Posted by: Molly in Untagged on
May 16, 2009
For the past twenty years, we have experienced a period of huge economic growth. The effect of that economic growth on the nonprofit sector has been a parallel growth in "capacity building" projects, such as strategic planning. Foundations realized that the nonprofit sector was growing and needed to improve its organizational capacity to keep pace with this growth, so they funded initiatives that built the internal capacity of the organization.
Jim Collins had a huge influence on the philosophy behind this internal capacity building. In Built to Last, he profiled for-profit companies that used what have traditionally been nonprofit practices, such as being mission-driven, to excel. Then in Good to Great he took for-profit ideas and applied them to nonprofits - such as "getting the right people on the bus" and "big, hairy, audacious goals." No longer did nonprofits feel that altruism was the most sought after quality in terms of human resources. Getting the right people on the bus gave nonprofits permission to raise their salary structure to attract the right people, a legitimate focus on building organizational capacity through human resources.
Posted by: Molly in Untagged on
May 10, 2009
As the economy profited in the last decade from mortgage backed securities and boundless Wall Street imagination, many nonprofits sought to put more business people (especially those with deep pockets) on their boards. During the same decade, foundation funders became intensely interested in nonprofits being able to document their effectiveness. The result has been a huge shift in both culture and practice toward measuring outcomes and bottom line mentality.
Posted by: Molly in Untagged on
May 2, 2009
This
article is an example of a Theory of Change process, written by ActKnowledge.
Posted by: Molly in Untagged on
Apr 30, 2009
Theory of Change is a process that was developed by the Aspen Institute, to help design programs with an eye towards being able to evaluate their effectiveness. Like logic models (Kellogg Foundation), Theory of Change helps organizations think through what they are trying to achieve, and how they want to make it happen.
Posted by: Molly in Untagged on
Mar 18, 2009
In a recessed economy, with job losses mounting, endowment values falling, and heightened sensitivity to inappropriate spending, how do we trim the fat without losing mission-critical services?
Posted by: Molly in Untagged on
Dec 19, 2008
We know that organizational change of any kind, even good change, generates anxiety among those affected. In today’s economic climate, change often means contracting budgets, doing away with events or celebrations that cost money, and perhaps even laying off staff. So as managers, how do we deal with the incredible amount of anxiety we feel, while managing the anxiety of our staff and trying to keep morale high? Those are important questions consistent with business planning philosophy. The trick is, we are dealing with human emotions, which are not outcome or goal driven, they are process driven and systems driven.