Have you ever met a nonprofit leader who intentionally manages below operational competence? Neither have I. The problem is that only 6% of managers actually perform above operational competence. (Source: HBR 2017) 94% of all managers mistakenly assume that they are above average in operational competency. They are not. Is it any wonder that most … Continue Reading
At a recent quarterly meeting reviewing donor mailing, a prominent nonprofit discovered that they and their agency had been over-mailing almost 20,000 pieces many times a year for over 10 years. Yes, potentially millions of direct mail pieces that should never have been mailed. How does that even happen? In this case, it was a … Continue Reading
Nonprofit leaders share an instinct to maintain the minimum standard of operational competency in their respective areas of responsibility. In short, this is the common survival mechanism that allows our leaders to serve another day. When a drop in operational competency occurs anywhere within a nonprofit, the leader responsible experiences an immediate and unpleasant response … Continue Reading
If your organization is lacking in any area of operational competency, best practices can help. Best practices are the commercial or professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective within a given industry or discipline. In essence, best practices are the currently accepted industry standard. But here’s the wrinkle. Depending … Continue Reading
There are six main areas of operational competency for nonprofit organizations to maneuver and at any moment, your nonprofit could be at risk in any category. The six areas are: Program Management & Accountability Fundraising, Marketing & Communications Governance, Legal & Risk Management Accounting & Finance People & Organizational Development Technology & Business Systems It’s … Continue Reading
Most successful nonprofits operate in a silo by design. To stay on mission, they narrowly focus their programs and projects. They serve a particular need and identifiable group of people and their donors and volunteers reward them because they do. This formula worked exceptionally well until recently. Nonprofits are starting to feel a real crunch … Continue Reading