Five Core Competencies of Nonprofit Organizations
Your nonprofit strategy needs to be grounded in knowing your core competencies because they are essential to the DNA of your organization.
Courageous Thinking for Nonprofit Leaders
Moving towards an uncertain horizon has begun and nonprofit leaders need to have the courage to aggressively lead their organizations forward.
Nonprofits and Community Accountability
As we move forward as a sector, nonprofit organizations need to embrace honesty, leadership, and relationships more deeply than ever. The community is counting on us.
The Nonprofit and Philanthropic Obligation: Giving Voice
I believe that our country is resilient and strong as we build upon our common experience. We are strong when we seek to intentionally connect not only with those like us but those different than us. We succeed as we create a strong social fabric and weaving that fabric is the unique role of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. In the days to come, may we strengthen our resolve to live up to our obligation.?
Nonprofits Need to Invest in Strategic Planning
But ultimately, if nonprofit leaders and their board of directors fail to embrace their role in thinking and acting strategically, the organizations they represent will continue to be fixated on managing rather than solving community needs.
Nonprofits Need to Invest in Evaluation
Those nonprofits that invest in evaluation are those who typically are closer to the leading edge than those who do not. So step back and ask yourself not “are you effective in achieving your mission” but “can you demonstrate it?”
Nonprofits Need to Invest in Public Policy
It is time for nonprofit leaders (and their boards) to be intentional about developing and implementing a public policy agenda alongside program and service delivery. It requires investment, commitment, systems thinking, and action. Nonprofit organizations in a leadership role recognize this and invest accordingly.
Nonprofits Need to Invest in Collaboration
While I doubt that I would give nonprofit collaboration the highest marks possible, as a whole, the nonprofit leaders I know rise above the mediocrity that the capacity survey authors suggest is “universal.” Let’s stop promoting the mythology of mediocre nonprofits. Rather than haranguing on nonprofit deficits, I would like to suggest four investments related to collaboration that nonprofits can make in order to build even more effective at collaboration.
Nonprofits Need to Invest in Management Systems
Nonprofits on the leading-edge and those making the greatest difference, are the ones who are constantly asking themselves “where do we need to invest to make a greater impact.” Investing in your management systems is often the difference between staying stuck where you are today and achieving more tomorrow.
Nonprofits Need to Invest in Developing High Performing Boards
Clearly it is not a lack of knowledge that leads to underperforming boards but it a lack of intentionality and investment in cultivating a high preforming board. To break the cycle, nonprofits need to make investments in developing the strength, performance, and contribution of their boards of directors.