When it comes to management and innovation strategies, most of the news and business press center on for-profit corporations. However, non-profits make up a huge segment of our economy. According to the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics, just the public charity sector alone accounts for over $1 trillion in total revenue. There are approximately one million public nonprofits and private foundations registered with the IRS.
Notwithstanding these noteworthy statistics, many nonprofits labor to effectively manage. This article reviews seven insights from the field nonprofit management.
Use technology prudently
New developments in web and phone technology are making it increasingly easy for nonprofit organizations to save on travel costs and increase coordination. Desktop sharing applications are becoming more functional and allow nonprofit managers to immediately create virtual meetings across geographically dispersed groups. Additionally
free conference calling companies such as Rondee.com are helping nonprofit organizations to save on their phone bills and develop better group innerworkings and facilitate coordination with other nonprofit organizations.
Keep focused
The most effectively managed nonprofit organizations are ones that stay clearly focused on their mission and do not get sidetracked by peripheral goals. Most nonprofit organizations operate under substantial resource limitations. Addressing three goals with 100% effort will generally yield superior results compared to tackling six goals at half effort.
Use data driven decision-making
One of the most important trends recently affecting nonprofit organizations has been the increasing reliance on evidence driven decision-making. Nonprofit leaders can apply the same practices to ascertain what works and what does not work. Increasingly, the hurdle for quality decision-making is rising and therefore reliance on conjecture is being systematically replaced by empirical data to justify decisions.
Expand your network
The most successful nonprofit leaders create networks of supporters who share their philosophy and goals. While the term networking often gets a bad rap, the fact is these networks can provide more than merely financial assistance. Crucially, these networks also provide the psychological support which is so vital to maintaining enthusiasm amongst leaders as well as volunteers.
Learn how to lobby
Many nonprofit organizations believe that lobbying is the domain of for-profit enterprises. While that may be true in some situations, many successful nonprofit organizations have developed a tremendous advantage through mastering the art of lobbying. Whether to arrange desired reforms in public policy or the backing of public figures, lobbying can be an effective way for nonprofit organizations to accelerate traction.
Keep your fundraising focused
Most of the nonprofit organizations that have grown dramatically in the past few decades have done so by concentrating their development on a single type of funding source. The strategy typically employed requires creating messaging and programs tailored to the needs of their primary funding source. Not only is this practice typically more effective than the shotgun method, it enables deeper relationships between the funding channel and the nonprofit.
Multiply through matching
Multiply your development dollars through matching gifts. Most folks know that some employers will match gifts to certain nonprofit organizations. Less well known is the multiplier effect of getting promises from funders to match the donations of smaller contributors.
The good news is that these methods are not expensive. Whether its leveraging
free teleconference technology or starting to learn how to lobby, nonprofit organizations can scale up their performance through these seven techniques.
