Nonprofit Sustainability – It Takes More Than Money
Kevin Monroe, X Factor Consulting
Upon working with various educational institutions we have determined they do not consider themselves to be businesses. Hence, they do not believe they need sustainability strategies. However, they are finding themselves becoming irrelevant within the educational and business industries. We found this article and felt the information was very beneficial for non-profit organizations. Let us know your thoughts after reading this article.
Have you realized that “changing the world” is really hard work? You had what seemed a great idea (if you’re a founder), or found a job (if you’re the ED) that seemed like the perfect combination of passion and purpose, to do something to help hurting humanity or make a difference in your community. However, now it now seems like you’re mired in lots of administrative (seemingly trivial) tasks. These take place “behind the scenes” or “beneath the surface” but are necessary to keep the doors open and lights on so you can deliver the programs and services that meet the needs of your clients and produce to the results (outcomes or impact) that lead to a better world.
Did you know that in the course of making a great impact on your community you would also have to build a great organization that is sustainable and consequently can sustain your work for the long haul? Well, perhaps its better that you didn’t know all that would be required to create sustainable change because you might not have begun.
However, now that you’re fully committed to the vision and engaged in the work, do you realize that it takes more than money to have a sustainable organization? Oh don’t get me wrong, money is absolutely essential to long-term sustainability. However, there are several other pieces to the sustainability puzzle that are needed for others to view your organization as worthy of their financial investment and support.
We take a holistic approach to nonprofit sustainability and suggest you do as well. In our view, there are at least 10 areas of organizational development that, at some level, are all necessary to create an environment that fosters long-term sustainability. We’ve also identified principles and practices in each area that promote, or enhance, your sustainability.
http://www.xfactorllc.com/resourcesArticlesDetail.asp?id=156
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