Project Kenya

Each year Ellipsis Partners provides pro bono services in support of some worthy nonprofit organization.  For 2007-08 we are taking on a BIG project, one  that we hope will touch the lives of many. 

Through Jeanne’s seminary studies, she had a chance to meet Samuel Sudhe, from the Great Lakes School of Theology in Kenya.  As they talked, Samuel shared his dream of using the school to establish a computer training facility that would offer computer literacy and vocational training to the local community.  This facility would not only provide for personal and economic development for the residents, but also a public outreach and revenue stream for the seminary.  You can imagine how excited we were at the idea of blending faith and technology to meet the needs of a developing area!

To bring this idea into form, Ellipsis Partners will be sending Steve Allert, our consultant with extensive international and project management experience,  to Kenya to visit the school, meet  the administrators, and scout out the possibilities.  His visit will be blogged and available on this site  (to be announced).  Following the visit, Ellipsis Partners will be helping the school develop its business case and funding proposal for the build-out of the computer training facility, curriculum, and sustainability plan.

We hope to be able to secure funding and technology support to bring Samuel’s dream into reality in 2008!  If you are interested in supporting this endeavor in any way, or would like to be kept informed of our progress, please email Jeanne at jallert@ellipsispartners.com.

Blogs and discussion boards can be an important method of referring visitors to your site - we're particularly proud of this entry that appears in ASAE's blog:
"We worked with Ellipsis Partners for our study, and I'd recommend them highly..." read more

The American Industrial Hygiene Association featured their engagement with Elipsis Partners in their newsletter. Our work with AIHA included a usability study, in-depth site audit, user survey and focus group to get the best possible understanding of AIHA's website users and their needs and preferences. Read more...

Crow Canyon Archeological Center announced their newly redesigned website, outlining Ellipsis Partners' involvement, in this article.

The Maryland Association of Counties hired Baltimore-based Ellipsis Partners to provide Internet consulting services to the organization. Read the story in Baltimore Business Journal.

Press Releases

EQUIPMENT LEASING ASSOCIATION SELECTS
ELLIPSIS PARTNERS FOR STRATEGIC INTERNET PROJECTS

Ellicott City, MD (January 27, 2005) - Ellipsis Partners, a strategic consulting firm, announced today that that it was awarded contract in a competitive bid process to the Equipment Leasing Association (ELA) (Arlington, VA) for two strategic Internet projects.

ELA's 850 member companies include independent leasing companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as various service providers. The Web and Email are critical tools of business for this industry. This market research and strategic planning work will engage the ELA membership in identifying specific enhancements to ELA's use of its various websites and email. "The Ellipsis Partners approach will give us the multi-faceted view of our electronic communications that we are looking for", said Don Ethier, CAE, ELA's Director of Member Marketing.

"We're seeing more associations look at their Internet efforts as a collaboration with members," notes Jeanne Allert, president of Ellipsis Partners. "Associations like ELA are seeking member input and soliciting ideas for how these tools can best serve their needs and bring more value to the membership. The trend is shifting away from using the Web as a distribution channel for content and towards a more interactive exchange between member and organization."

Ellipsis Partners is strategic consulting firm that specializes in working with
nonprofits/associations for Internet strategic planning, market research, RFP development, vendor selection, and Web usability studies.

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How should associations respond to the current economic challenges? was the question posted by GWSAE's October 2003 Executive Update in their Business Partner Insights section. Jeanne Allert, President of Ellipsis Partners, had this response:

"In the short span of the last three years, we have all witnessed tectonic shifts in our economic, global, political — and emotional — landscapes. During periods of change or uncertainty, people turn inward, toward the institutions and communities that provide them with assurance, support, and direction. They look for leadership.

Associations must act assertively and proactively to take command of the leadership and support roles they have in their members' lives. Associations need to reinforce their value to members and to accentuate the benefits they provide. Communications with and among members should be increased. In all our work with associations and nonprofits, the two most valued assets are information and collegial networking.

Associations should utilize all possible and practical venues to encourage members to voice their opinions, express their changing needs, and interact with their colleagues. Association leaders need to be particularly visible and accessible. They need to use powerful and multidirectional tools to stimulate as much inbound communications as outbound. They need to communicate with greater frequency and to a wider audience. Information and communications technologies should be a priority investment for associations, and association leaders should understand and fully exploit these tools. The Web and e-mail offer still-untapped potential for associations and leaders to be more present in the lives of their members, now more than ever."