Mission Tempo gives small and mid-sized nonprofits across the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region affordable, expert help in three areas that keep a nonprofit running — Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, and Marketing & Communications — so leaders can spend less time on administration and more time advancing their mission.

Mission Tempo is built and delivered together by three partners, each bringing different expertise to the table:

• Council of Agency Executives (COAE) — your first stop on the Mission Tempo journey. COAE gets to know your organization, listens to what you need most, and connects you with the right service partner.
• Causewave Community Partners — hosts the Marketing & Communications fractional team.
• Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI) — hosts the Finance & Accounting and Human Resources fractional teams.

Mission Tempo is an on-ramp, not a one-off fix — a three-year journey that helps your organization build lasting infrastructure. It’s also affordable and local: grant funding lets us offer services at a rate small nonprofits can pay, delivered by people who know the nonprofit sector well.

• Nonprofits located in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region (Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties)
• Annual operating budget of $5 million or less
• At least one full-time paid staff member
• Current member of the Council of Agency Executives (COAE) — or willing to join before enrolling

COAE is the region’s trusted convener of nonprofit leaders — if you’re not yet a member, the team will help you join as part of getting started.

Enrollment takes three steps:

1. Complete an interest form. Fill out a short interest form through COAE. It doesn’t commit your organization to anything; it simply starts the conversation. COAE then confirms your eligibility.
2. Share your needs. COAE connects you with the service provider for your area. You’ll complete their intake form and have a discovery call so they can learn what your organization needs.
3. Move to contracting. If the program is a good fit for your needs, we’ll proceed with a contract and get you started.

Yes. Grant-subsidized spots are limited and fill as interest forms arrive. Each organization gets a dedicated team, so we onboard new partners at a pace that keeps support strong.

No. We recommend you prioritize the area where you need the most support and build from there.

No. We recommend you prioritize the area where you need the most support. After onboarding and as the program progresses, you may add another service area as long as space is available. The cost share will apply for each subsequent service area.

We have three service areas: Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, and Marketing & Communications. Refer to our menu of services here.

No. Mission Tempo adds to your team rather than replacing a full-time role. Your fractional team works alongside any staff you already have in Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, or Marketing & Communications. Many organizations can’t afford a full team of experts in these areas, but they still need these functions to run well for their mission to move forward. Mission Tempo bridges that gap and gives your team time back.

No. Mission Tempo is fractional staffing, not consulting. Instead of advising from the outside or handing you a finished project, your dedicated fractional team works alongside you to carry out the items in your workplan. They share the workload, so you get real time back to focus on your mission.

Your support follows your workplan. Developing your workplan is the first step after you enroll. Your fractional team starts with an assessment of where your organization is today, then builds a workplan around your needs and goals. Your team’s time is allocated to carry out that workplan, so the support you receive is shaped to your organization, not a fixed list of tasks.

Your workplan may include any activities from our menu of services that are relevant to your needs. We build it from an initial assessment of where your organization is today, then spread your team’s time across the year to support you when you need it most. Review our menu of services here.

Enrollment takes up to 5 hours. That covers completing forms, any internal conversations you need to have, and a discovery call with your service provider. Time for onboarding varies based on your workplan, and your service provider can give you an estimate. For ongoing work, you’ll need a point person who can answer questions and help your fractional team keep things moving. During busier stretches, like an audit, a hiring push, or a fundraising event, expect to be more hands-on and responsive.

If your needs point toward a larger capacity-building engagement — such as staff restructuring, running payroll, or a full rebrand development project — your service team will recommend the right path and help identify next steps.

Grant funding covers the majority of the cost of every engagement. Participating organizations contribute an annual cost share based on their budget size:

Your annual cost share increases gradually over the life of the program — but so does the value you’re getting. By Year 2 and Year 3, most organizations are running leaner, fundraising more effectively, and relying less on any one person to hold things together. Your actual cost share depends on your organization’s budget size and the program’s available grant funds raised each year.

Mission Tempo is a three-year partnership designed to take your organization from stabilized to self-sufficient: Year 1 (Foundations) builds core systems and structure, Year 2 (Improvements) strengthens and grows what’s working, and Year 3 (Stability & Sustainability) prepares your organization to financially sustain this level of support on its own. Each year is formalized through an annually renewed contract, giving you a natural check-in point to revisit goals and progress.

Mission Tempo is available to eligible nonprofits now.

Start by completing our interest form through COAE. It doesn’t commit your organization to anything; it simply starts the conversation. See “How does enrollment work?” above for what happens next.

COAE, which is independent from service delivery, leads client feedback and evaluation for Mission Tempo — so your experience is measured by a trusted third party, not by the teams providing your support.

The development and launch of Mission Tempo were made possible through the generous support of ESL, The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, The Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, and others.