Nonprofit Specialists introduced a new tiered membership program in December 2017. To assist less experienced members and to encourage member engagement, a Peer-Advising program was initiated in 2018, followed in 2019 by a Brown Bag Lunch series.
In 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nonprofit Specialists moved all of its programming online and established regular Consultant Circle meetings. This shift resulted in an increase of members from outside the New York City area, though the majority still have ties to the region. Nonprofit Specialists also revised its mission and vision statements, and crafted values statements to guide its work. Once the pandemic risks subsided, some in-person programming returned, but the bulk of offerings continue to be online.
Nonprofit Specialists currently represents a wide cross-section of consultants and capacity building organizations supporting the nonprofit sector. Its members provide expertise in fundraising, finance, technology, marketing and communication, coaching, strategic planning, evaluation and other aspects of nonprofit management. The work of the board and its committees is increasingly member-focused and its leadership continues to be committed to examining its internal and external activities through a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion lens.
