Taking the Test: Is Your Nonprofit Set Up Efficiently for Sustainable Success?

Fast moving organizations are used to adapting to the changing needs of their clients.  Often, in the race to provide the best services, organizations struggle to assign the same time and resources necessary to assess their internal processes, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Sustainability: it’s the word that we hear applied to so many things, and for many good reasons. And it’s not just about environmental stewardship. The word is synonymous with viability in non-profit and small business settings. In these contexts, sustainability is as much about money as it is about mission.

To stay on track, to become and stay sustainable , leadership must ask hard questions. Objectivity is required.  What are your goals, and what are the meaningful and measurable outcomes that indicate whether you are on your way to reaching them?

What are the questions leaders should be asking themselves? There are many, and some of the more specific questions will vary byorganization. Take a moment to yourself to reflect on the questions below.

How efficient are our operations?

• Am I getting the most value from my employees’ time?
• Am I seeing the maximum results from my employees, or is that time being cannibalized by time-sucking inefficiency?
• Am I, as an organizational leader, using my time to its fullest potential, or am I constantly pulled into the minutiae while sacrificing the greater goal?

What are our communications strategies?

• Do I have a timeframe, strategy and purpose for communicating with each group of stakeholders upon which my organization or company relies?
• Am I confident that I am able to send the appropriate messaging to the appropriate audiences based on their activity or interests?
• Is my intended audience receiving my message, whether via snail mail, email, social media, or otherwise? Or, am I sending messages off into the ether?

How good is our database management?

• Does my data tell the story of my organization, and direct my strategies?
• Do I have confidence that we are capturing and maximizing the information available to us?
• Is compromised data compromising our outcomes?

How good is our financial tracking?

• Do I have complete confidence in how money coming in and going out is tracked and accounted for?
• Am I struggling to provide transparency to my Board or stakeholders?
• Are costs exceeding projections while revenues underperform?

If this process has raised any questions for you,  please take advantage of our initial consultation at no cost. Our mission is to enable you to fulfill your mission.